Cat aboard?

[TowLou]

Anyone keep a cat with them on a trawler? Dogs would be simpler but how about a cat?

Short story long I got a kitty well for the now ex she wanted a ragdoll cat I got for one as a kitten and well now im leaning more to living aboard I wonder how a cat would do if I had to keep him and she will not pay the rest on him.

 

[Ski in NC]

I've known several that have cruised extensively with a cat. The critters seemed to adapt to boat life just fine. I'm sure there are some would not adapt. Ease the critter onto the boat and let it get used to it. Once used to it, take a short trip and see how it does. On first trips keep the cat secured somehow so it can't jump off the boat.

 

[CDreamer]

Ships cats have been around for time eternal. In fact I'd say they're far simpler to have on board than a dog. And I'm a dog person.

ps: This post is sooo ripe for some great jokes but I don't want to be banned...

 

[TowLou]

I just think my Jinx would either slip in the water or run away on the dock and not listen. Then again I guess he would be used to a harness and leash by then.

Jokes are jokes. I used to drive tractor trailers now im ready for the water travels.

i was walking in NYC the other day this black guy asked me if the Yankees won. I relpied yeah your free.

 

[Simi 60]

Anyone keep a cat with them on a trawler? Dogs would be simpler but how about a cat?

Cats are far easier
They are smart enough to use a tray to crap in and bury it vs a dog that has to go ashore daily or crap all over the deck.

12 mths with a cat onboard, no trouble whatsoever.

She went over the side one evening while chasing swallows.
Did a lap of the boat before we scooped her out with a landing net, hasn't fallen in since.

 

[TowLou]

Cats are far easier
They are smart enough to use a tray to crap in and bury it vs a dog that has to go ashore daily or crap all over the deck.

12 mths with a cat onboard, no trouble whatsoever.

My fear I guess is him falling off or running ashore to explore. He is a ragdoll very very docile. Never thought id like a cat till this guy.

 

[Simi 60]

When we come into a fuel dock our's will walk the rails looking, but she's never hopped off.
She's a small tiger, very adventurous, pulls the occasional swallow from the sky and eats whole fish that we throw at her.

 

[TowLou]

Wow swallows. I would think a tiger would wonder more to like a bangle.

Im looking at something to start with under 30' and hope its enough.

I believe he would love fish if I gave it to him.

I guess only one way to find out.

 

[CDreamer]

At home our cat lives almost exclusively outside on the covered deck. Seems completely content unless there's thunder - then we let her inside. Anyway, she's spayed and never leaves the yard. (Being fixed is important to stop roaming tendencies)

I would just take him with you to the boat each time while he's young, give him a bed and a litter box (enclosed is nice) and keep his food /water out.

They're all different of course but in my experience cats tend to sleep...eat...sleep....sleep....look around....change spots...go back to sleep.

A good friend of my parents lived aboard and had a Severe Macaw. Warm climate so it's cage hung on the aft deck. In the covered slip, the cage door stayed open and it would climb around in the rafters of the boat house. Sam was a "rescue" bird and the thing was like a burglar alarm. Freakishly smart - it could say all sorts of things - mostly embarrassing and ill-timed. I remember Sam could whistle a cat-call and say "Heyyyy ba-by!" real distinctly when someone approached the boat - sounded human. It also said , "What's THAT?!" occasionally from up in the rafters. He said it was 35 years old.

I always thought a parrot would be a nice touch if I could get it to sit on my shoulder.

 

[Simi 60]

I always thought a parrot would be a nice touch if I could get it to sit on my shoulder.

Mate had a cockatoo that sits on his shoulder.
He always has **** on his shirt as well.
He had it for 15 years then he got married and his new wife made him get rid of it, he should have got rid of her instead.

Cockatoos live a long time and grow very attached, poor thing ended up losing all its feathers and dying well before its time.

 

[BandB]

Anyone keep a cat with them on a trawler? Dogs would be simpler but how about a cat?

Short story long I got a kitty well for the now ex she wanted a ragdoll cat I got for one as a kitten and well now im leaning more to living aboard I wonder how a cat would do if I had to keep him and she will not pay the rest on him.

Wifey B: Oh yes yes yes, I love ragdolls. From what I know some of them seem to be able to swim and some are terrified of even trying. I'd sort of assume that sometime it's gonna leap and miss and end up in the water, so I'd really want to find out first. Perhaps take it to the pool or something and just see.

 

[gaston]

can they swim with diving weights attached?

 

[Simi 60]

can they swim with diving weights attached?

Only when checking the crab pot.

 

[FF]

We have had cats on board while living aboard and cruising.

The cat loves to ride in the dink , and we have a tube of rolled carpet that hangs down on the stern .

After a dink ride she would climb back aboard with her own "ladder".

We love to anchor out and one cat was saved after going overboard 2 times , the other 1 time.

WE worry about regaining the deck for humans so usually install a method.

Do the same for your cat!

 

[stornoway7]

Here's our resident princess on the foredeck.
Her favourite job is chasing seagulls from one side of the bridge to the other as they fly past.
She prefers the boat over the house, me too.

 

[TowLou]

CCreamer Jinx stays indoors only got out a few times and he just turned 3 last week.

WifeyB he hates the water. I think the one time when he was young the bath we tried to give him went real bad. Thats my fear of him falling in.

FF I kinda wanna see if he would be ok on the lake here maybe when I find his harness before the end of the season. Looks like its possible.

 

[TowLou]

Here's our resident princess on the foredeck.
Her favourite job is chasing seagulls from one side of the bridge to the other as they fly past.
She prefers the boat over the house, me too.

Id prefer the boat to once I get one secured. Happy girl.

 

[Ski in NC]

Every cat I've known hates the water, but are actually very good swimmers. Just don't like it. And yep, a strip of carpet or a landing net is handy. Don't try to grab a cat out of the water. He'll climb straight up your arm.

 

[Seevee]

We've got a 15 yr old cat, and I'm very reluctant to take it boating, let alone on the loop trip coming up. A young cat may adapt, but I'm afraid a 15 yr old will be nothing but a hassle.

But, he's fairly "user friendly" at home. Never makes a mess, doesn't wander far.

 

[sunchaser]

We have a friend who was attacked by their onboard cat a few weeks ago. Had to go to ER for treatment. Her arm is a mess. Cat bites and deep scratches can be troublesome.

 

[Sealife]

Our boat cat has his own page on our blog, 8000 miles and counting. The biggest issue we have had is finding good veterinarian care outside of the US. Most of the places we have been, the locals don't keep "house cats", so local care is non existent. If not traveling outside US, shouldn't be a problem. He has been in the water 5 times, we leave a towel tied to swim platform he can climb up.

 

[Ski in NC]

We have a friend who was attacked by their onboard cat a few weeks ago. Had to go to ER for treatment. Her arm is a mess. Cat bites and deep scratches can be troublesome.

What in the world brought that on? Must be more to the story.

 

[sunchaser]

What in the world brought that on? Must be more to the story.

The Cat was on her lap with a sliding screen door nearby closing on its tail. As noted by others, Tweetie Bird can crap on your shoulder. Saw a GB the other day with three big dogs onboard. A hair salon floor could not match it. Boating and animals sure do provide interesting observations and stories.

 

[C lectric]

Lots of cats travel.

Our last cat, gone now, was 8 yrs old when she was introduced to RV and Boat travel. She had been a house cat previously. She was with us for another 10 yrs of travel. Took a while but she adapted and quite well.

We had a carry pen which we had to stuff her into and would leave her in when actually travelling. After a while she would go in on her own, no more stuffing, and use it as her safe place, looking out. She figured out when we were preparing to move so we often did not have to corral her. There was a good blanket in the case for her so it was padded. But while travelling we locked her in as she tended to panic when she was out of it while travelling. In the pen she was fine, just bored sometimes.

Once anchored she would walk around the boat deck or while docked she and I would go for short dock walks in the evening. I kept close as the eagles would have liked her.

Just introduce your cat while docked and not moving. Put the cat into the carry case BEFORE starting the engine as the noise may well scare it , not to recover. Once the cat has gotten used to the case and engine starts and some travel it should be fine.

Use a leash although for ours was no good as she could twist out of it in seconds regardless of the leash and harness type.

 

[BandB]

What in the world brought that on? Must be more to the story.

Wifey B: Most of the time it's when something suddenly startles the cat. Now, had a friend once who had a cat that would periodically attack her, only her as the cat was closest to her and loved her. It was diagnosed as displaced aggression and it traced back to the cat's childhood and being held while a kid shot it with a BB gun. The kid barely missed the cat's head, hitting it's foot. The cat was taken for counseling and given a low dosage of Prozac.

A lot of cats require tranquilizers to travel by car or plane.

I think with any pet you simply have to figure out if anything you're doing is in their best interests.

 

[Seevee]

Wifey B: ........

A lot of cats require tranquilizers to travel by car or plane.

.........

Wow, ain't that right, and one of the reasons I prefer to NOT have any animals on board any form of transportation. As much as we think we know our pet, they can be unpredictable at the wrong time.

 

[ancora]

Our cat Spanky, is a Persian/Ragdoll mix who loves the boat. A real "sea-cat" who handles all kinds of seas with aplomb, while ridin' up on the fly-bridge.

 

[TowLou]

Such great stories. One afternoon during the week I have to atleast try and take him on Bassey.

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

Cats make great shipmates. I am told to get the cat on board when they are young for training.

 

[Mermaid]

When I bought my Hatteras, I had an elderly blind cat. He did just fine and never went outside. He lived to be 21 years old, his last 9 years being on a boat. When I realized I could not live without a cat after he passed, I foster failed on the one I have now. He did just fine, too. And last week, a friend of my shot and killed himself, so I have a pocket panther (black cat) now, and he's doing just fine, too. Cats adapt well. My favorite cats are the ones nobody wants - the old, the blind, the 3-legged, the FIV+, etc. - the ones that have no other chance. I keep mine indoors, strictly, with the exception that they can go on the aft deck with one of us is out there.