Indoor cats

[BruceK]

Over here much of the land and islands outside of suburbia are national parks.
No dogs allowed.

Same rule further south, but I`ve lost count of anxious looking dogs with legs crossed being ferried ashore in Parks. Beware however of the resident lace monitors (aka goannas).

 

[FF]

That's a great idea! A tube on both sides of the boat?


On most boats the stern is immersed , so the current when anchored will be less there.

 

[amapola]

We have 2 cats we cruise with that are strictly indoor. In fact, they are terrified of the outside. Our trawler is equipped with screen doors so they can sit in the fresh air without going outside. If it's necessary to take them ashore, they are either in a carrier and/or a harness and leash. You should join our Facebook page Gatos del mar (cats who sail/navigate).

 

[Andiamo2018]

We currently have THREE cats and one dog - plus us - living on a 40ft sundeck trawler. These cats were all rescues as adults. Our past two cats were a good bit older when they moved on the boat.

All the cats got used to the boat pretty quick. I built some special storage areas for the litter boxes but otherwise that's it.

Our cats have fallen in and they got out on their own in a flash. They have their claws etc but zero experience with water. Yet they got super fast. A friend had a cat fall off their boat away from the dock and the hull of course was too hard for her to pull herself up. She was already working towards the dock when they got her. I've often thought about a piece of carpet hanging over the far side of the boat but never bothered.

Our cats also learned what was 'their' space vs the rest of the marina which they own of course but recognize that strangers bother them more in other places.

Keep them in a single cabin with their boxes for a few days, then only inside the boat for another week or so. We had a kick out of having our coffee and watching the cats explore the outside of the boat.

 

[Sharpseadog]

We cruise with 2 older cats and 2 younger Jack Russell Terriers. The cats are easy sailors although once in awhile they get sea sick. We put covered litter box in our aft head. Clumping litter works best. Scoop and replenish as needed, almost never need to replace.. We did lose one cat that wandered out on foredeck at night and was grabbed by an eagle. We don't leave ubscreened center front lower opening window any more. The're fine on on flybridge because flight approach and departure is obstructed. The dogs use a pee pad in aft cockpit, mostly. Added a coil-hose salt water wash down. Essential because dogs don't always use pads. ??

 

[Todd727]

Sounds to me like you might be overthinking this. You said the cats don't like outdoors. If you left the doors to the house open, would the cats go outside or stay inside?

I gather they would stay inside, so I'd expect them to do the same on the boat. Who knows, they may even get comfortable and believe that the entire boat is "inside."

 

[Muirgen Afloat]

We are getting ready to start living aboard a boat full time too. And we have 3 cats. They all have traveled with us in the motor home and I'm hoping the adjustment will be similar. I do worry about them falling overboard, so I guess we will do the carpet thing and keep our eyes open. Hopefully we will be on our boat by July at the latest so I will update with our experiences. It must work, right? A lot of people have pets on boat... so I'm hopeful that ours will be fine. Good luck!

 

[Njlarry]

Carpet over the transom is a great idea. Many cats and dogs have fallen overboard. Cats cant bark. If our cat was aboard he would be below decks when underway.
Our pets do not ask to go boating and there is an obligation to protect them. I was very disturbed reading of two yahoos who let their cat roam on deck mid ocean and found their cat gone in the morning but remember hearing a splash over night. Many dogs love the water but some do not, for them and for most cats, pet sitters are a plus.
Sailing friends find their catamaran an ideal space for their two cats who have lots of room below when underway.