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Cats on narrowboats


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Sorry to hear about your cat Leonie. Hope you get it back

 

Recently, I came across a 'stray' cat in the park near where I work. Looked scrawny and hungry, so I was considering finding out if it was microchipped, but first, I tried the method suggested by the RSPCA - printed out a paper collar saying "This cat has been visiting me, if it is yours, please contact *my number*". I got a reply saying that the cat had been out wandering and had returned home, so thanks for my concern but she was OK. I was really pleased to hear this as I was worried that taking the cat to the Blue Cross/RSPCA and finding no chip would mean someone losing their pet because they hadn't chipped it.

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I saw the following poster in a pet shop:

 

"A dog will obey orders - a cat will take a message and get back to you"

(that sounds just like our cat) :lol:

 

I hope it all works out quickly for you Leonie.

 

 

Ann

 

Personally in the case of our cat it would read better if it said

 

"A dog will obey orders - a cat will take a message and if it can be remotely bothered it might just possibly get back to you"

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Ah, good wheeze.

 

I do wonder if someone out there is still wondering about Willoughby... I hope they'd guess that he's landed on his feet and is very spoilt and happy!

 

He's a lucky cat! And they do wander off, so I expect they've come to terms with it by now. Sad as it is, a cat has to want to live with you and you can't stop it choosing another owner. I know this through painful childhood experience with my cat Scooby...

Luckily Lyra is a homebird like Willoghby and doesn't go far.

 

I was relieved that the scrawny cat I found has an owner. Having called the Blue Cross to see if they had any space, they said that everywhere locally was full, so she'd have been coming home with us if no owner could be found. And much as I love cats and could have taken her on, Lyra would have been less than impressed and vet bills/cattery/food bills would have doubled, as well as there not really being enough space!

Edited by Black Ibis
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He's a lucky cat! And they do wander off, so I expect they've come to terms with it by now. Sad as it is, a cat has to want to live with you and you can't stop it choosing another owner. I know this through painful childhood experience with my cat Scooby...

Luckily Lyra is a homebird like Willoghby and doesn't go far.

 

I was relieved that the scrawny cat I found has an owner. Having called the Blue Cross to see if they had any space, they said that everywhere locally was full, so she'd have been coming home with us if no owner could be found. And much as I love cats and could have taken her on, Lyra would have been less than impressed and vet bills/cattery/food bills would have doubled, as well as there not really being enough space!

They do, it's true, and I told myself that if he did run off when we were travelling the most likely thing would be that he'd found some other mug who really would feed him on lobster and rare steak (yes, I bring a catty bag back for him when we eat out. He likes steak but not pork or lamb, and sausages depend on the quality)

Though we have had him chipped.

 

Oh, that doesn't sound so good in a food context does it. Just to clarify, we haven't had him cut into thin slices and fried in hot oil. Yet.

Edited by Chertsey
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  • 10 months later...

I keep reading posts about people with cats on their boats and homes in the uk and no one seems to consider the damage to what's left of your native animals.It seems o.k to let your cats out to do their own thing i.e. kill every small creature they can before returning back to their bed for the day.Most places here, it's mandatory in a lot of cities if you own a cat to keep it confined to an enclosed run on your property.Letting them out to "Hunt" is surely irresponsible and if you are allowed to bump them off if not on their owners property that's what I will be doing whilst on your canals.Look after your wildlife and look after your pets in that order.

 

I'm afraid it's not legal to kill people's cats in the UK but if you are still planning a holiday here you ought to be aware that (although it was outlawed in an Act of Parliament in 2004), the hunting of obnoxious Australians is still widely practised in most rural communities.

  • Greenie 1
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we adopted an older cat, who didnt much care for going outside (he spent 5 years+ locked outside and is pretty happy about being allowed inside at his new home).

 

We lived in the city on the boat for a few months, so we didn't let him out (very busy city centre), but once out on the canal we let him roam. Took him a few days to come back at first, then 5 days the next time, then 1, then after that he's usually back same or next day. I think that after a long time inside he was keen to spend some time outside again.

 

He considers the boat his home, rather than the surrounding area, so he always comes back (he knows where he set out from). I know a number of people with cats who say the same thing.

 

We were surprised to find he didn't mind the engine noise at all (it's a big loud engine, rattles the boat a lot!), he just sleeps through it.

 

 

Oh, and I know it was a post from a year ago, but still, I will say this: any aussies (or anyone else) shooting my cat are likely to be found floating face-down in the canal the next morning...

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This thread was a great read so many thanks. I am now more confident that my cats will be ok living aboard with me. Neither roam very far.

 

To the Australian with an attitude: The biggest threat to our native species is man himself. Humans have caused horrendous destruction in the name of progress. Do not blame an animal.

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That's got me baffled Gaggle.I know this isn't the U.K. but all cats here have to be desexed unless registered breeders,microchipped and confined to the owners property.They and foxes are decimating the small marsupials here to the point of extinction.As well as the fantastic beer in the U.K. I enjoy looking at the wildlife and I don't think that roaming cats will be doing the smaller stuff much good.

You'd be extremely fortunate to see any of the smaller stuff that may interest a cat. Incidentally Ron, our cat loves boating, often goes ashore for hours and never returns with anything. Shall I mark her for exemption?

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You'd be extremely fortunate to see any of the smaller stuff that may interest a cat. Incidentally Ron, our cat loves boating, often goes ashore for hours and never returns with anything. Shall I mark her for exemption?

 

I'll consider myself extremely fortunate then, 2 shrews this morning and a mole on Monday.

 

Things are different in Australia though, as Leonie explained upthread so Ron T feelings are understandable from that pov

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"This is my boat, so keep off." said the cat

 

 

IMG_3468a_zpsfa0a9492.jpg

 

 

"I'm watching you" said the cat.

 

IMG_3469aa_zpse8c3c547.jpg

 

Seen today and he/she kept pace with us as we passed, just to make sure we did not board.

 

ps. this is canal side not towpath

Edited by bottle
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As the one who started this post way back in July last year, I thought I'd share the happy ending (I thought I had already but can't find it now). Anyway,despite some very cutting remarks from a couple of folk on here, but many offers of advice and support from the vast majority, we decided we didn't want to take the cat with us when we moved onboard, but would only move after we'd found a good home for him. We managed this 3 months ago and he is now well settled with a lovely elderly widow and both parties are very happy. And so are we since we moved aboard at Easter!

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Attitude? I've got an opinion if that's what you mean.The biggest threat is from people who don't know how to look after their animals,I imagine anyone who needs to ask if it's o.k to keep a cat on a barge would be at the top of that catergory.


You'd be extremely fortunate to see any of the smaller stuff that may interest a cat. Incidentally Ron, our cat loves boating, often goes ashore for hours and never returns with anything. Shall I mark her for exemption?

Yep she's safe,just put a star on her collar and give her a nice scratch.


I keep reading posts about people with cats on their boats and homes in the uk and no one seems to consider the damage to what's left of your native animals.It seems o.k to let your cats out to do their own thing i.e. kill every small creature they can before returning back to their bed for the day.Most places here, it's mandatory in a lot of cities if you own a cat to keep it confined to an enclosed run on your property.Letting them out to "Hunt" is surely irresponsible and if you are allowed to bump them off if not on their owners property that's what I will be doing whilst on your canals.Look after your wildlife and look after your pets in that order.

 

I'm afraid it's not legal to kill people's cats in the UK but if you are still planning a holiday here you ought to be aware that (although it was outlawed in an Act of Parliament in 2004), the hunting of obnoxious Australians is still widely practised in most rural communities.

Been over and back a couple of times since then tove.I wasn't aware that you still had a Parliament in the U.K to outlaw or make any acts unless they were stupid or actually came from Brussels.I'm not obnoxious and am quite easy to get along with.

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we adopted an older cat, who didnt much care for going outside (he spent 5 years+ locked outside and is pretty happy about being allowed inside at his new home).

 

We lived in the city on the boat for a few months, so we didn't let him out (very busy city centre), but once out on the canal we let him roam. Took him a few days to come back at first, then 5 days the next time, then 1, then after that he's usually back same or next day. I think that after a long time inside he was keen to spend some time outside again.

 

He considers the boat his home, rather than the surrounding area, so he always comes back (he knows where he set out from). I know a number of people with cats who say the same thing.

 

We were surprised to find he didn't mind the engine noise at all (it's a big loud engine, rattles the boat a lot!), he just sleeps through it.

 

 

Oh, and I know it was a post from a year ago, but still, I will say this: any aussies (or anyone else) shooting my cat are likely to be found floating face-down in the canal the next morning...

Bad form to make those sorts of comments.By the way I see you've spelt your boat name wrong,you've put a couple of extra letters in where the w should be.

Edited by Ron T
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My 12 year old cat is now back living with me after being looked after elsewhere for the last few years. She arrived just under a month ago having possibly never seen a boat before. At first she was clearly distressed, and so was I. But she soon settled down and is totally fine now. She actually seems to go out a lot more than she used to, perhaps because there's fewer other cats around. I do get a bit panicky when I see her scampering along the gunwales and leaping from boat to boat though...

 

I've put a magnetic cat flap in for her and that's working well. I haven't actually moved the boat yet with her on it though. That's the next step. I was thinking I'd take her on a short (hour or so) there-and-back cruise to see how she takes to the movement. I suspect she'll tend to hide in her new favourite place which is amongst my 'old' clothes which are bundled up in the bottom of my wardrobe!

 

So far so good...

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On the subject of cats...

 

 


Secret life of the cat: What do our feline companions get up to?

Ever wondered what your cat spends its time doing when you're not around? Where do our purring pets go when they disappear through the cat flap? Armed with GPS tracking devices and micro-cameras, a team from BBC Two's Horizon programme in collaboration with the Royal Veterinary Collegeset off to a Surrey village to find out.

 

On tonight at 9pm...

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22567526

Edited by Robbo
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On the subject of cats...

 

 

 

On tonight at 9pm...

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22567526

 

Looks interesting. If I'm honest, I think cats are pan-dimensional beings who skip off to parallel universes when they go out. How else do you explain the regular occurence of standing at the door calling you cat for ages and then they suddenly appear from nowhere at your feet, blinking at you?

  • Greenie 1
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Looks interesting. If I'm honest, I think cats are pan-dimensional beings who skip off to parallel universes when they go out. How else do you explain the regular occurence of standing at the door calling you cat for ages and then they suddenly appear from nowhere at your feet, blinking at you?

 

Couldn't help myself - greenie awarded because this is SO TRUE!

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Our cat seems to love living aboard, he's a Bengal and the breed tends to bond strongly with their owners rather than a territory. He will follow us on walks for miles and beg to come into the pub.. He's a good, if reluctant swimmer as well. Is able to get out of the water by grabbing onto the back button and climbing onto the counter.

The only real worry we have is roads, he's fine with the water.

Edited by oarfish
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This thread has to a certain extent put my mind at rest about moving aboard with 5 cats, thank you all for your pro's and cons and tips, I shall be implementing them, fingers crossed!

Blimey. That will be a right bedfull. I stand to be corrected but I think 5 cats aboard puts you straight in at number 1.

(Sorry Star)

Edited by andywatson
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Blimey. That will be a right bedfull. I stand to be corrected but I think 5 cats aboard puts you straight in at number 1.

(Sorry Star)

As we are hoping to move the mother onto her own boat we hope that the two 'oldies' will move in with her and leave us with the 3 terrorists...opps I mean sweet darlings that don't awake me at 2 am taking up half the bed or attacking the dog..... ;) haha

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"This is my boat, so keep off." said the cat

 

 

IMG_3468a_zpsfa0a9492.jpg

 

 

"I'm watching you" said the cat.

 

IMG_3469aa_zpse8c3c547.jpg

 

Seen today and he/she kept pace with us as we passed, just to make sure we did not board.

 

ps. this is canal side not towpath

I think I would be happyer facing off a rottie than that lad!

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  • 1 month later...

Bad form to make those sorts of comments.By the way I see you've spelt your boat name wrong,you've put a couple of extra letters in where the w should be.

AND very bad form for you to make such a pathetic schoolboy insult! If you haven't picked up the vibe from the majority of postings in this thread YOU ARE NOT WELCOME on our canals with your barbaric attitude. I think your provocative statements are probably because you are a wind-up merchant ... either way, do us all a favour and stay "down under". I've got plenty of Aussie friends who are cat (and dog) lovers and they are welcome ... you are not!

  • Greenie 4
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