We have a 13-year-old (very noisy) cat called Jasper. Obviously he's going to be moving aboard when we get our lovely new boat. It looks like we are going to be moored on the river Avon near Bristol in the summer and then on a towpath mooring on the canal near Bath in the winter (because of flooding problems). I'd love to hear from any of you who live afloat with their cat(s) and any hints and suggestions you have for our little old moggie.

Follow this link: Cats thread on the old forum for the thread where we discussed a little about this before.

 

Always remember to drain the water from your cat when overwintering!!!!

How u do that Martin?

Do u have to hold it upsidedown to drain or can u do it with a pump, and do dogs need draining as well

Ah, desiccated cat, just the thing for all your feline allergies.

and do dogs need draining as well

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Yes everynight before they go to bed.

 

Edited November 18, 200421 yr by Bernie

Does anyone know.

 

How do you stop your cats from walking across your keyboard when you are trying to use it. It seems to appeal to their sense of humour.

 

 

John Squeers.

Hi Min

Yes and again at 2am and 5am

Have you not seen the times of my posts lol

 

John if you let the dog pee on the keyboard that should keep the cats away.

Edited November 18, 200421 yr by Richard Bustens

This is in danger of turning into a second little furry animals thread. A serious question was asked by tomandsophie who clearly love their ageing moggy to bits. I hate to be a spoilsport but shouldn't we keep the jokes for the pub?

 

Thanks Paul! Always good to hear some jokes but looking for some answers too Jasper is on my lap at the moment (just dropped a small piece of pizza on his head, oops) and he is nuzzling my fingers as I type, as he always does... very sweet but makes it hard to type

 

Anyway, back to the original question - does anybody have any tips for keeping a cat on board?

Edited November 18, 200421 yr by tomandsophie

Since we've never taken a cat with us when cruising afraid I don't have any tips but take a look here.

http://www.mike-stevens.co.uk/aboutme/cats/catafloat.htm

it might be of some help.

On the subject of cats on boats (or off boats). Do cats 'doggie paddle' if they fall in the water

Dont be silly Maf, they do the crawl.

Dont be silly Maf,  they do the crawl.

 

Would that be crawl as in stealth mode or does a cats dignity go out of the window when it's a soggy moggy!

Dont know Maf but they don't half hurt when they stick there claws in your arm or leg.

can not understand it penny does that every time i pull her tail.

Or even worse lulls me into a false sense of security by laying on her back for a tummy tickle, then grabs and pulls with frount legs and pushes with back legs then bites all at the same time.

Edited November 26, 200421 yr by Richard Bustens

I have five cats fortunately not on a boat.

It might just be the cats around here are a bit stupid but we do quite often end up fishing them out of the cut. But saying that we often end up fishing out their owners too!

 

The solution could be to keep them inside but you know what that means!

 

Do you own a cat or does the cat own you?

 

 

Gary

I dont know about cats, but our (large) dog is fine on the boat, she'll sit down fine, and often during the day we let her jump off at a bridge, and jump back on at the next one

 

 

daniel

Do you own a cat or does the cat own you?

Gary

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Does this answer the question?

I'm Only A Cat

 

 

I'm only a cat,

and I stay in my place...

Up there on your chair,

on your bed or your face!

 

I'm only a cat,

and I don't finick much...

I'm happy with cream

and anchovies and such!

 

I'm only a cat,

and we'll get along fine...

As long as you know

I'm not yours... you're all mine!

Dont know Maf but they don't half hurt when they stick there claws in your arm or leg.

can not understand it penny does that every time i pull her tail.

Or even worse lulls me into a false sense of security by laying on her back for a tummy tickle, then grabs and pulls with frount legs and pushes with back legs then bites all at the same time.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Sounds like Victoria

Well, think we lost our cat overboard last night.

 

I was assembling furniture, the kids were noisy - I saw him head out the door. He doesn't like noise, and often goes out for a wander round the decks. I suspect he tried to go ashore, and slipped.

 

Since he went blind it's been an accident waiting to happen, I suppose. Still don't like the idea of him going this way - assumed I'd find him dead in the logbox one day (mad cat prefers to sleep on pile of kindling instead of on sofa)

Hagan Returns!

 

Out of the blue, soaking wet, and with 2 nasty wounds on his back - looks like barbed wire. Gf is taking him to the vet now.

 

He must have gone out onto the bank and got hung up on some barbed wire. Dunno how on earth he managed to find his way back - down a steep bank, across a pontoon, across a narrowboat, and into cockpit of my barge. I don't think I could do that blind.

It always surprises me how resilient an animal can be. Thank goodness Hagan is safe if not sound. Hope his wounds are not too bad.

I dunno. His glaucoma is extremely bad (eyes now massively distorted).

 

He is strong - and eating. Just how long can an animal go on like this, or their owners? There comes an awful point when we start thinking is it fair to keep him going? Vet would have put him down 3 weeks ago, we took him home to die - but he recovered (hand feeding liquid with syringe, etc).

 

I think my gf is thinking the same as me, she wants to take him to vet to be checked, but I think she is wondering if it is kind to carry on. It won't be long before he can't even blink, the glaucoma is so bad.

I hope he gets better!!

 

And that he recovers from his little jaunt the other day!!

 

Sam

Hi Sam

Wares yer been for the last few weeks,

Did your mum ground you, and lock your comp away?....lol