Does anyone at this website have the experience of taking a cat along with them, island-hopping? I have Sealpoint Siamese, who is excellent company, and who would miss me terribly if left behind. Can't bear to hear details of horror stories, but will listen to voice of experience re advisability of taking (somewhat) mischievous cat along on cruises in 31' or 32' sailboat.
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Russell Egge
3 weeks with a cat
We went to Block Island, Greenport and Mystic with our slightly ferral cat. (The kids found her as a kitten abandoned in the middle of winter.) She made the trip well, found many a nook to hide in during the sailing days and never went on deck, except at night when she would crawl out of any open hatch. First time we used any of the screens and to keep somthing in, not out. Would we take her again, maybe, but it took many hours to get the cat fur cleaned up after we got back. RREgge S/V Allie Kat
We went to Block Island, Greenport and Mystic with our slightly ferral cat. (The kids found her as a kitten abandoned in the middle of winter.) She made the trip well, found many a nook to hide in during the sailing days and never went on deck, except at night when she would crawl out of any open hatch. First time we used any of the screens and to keep somthing in, not out. Would we take her again, maybe, but it took many hours to get the cat fur cleaned up after we got back. RREgge S/V Allie Kat
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Les Blackwell
Have always taken our cats cruising
You really hit my button on this question as I'm in the process of writing an article about taking cats on board. I have had cats aboard for about forty years of sailing in the Pacific Northwest. Most of our cats have been Siamese until recently and they have proved to be great boat cats. If you can, give your cat(s) time to adjust. We have a new kitten (1 year old) who is adjusting well to cruising. We have a good carrying case--soft sided, but has some structure--approved for airlines, that we take each cat to the boat in. It gives them some security. If you can, take the cat to the boat while you do some clean up, read, etc. while the cat does an inspection of the boat. But sure to have a litter box on board, ready to go. You might also bring a toy from home, although this will be a bit early for the cat to want to play. Any lap time is great but don't force the issue. The second time we take the cat to the boat, we eat dinner on board. We also bring cat food. One thing we do is bring water from home so that it tastes the same as they are used to. With our cats, this starts the never ending battle of keeping them off the galley counters--they do learn but it is on going at times. With this process we find that our cats start considering the boat interior as 'home' and will run below if anything scary occurs while abovedecks. Up to this point we haven't had friends on board and we haven't let the cat on deck. Preceeding all this, at home, we put a double ring harness (around neck and around body) on the cat so they can get used to them. Siamese cats are normally very good about this. It's a good idea to include a tag with identification information on the harness. A harness allows us to attach leashes to them when in the cockpit while underway and we don't allow them out of the cockpit while underway. Harnesses are removed when down below. Harnesses are also removed while at anchor and the cats are allowed to roam the deck, often sitting on the dodger top or bimini, even the boom. We have never have tried life preservers and never have felt a need for them. A friend of ours has--put the preserver on the cat who stood there and then proceeded to fall on its side without moving. They set the cat back up and it fell on the other side without moving. End of preserver. A new harness we have just ordered and not yet tried seems like it may be more secure. It is called the Walking Jacket and can be found at metpet.com. The next step is to do a day sail and maybe anchor for lunch. Engine noise will cause the cat some concern but pretty soon they get accustomed to it. Waves and wakes are a different problem. Often my wife holds the cat until it gets used to all the motion. Some cats get seasick, some don't. If your cat gets seasick there are "Oops Towels" (paper towels with waterproof backing) available at Petsmart or better yet are waterproof mattress pads (Target, Fred Myer) that are soft on top and have plastic backing. Our old cat always seemed to get seasick until midway through this season and she hasn't been seasick since. I don't know what made her change. We also carry a salmon net for cat retrieval in emergencies but have never had to use it. Several of our cats have gone into the water, only once by choice. Most of the time they have gotten wet going from dinghy to mother ship--can't wait to get back to something stable I quess. We do take our cats ashore in the dinghy at times, or walk them on the dock. Things to take for your cat when cruising. You said no horror stories, but we have one where both of us forgot to bring the extra kitty litter. We went to Desolation Sound in a very rainy August. No store in Desolation Sound carries Kitty Litter. Trust me, it was close to horror. So take extra kitty litter. Lots. Take toys that your cat likes to play with and be sure to take a scatching pad or something like that they are used to using. We have a flat 12x16" sisal board from Felix of Seattle which helps to keep then from using the upholstery. Friends of ours said their cat was unhappy in the boat until the skipper wrapped sisal around the mast support--and the cat was happy. Don't forget brushes and combs if you use them. Also have or install screens if you can. If your cat is an indoor cat, a bee is a fascinating item until they get stung. Which leads me to suggest also taking a first aid kit for your cats. Your own vet can help you decide: things like an eye ointment and antibiotic ointment, syringes to feed or water, something for bee stings, some concentrated canned cat food (we take Science Diet a/d which is bland and high protein,) and hairball medication (like Laxatone.) Over the years most of our cats appeared to have enjoyed cruising. The one cat that couldn't stand it was "Skipper", a male Siamese who didn't want to leave his home territory. Our cats are spoiled, however, as they have their own "BottomSiders" that fit under the dodger in the sun. And there is no better feeling than at anchor in a heavy rain, holding your purring cat in a warm cabin and watching the dog owners rowing ashore. I hope this helps. If you have further questions, feel free to e-mail me at leslieblackwell@home.com. P.S. This has been written with the assistance of a 1-yr old purring Tonkinese. Any misspellings or errors are attributable to her!
You really hit my button on this question as I'm in the process of writing an article about taking cats on board. I have had cats aboard for about forty years of sailing in the Pacific Northwest. Most of our cats have been Siamese until recently and they have proved to be great boat cats. If you can, give your cat(s) time to adjust. We have a new kitten (1 year old) who is adjusting well to cruising. We have a good carrying case--soft sided, but has some structure--approved for airlines, that we take each cat to the boat in. It gives them some security. If you can, take the cat to the boat while you do some clean up, read, etc. while the cat does an inspection of the boat. But sure to have a litter box on board, ready to go. You might also bring a toy from home, although this will be a bit early for the cat to want to play. Any lap time is great but don't force the issue. The second time we take the cat to the boat, we eat dinner on board. We also bring cat food. One thing we do is bring water from home so that it tastes the same as they are used to. With our cats, this starts the never ending battle of keeping them off the galley counters--they do learn but it is on going at times. With this process we find that our cats start considering the boat interior as 'home' and will run below if anything scary occurs while abovedecks. Up to this point we haven't had friends on board and we haven't let the cat on deck. Preceeding all this, at home, we put a double ring harness (around neck and around body) on the cat so they can get used to them. Siamese cats are normally very good about this. It's a good idea to include a tag with identification information on the harness. A harness allows us to attach leashes to them when in the cockpit while underway and we don't allow them out of the cockpit while underway. Harnesses are removed when down below. Harnesses are also removed while at anchor and the cats are allowed to roam the deck, often sitting on the dodger top or bimini, even the boom. We have never have tried life preservers and never have felt a need for them. A friend of ours has--put the preserver on the cat who stood there and then proceeded to fall on its side without moving. They set the cat back up and it fell on the other side without moving. End of preserver. A new harness we have just ordered and not yet tried seems like it may be more secure. It is called the Walking Jacket and can be found at metpet.com. The next step is to do a day sail and maybe anchor for lunch. Engine noise will cause the cat some concern but pretty soon they get accustomed to it. Waves and wakes are a different problem. Often my wife holds the cat until it gets used to all the motion. Some cats get seasick, some don't. If your cat gets seasick there are "Oops Towels" (paper towels with waterproof backing) available at Petsmart or better yet are waterproof mattress pads (Target, Fred Myer) that are soft on top and have plastic backing. Our old cat always seemed to get seasick until midway through this season and she hasn't been seasick since. I don't know what made her change. We also carry a salmon net for cat retrieval in emergencies but have never had to use it. Several of our cats have gone into the water, only once by choice. Most of the time they have gotten wet going from dinghy to mother ship--can't wait to get back to something stable I quess. We do take our cats ashore in the dinghy at times, or walk them on the dock. Things to take for your cat when cruising. You said no horror stories, but we have one where both of us forgot to bring the extra kitty litter. We went to Desolation Sound in a very rainy August. No store in Desolation Sound carries Kitty Litter. Trust me, it was close to horror. So take extra kitty litter. Lots. Take toys that your cat likes to play with and be sure to take a scatching pad or something like that they are used to using. We have a flat 12x16" sisal board from Felix of Seattle which helps to keep then from using the upholstery. Friends of ours said their cat was unhappy in the boat until the skipper wrapped sisal around the mast support--and the cat was happy. Don't forget brushes and combs if you use them. Also have or install screens if you can. If your cat is an indoor cat, a bee is a fascinating item until they get stung. Which leads me to suggest also taking a first aid kit for your cats. Your own vet can help you decide: things like an eye ointment and antibiotic ointment, syringes to feed or water, something for bee stings, some concentrated canned cat food (we take Science Diet a/d which is bland and high protein,) and hairball medication (like Laxatone.) Over the years most of our cats appeared to have enjoyed cruising. The one cat that couldn't stand it was "Skipper", a male Siamese who didn't want to leave his home territory. Our cats are spoiled, however, as they have their own "BottomSiders" that fit under the dodger in the sun. And there is no better feeling than at anchor in a heavy rain, holding your purring cat in a warm cabin and watching the dog owners rowing ashore. I hope this helps. If you have further questions, feel free to e-mail me at leslieblackwell@home.com. P.S. This has been written with the assistance of a 1-yr old purring Tonkinese. Any misspellings or errors are attributable to her!
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Rich Stidger
M
Mac Lindsay
Cat's on board
My Wife and I moved aboard our 1984 H31 In july of 1984. Our new cat came aboard in august at the age of 14 weeks. We lived aboard for over 4 years and we still take her with us when we go sailing on weekends and our vacations. She is now 17 1/2 yrs old, diebetic, kidneys half the size they are supposed to be, arthritic, getting a little hard of hearing, and is on a special diet. She has been wonderful and swims very well. We also keep a large fish net handy for scooping her out in case of accidents although, after going in the drink eleven times, she is better at staying aboard than when she was young. When at a dock we still take her for walks up and down the dock but never ashore. We also put a collar on her with our name and cel phone number and boat name just in case. Just take the cat aboard and he/she will let you know what's up. They can be trained and so can you. Cat's are very good trainers. And it most pleasing to hear the squeaking of oars at 6 in the morning of a dog owner rowing fido ashore while your cat is curled up on your head or wherever she/he prefers to be. Bottom line is to go sailing with your pet and enjoy. Mac 1984 H31 P.S.: cats are prone top pinch to windward so let them sleep.
My Wife and I moved aboard our 1984 H31 In july of 1984. Our new cat came aboard in august at the age of 14 weeks. We lived aboard for over 4 years and we still take her with us when we go sailing on weekends and our vacations. She is now 17 1/2 yrs old, diebetic, kidneys half the size they are supposed to be, arthritic, getting a little hard of hearing, and is on a special diet. She has been wonderful and swims very well. We also keep a large fish net handy for scooping her out in case of accidents although, after going in the drink eleven times, she is better at staying aboard than when she was young. When at a dock we still take her for walks up and down the dock but never ashore. We also put a collar on her with our name and cel phone number and boat name just in case. Just take the cat aboard and he/she will let you know what's up. They can be trained and so can you. Cat's are very good trainers. And it most pleasing to hear the squeaking of oars at 6 in the morning of a dog owner rowing fido ashore while your cat is curled up on your head or wherever she/he prefers to be. Bottom line is to go sailing with your pet and enjoy. Mac 1984 H31 P.S.: cats are prone top pinch to windward so let them sleep.
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