Best life jacket for cats? Other advice?

Cat Boarding Ladder

Hang a piece of burlap from the swim platform. I know this is hard to do - throw the cat into the water near the burlap and call him over to it. It will climb out and it will remember the way aboard if it accidentally falls overboard.


Don't worry, it won't be mad for long.

We've got a five pound 18yr old cat. She rides with us on some trips, longest being about three days. She settles on the chart platform (port dashboard) and does not seem to give a sh!t about anything. Litter box in fwd berth, no problems. She does not seem interested in going out of the cabin. If she did jump off, my reaction plan would be to throw her a blanket or towel choked with a dock line. But never had to. Cats might not like water, but they are excellent swimmers. I do not worry about flotation one bit.

We also have a forty pound beagle/hound mix. That thing is crazy, and probably wont float or swim. Much more nervous when she is aboard.

Tried putting a small pet PFD on our cat. She just went into total "hunker down" mode and wouldn't move.

Our current cat at home is inside only. We may try taking her on the boat -- a Grand Banks 32-- and just make sure we leave the door closed so she stays inside. So she will have to get used to motion and engine noise and we will have to see how that goes....

Good Luck!
Oldersalt

Gouchergal said:

Well, we have been contemplating taking our two adult cats with us instead of leaving them at home for days at a time.
My biggest concern is their safety. Can any one who has done this give us best practices advice as well as a reliable life jacket name?
Will it be really difficult to acclimate two 8 year old cats to the marine life? Ideally we'll be taking them on shortish trips of three days but if they seem comfortable, we'd love to keep them with us as much as possible.
This would be for summer only as we keep the boat outside of Newport, RI.
Gouchergal
Squeeze

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Had two cats aboard my 42 foot ketch a few years back. The big issue was keeping them on the boat while at dock. It seems that they would escape and then explore in the middle of the night. They thought nothing of exploring other boats. A neighbor down the dock called us at midnight insisting that we rescue our cats since they came in through an open port hole and were busy exploring the galley. I found that I had enough to do on the boat rather than herd cats.
In any case, good luck and keep us informed.

GFC said:

Vickie, as the happy owner of two fairly large cats, I would love to see the video of you and the cats wrestling as you try to get them into their pfd's. I can just see it now.

Perhaps you should have an ambulance on standby.

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Exctyengr said:

Had two cats aboard my 42 foot ketch a few years back. The big issue was keeping them on the boat while at dock. It seems that they would escape and then explore in the middle of the night. They thought nothing of exploring other boats. A neighbor down the dock called us at midnight insisting that we rescue our cats since they came in through an open port hole and were busy exploring the galley. I found that I had enough to do on the boat rather than herd cats.
In any case, good luck and keep us informed.

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Thanks for the laugh! I guess I have to think about not only my cats, but my neighbors' boats too!
Vickie

Oldersalt said:

Tried putting a small pet PFD on our cat. She just went into total "hunker down" mode and wouldn't move.

Our current cat at home is inside only. We may try taking her on the boat -- a Grand Banks 32-- and just make sure we leave the door closed so she stays inside. So she will have to get used to motion and engine noise and we will have to see how that goes....

Good Luck!
Oldersalt

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I am rethinking the whole PFD thing. Think I may return the two I just bought based on terrific feedback!! (And my anticipated injuries)
Thanks,
Vickie

Ski in NC said:

We've got a five pound 18yr old cat. She rides with us on some trips, longest being about three days. She settles on the chart platform (port dashboard) and does not seem to give a sh!t about anything. Litter box in fwd berth, no problems. She does not seem interested in going out of the cabin. If she did jump off, my reaction plan would be to throw her a blanket or towel choked with a dock line. But never had to. Cats might not like water, but they are excellent swimmers. I do not worry about flotation one bit.

We also have a forty pound beagle/hound mix. That thing is crazy, and probably wont float or swim. Much more nervous when she is aboard.

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Thanks, Ski! I imagine an 18 year old cat is just happy to still be alive!!
Beagles are much tougher!! Our friends have two and are they LOUD!!
Vickie aka Gouchergal

Bill & Stella said:

Hang a piece of burlap from the swim platform. I know this is hard to do - throw the cat into the water near the burlap and call him over to it. It will climb out and it will remember the way aboard if it accidentally falls overboard.


Don't worry, it won't be mad for long.

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OMG!! My cats are always mad at me for something!!

Thanks for the laugh!

Vickie aka Gouchergal

Jacques Burgalat said:

12 lb. Maine Coons? Good luck with that. They probably weigh twice as much when wet, and if they hit the drink strapped in a life vest, they'll probably exhaust themselves trying to get out of it before even thinking of swimming to a safe place, such as the boat they just fell off of.

As long as they have all their claws, you're best bet is to keep thick ropes dangling from both sides and the rear of the boat.

There's no way I'd bring a de-clawed cat on a boat unless it refused to come out of the cabin in the first place.

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Hi Jacques, thanks for the practical advice. Never occurred to me that they wouldn't know what the PFDs were for!!
Vickie aka Gouchergal

(We also have a dog aboard. He does wear a life jacket as he usually follows me (or food) around and is outside while we are under way. He is too big to grab with one hand so the handle is essential (mostly for me to feel comfortable as he has never even seemed close to falling over board.)

Having our fur kids with us is pretty essential. And more than worth it. We love having coffee in the morning and watching the cats patrol the boat, watch and occasionally chase the seagulls and generally do cute cat stuff.[/QUOTE]

Thanks, Andiamo, Your last paragraph really struck a chord in me. I can't wait for the antics. Can't believe we waited this long to think of bringing them aboard.

Gouchergal said:

Wonderful picture! Your girls look similar to our Maine Coons, Maggie and Katie. How do you keep them entertained in such a small area if they aren't let out?

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Lessa and Erin belong to my friend Ken. They escape, regularly.
The cats came to the sailboat as 9 month old kittens, from a rescue group.

Another picture, Lessa this time:


Both girls tend to get into holes and hide out. Birds on deck do not live long.

They can be feisty and definitely defend their food dish. Skipper is afraid of the two kitties.

This is Skipper:


Maine Coon Cats are the coolest! I love their looks -- very interesting cats. Aren't they known for their swimming though? Thick fur, and float well? (if memory serves me)