'Indoor' boat cats

[zeehag]

[QUOTE=wolfgal;2992719]

Originally Posted by StuM

Get a goat?


Stu, Joshua Slocum had a goat... for a while ...

heck we have a goat on a boat here in mazatlan....

[a64pilot]

[QUOTE=zeehag;2992727]

Originally Posted by wolfgal

heck we have a goat on a boat here in mazatlan....

Yeah, maybe not for long, is his name Livestock?
Had a friend who had a pet cow named steak.

[zeehag]

[QUOTE=a64pilot;2992738]

Originally Posted by zeehag

Yeah, maybe not for long, is his name Livestock?
Had a friend who had a pet cow named steak.

naaaaw his name is goat and he has a 27 pacific seacraft he sails around here and farther... not bad for a goat. hide your cans..
ps he is a m ember of cf, btw....

[Alawaiorion]

Aloha...we have lived aboard a 48 ft Celestial ketch since 2003 here in Hawaii. When we first moved aboard we had 3 (THREE!!!) cats that we simply couldn't part with. I would NEVER have that many cats on a boat again BUT... They were all older and were strictly indoor cats. Huge, steep learning curve. We had to watch them like a hawk and rarely would we ever let them roam above deck without close supervision unless we were anchored out. Over the years one by one went to that rainbow bridge at ripe old ages (16 & 18+) only one wasn't seasick, the others laid low while sailing.
Fast forward to 8 years ago after the last cat was gone we adopted a 5 week old part siamese from the humane society (where all our cats come from) and it couldn't have been more different. He has only known the boat - cats come instantly cat box trained and he was neutered early. He has no idea that he can get off the boat. In fact people have tried to tempt him off but he will not go on the dock. We put him in a small cat carrier anytime we need to take him to the vet or when we haul out. He is only on deck when we are home or visiting our marina neighbors close by and is entirely trustworthy. We are the only boat in the Ala Wai that has no bird crap. Our cat is quite the hunter and very successful - that goes for the occasional roach or gecko... We use clumping litter in an enclosed box and keep it in the forward cabin unless we have guests. We have been able to move the litter box wherever we need it- he's very smart about searching for it. People have remarked about the cleanliness and lack of animal or even bilge smell in our boat - we are vigilant...I think if a cat is raised on a boat from a very young age there is less of a problem with issues. Ours is adept at walking along the stainless rails and to him the sail covers are elaborate kitty play tunnels. We have taught him to tolerate his claws being regularly clipped short and he has a small scratching post so he is not at all destructive.
I will say that if you are not a cat lover getting a kitten actually is best as the bonding between cat and human is gradual but intense. We just had to make sure that lazarettes and access ports were closed and trained him to come instantly when we shook a bag of kitty treats. He has a HUGE fan club in the harbor. This all being said it irks me to no end when people let their cats wander in a harbor. It's dangerous for them on so many levels and annoying to the neighbors.