Anyone have experience of cat liveaboard

[canals are us?]

Thanks for sharing your stories. Oh yes. you are certainly staff to a cat

 

James.

[Alastair]

We didn't really cruise - mostly stayed on the same 10miles or so of river. Cats would disappear for days at a time when at home mooring.

 

First cat was already elderly and went blind after we moved onboard. He was still really happy and found his way on and off the boats.

The next cats we got as kittens and they adapted really well. We were worried about them falling in during floods but needn't have worried at all. Cats swim really well, possibly even better than dogs. Ours would swim by choice at times (when hunting ducks or to get back aboard during a flood).

[nb Innisfree]

First cat was already elderly and went blind after we moved onboard. He was still really happy and found his way on and off the boats.

 

I think that applies to most boaters, blind to the money spent on their boats that is.

[Bettie Boo]

We have a 10 week old kitten who seems to be adjusting well to life on board:

 

 

We've made a shelf for him to sit on and watch the outside world before we let him out in a few months. He spends hours up there watching people passing and other boat cats.

 

I was wondering about what to do if he falls in - I was thinking of hanging thick ropes off the boat so that they dangle in the water. Might make something to hang on the edge of the canal as well.

 

Also we're thinking of not going for a cat flap and managing his entry and exit. Is that a crazy idea? We'll provide a nice, secure spot on the fore deck for him to hide and I work from boat so there's someone around most of the time.

What a Beautiful kitten

[Dottyshirl]

What a Beautiful kitten

 

gorgeous

Our Starvin Marvin is not a beauty any more, he has one eye, shaved flanks from matted coat, purrs and squeaks at the same time, but he is happy, loves. Being on the boat but too dippy to trusted on deck, now has a harness which he tolerates, not long left for the old guy

[onionbargee]

Anyone have experience of cat liveaboard

 

Useless, they can't even fill in the licence application, and their steering is all over the place. Boom-tish i'm here all week.

[RockSodem]

Get a Turkish Vann! They were apparently gypsy cats and used to their homes moving about and they actually love water. Mine used to stand in the shower with me. And you can train them to do all sorts of tricks.

[John Williamson 1955]

Sadly no longer a cat's servant, as she died 5 years ago, but she certainly could swim. Living in a boatyard we were moored nose to tail with a neighbour. One day the cat flap shut and she came in to the kitchen looking very wet and not pleased...but just went for her food bowl. I attempted towelling her clean and she wasn't too interested really.

A few weeks later there was the noise of nails scraping down a blackboard, a splash, then a moment later, she was back inside.

I admit that by then I was laughing like a drain.

She had slipped, or more likely leaned too far over the edge looking at a duck or fish, fallen in then swum to neighbour's rear fender, then back in her cat flap.

How wrong am I for laughing a LOT?

From a human's point of view, not at all. I do hope your cat scratch fever jabs were up to date....

[Starcoaster]

Get a Turkish Vann! They were apparently gypsy cats and used to their homes moving about and they actually love water. Mine used to stand in the shower with me. And you can train them to do all sorts of tricks.

 

Turkish Vans are native to the Lake Van area of Turkey, quite a small geographical area. The layering of their coat means that it does not hold water like other cats' coats do, so they do not find the feeling of the water unpleasant. This coupled with the ridiculously hot summers in that region evolved a cat that would go into the lake to cool down, eventually becoming one of the most prominent traits of the breed. They have no historical association with travellers, sorry!

[RockSodem]

Turkish Vans are native to the Lake Van area of Turkey, quite a small geographical area. The layering of their coat means that it does not hold water like other cats' coats do, so they do not find the feeling of the water unpleasant. This coupled with the ridiculously hot summers in that region evolved a cat that would go into the lake to cool down, eventually becoming one of the most prominent traits of the breed. They have no historical association with travellers, sorry!

I stand corrected but its a nice thought. Great cats though.

[snooky jo]

my little reggy loves it. new spot every two week or more, places to explore, rodents to terrorise, but we do try to stop near greenery for him.

[jckm2000]

We've got three of the little buggers, trouble is you never know which one it was that sh*t under the bed........

[Paul G2]

We have two cats on our Dutch Barge - a 12 year old neutered Tom and a 5 year old spayed Dam. Both seem happy although the little girl(!) doesn't go out much. The Tom wanders but always comes back (so far), sometimes with gifts. Don't let the mice get under the floorboards as they stink!

 

Cats seem to be able to swim well but don't choose to do so (except Maine Coons which jump in so I am told). Hang a rope fender down well into the water so they can climb out if they fall in, and we also keep a fisherman's landing net handy on deck, but then again we have huge decks (30m by 5.05m).

 

They are great company though. I would post a picture if I knew how!

Put your mouse pointer on the photo you want to post. Right click (push the right-side button on your mouse). Select "copy image". Go back to this web page and put the mouse arrow in the dialog box - the place where you type your reply. Right click. Select "Paste". Left click "Paste". Your picture is now in your reply.

[andywatson]

Get a Turkish Vann! They were apparently gypsy cats and used to their homes moving about and they actually love water. Mine used to stand in the shower with me. And you can train them to do all sorts of tricks.

 

My ex wife contacted me with details of a couple of vans at a rescue organisation who were eventually adopted by a member of our forum.

The last time I heard they were all very happy.

 

My own cat is 18 1/2 and getting slow and skinny but still potters about and enjoys life.

[sassan]

We first got our cat (11 years old, male) while staying in the city over winter (winter mooring). Due to being in the city he wasn't allowed out until we began cruising in the spring. The first few times he was allowed out, he vanished for a few days (in one case a week), but after that he settled down to only being out between meals and by the autumn he basically just sat on the gangplank to defend the boat from passing dogs.

 

He doesn't seem too put out by being shut inside again over winter (showed less and less interest in going out as the weather got colder anyway).

 

We didn't have a cat flap, we just let him out when it was convenient (when one of us was home for the day and not in the couple of days before we needed to move).

 

I don't know what your plans are, are you planning to CC? Or live in a marina/mooring and make occasional trips. I think the latter may be more awkward, if you want to move every day during a trip and your cat decides otherwise. If CCing, it's as simple as not letting him out in the few days up to moving.

 

As others have said, keep them inside the boat for at least a few weeks initially, so that they claim the boat as their territory rather than the towpath (and therefore return to the boat after moving, instead of the previous mooring spot).

[Stilllearning]

piglet1.JPG

She posed like this without help from me.

Ah, that hasn't worked, has it.

[Pykebird]

know the feeling well.........

[tjderby]

I'm moving onto a boat soon and have a 2 year old male DSH. I think like a lot of cat owners, I have concerns about him falling in. Partly because I can't swim lol. I know Here comes the laughs, can't swim and going to be living on a boat lol. Hopefully he adapts well. He loves the outdoors to. Not sure how to post a pic of him lol.

[bespin]

Hi all we had 2 cats when we moved on 5 years ago and they went in a few times the only worry was between boats but they swam well and never seemed to get there heads wet one of them even liked the shower and blow dry he got when he did fall in. The other cat which our boat is named after never fully trusted the engine and always hide when we moved I think she didn't like the trees to be moving the other one was fine and sat out on deck with us. We recently lost one and she is very greatly missed. Though we have recently acquired 2 kittens who will be proper boat cats they are currently busy dismantling the boat as I type.

[ROBDEN]

Hi.

We moved onto the boat seven years ago and brought JO our cat with us....our choice not his.

Thankfully he seems to like it.

He knows if he likes somewhere as soon as we stop.

If he likes it he's off as soon as we stop, but never goes very far. If not he'll just sit in the bow and look out.

He has never been encouraged to go out at night ( if he fell in we wouldn't know ) and usually settles down on the bed once it gets dark.

He has been "swimming" many times and thankfully we've been around to get him out with the use of a towel to grab hold of, a fishing landing net we keep on the roof for just that purpose or if he's close enough we just grab hold of him.

BUT where ever we moor, especially if the canal has piling both sides of the cut, we ALWAYS leave a rope fender down either side of the bow.

Several times we haven't heard a splash but we have heard him screaming while clinging to the fender.

Although we have a dog as well - they are the best of friends - we try not to moor to close to other boats with dogs especially greyhounds or lurchers.

Would we have another cat?

At the moment I would say no but that's only because we worry too much about him and sometimes travel further than we wanted to, to find ( in our opinion ) a safe mooring.

[Ex- Member]

One of ours fell in last night, you would generally know, they look like an old rag and take an age to dry off and constantly lick them selves for hours on end

[Black Ibis]

A question about cats on boats- we've got a 5 year old female cat who's lived on board with us since we adopted her asa kitten. Now we're thinking of getting a second cat.

However, all the advice surrounding introducing cat 2 involves shutting them in separate rooms. We do have a bedroom we can close off from the rest of the boat but it's still going to be tough to keep them apart at first! anyone successfully introduced a second cat into a boat?

[Robbo]

A question about cats on boats- we've got a 5 year old female cat who's lived on board with us since we adopted her asa kitten. Now we're thinking of getting a second cat.

However, all the advice surrounding introducing cat 2 involves shutting them in separate rooms. We do have a bedroom we can close off from the rest of the boat but it's still going to be tough to keep them apart at first! anyone successfully introduced a second cat into a boat?

 

Leave the newcomer in a cage for a while until the old one gets used to there presence.

[Ten]

In my experience is completely down to the cat. My first cat loved it. She was brave and would hand out ouside with us while we were cruising and be the most happy creature when we arrived to a new location as there would be so many new things to investigate. However, our current cat didn't get to grips with the boating lifestyle and hiddes in the wardrobe when the engine or generator are on and will only go out of the boat when we take her with us.

[Grace and Favour]

A question about cats on boats- we've got a 5 year old female cat who's lived on board with us since we adopted her asa kitten. Now we're thinking of getting a second cat.

However, all the advice surrounding introducing cat 2 involves shutting them in separate rooms. We do have a bedroom we can close off from the rest of the boat but it's still going to be tough to keep them apart at first! anyone successfully introduced a second cat into a boat?

It's down to the cat, in my (considerable) experience

 

Jo used to work at a vets, and we have had a number of cats stay with us, if I had to generalise, I'd say that once a cat has their own patch (read 'boat/house') it is unusual for the cat to welcome a second - they will often adopt the superior position - and drive out the incomer.

 

However, if two young cats (such as siblings) are introduced to a home together, they will normally be perfectly happy sharing their space