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Anyone have experience of cat liveaboard


Simon clarke

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Ohh so glad I found this thread! Feel slightly more at ease about taking our moggy along for the ride now. Not convinced he can swim, so hope I am pleasantly surprised!

Ahh, my Zebby was so clumsy, he'd go into the water on average once every 3 weeks, to the point that he learned to use the rope fenders to climb out and back onto the gunnels

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Ahh, my Zebby was so clumsy, he'd go into the water on average once every 3 weeks, to the point that he learned to use the rope fenders to climb out and back onto the gunnels

Having just witnessed a you've been framed worthy failure of Gonzo trying to get into a cardboard box this is a great relief!

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Glad to see older cats managing to adapt to life on board. Mine will definitely be coming with me and as he seems more attached to me than to places I am hopeful all will be fine. Well, when I say he is attached to me rather than a place in reality he is simply attached to the only person who has ever fed him in his life. No point in getting big headed and thinking I am special in any way lol

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Glad to see older cats managing to adapt to life on board. Mine will definitely be coming with me and as he seems more attached to me than to places I am hopeful all will be fine. Well, when I say he is attached to me rather than a place in reality he is simply attached to the only person who has ever fed him in his life. No point in getting big headed and thinking I am special in any way lol

 

I bought Gonzo as a gift for hubby, but as I'm the one who feeds him, Gonzo certainly is more affectionate towards me!

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Ah well... time to add my observations apologies for length.

 

I've got two cats, Gertrude and Albert. (ALB) I rescued gert from under a portakabbin at 10 weeks old, her mum had been run over, and moved her feral self onto my first boat.... long story that is immaterial... Alb was born on the boat... we travelled, we moved then the boat sunk so ensued three landlocked years until new boat came along and then the fun started.

 

On my old route there were No tunnels, I used to cruise with all the doors open and cats were well happy, even mooching past the behemoth of an engine to come and say hello then trundle back down almost oblivious of a bmc commodore roaring at them.

 

Then we did a tunnel.

 

He didn't like that.

 

20 minutes of staying a cat's jump away from the side while the other half chased him round the gunwhales until he eventually relented was something we laughed about afterward.

 

Then came the cat flaps. The first, One with a flap to slide down inside to stop them going out underwent what I can only call The Fury. Alb's brawny and mere plastic has little to weight against his efforts. He tore the back frame off in a few weeks and next time we went cruising, in preparation came plan B.

 

B... One of the flaps with the twisty in/out locks to prevent moggies, in our case, getting out after they'd come in. This time it took him a couple of seasons to figure out that rather than going for the flap he should go for the frame. I guess he saw it give and realised there was something else to get his claws into.

 

So we stuck a board in front and whereas his trusting mum padded past us everynight he wouldn't let us between him and the door to close it. Eventually after a fun filled fortnight I phoned a friend to come up behind him when he came in for his tea and we went home

 

Plan C... another twisty lock jobby but this time I dismantled it and put epoxy between the mating joints to stop him ripping it apart.

 

It lasted for 5 years then his mum figured out the mechanics. Having the twisty lock set to prevent the flap moving out of the door was great and the first time I saw Gertrude trapping along on the outside when I'd seen her in I suspected maybe the curtain had snagged it. The next week I made sure Gertrude was in and that the flap was closed then set up off 11 locks and 9 miles.

 

Where's Gertrude?

 

Day off work and down again. There's Gertrude.

 

Next weekend. 8am and both cats onboard. Shove a piece of ply in front of catflap and away.

 

Where's Gertrude?

 

Gertrude has learned the principles of leverage and had managed to pull the cat flap far enough to lever the ply out of the way. I move the ply but leave the One way twisty action engaged. Alb spends two days wondering How his mum has sussed it. By now Gertrude is adept at hooking a claw into the rim of the cat flap, lifting it up and letting herself out. I let Alb out...

 

To be continued

  • Greenie 2
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Have a greenie for that post Smelly.

 

In my experience there is no flap yet made which will stop a determined cat.

 

We had a nocturnal visitor who used to come to eat Rusty's food and have the odd scrap. He routinely used to get the flap to "jump" the lock and even when I went down one night at 3 am to chase him out he trashed the entire flap and frame in about 2 seconds during his sharp exit.

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Has anyone got any experience of introducing another cat whilst on a boat. Since our dog has gone Gonzo is a bit lonely but we're not in a position really to have another dog.

 

How difficult is it to introduce another cat (he'll be about 2 when we're ready to add another) and is it easier to introduce a male or a female?

 

Edit - He's a friendly cat, he's got some cat friends he hangs out with where we live now, so I don't think he'd be too hostile.

Edited by Lmcgrath87
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Has anyone got any experience of introducing another cat whilst on a boat. Since our dog has gone Gonzo is a bit lonely but we're not in a position really to have another dog.

 

How difficult is it to introduce another cat (he'll be about 2 when we're ready to add another) and is it easier to introduce a male or a female?

 

Edit - He's a friendly cat, he's got some cat friends he hangs out with where we live now, so I don't think he'd be too hostile.

 

If you've been watching cat watch 2014 this week (if missed they are on iplayer) it shows multi cat houses. They tend to tolarate each other and not be "one big happy family", the exception seemed to be if they were part of the same family.

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If you've been watching cat watch 2014 this week (if missed they are on iplayer) it shows multi cat houses. They tend to tolarate each other and not be "one big happy family", the exception seemed to be if they were part of the same family.

I have been watching with great interest,(the kittens are so darn cute!!) and keep changing my mind about if we should or shouldn't get another, the only reason I have entertained it is because he loved the dog, they were great pals, and he has a little cat friend who waits outside the window for him in the mornings and then they hang out with each other all day, I almost feel like he'd possibly benefit from a new friend when we move, but I'm still in two minds about it.

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  • 7 years later...

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