CATPAWS

[Bill Armstrong]

Ok folks...a technical question. Can anyone enlighten me about having a cat aboard our CD28, specifically whether to have a kitten or a mature cat, or somewhere inbetween? We will be cruising here in Maine and I will be soloing when I can. I hear that a cat is good company while soloing. Any special provisions? Uh...My wife and my kids would feel better if I had extra paws to handle lines and cook. You can email me at my address or put it on the board. Thanks. Bill.



meislandbill@yahoo.com

[Ken Coit]

Bill,

Our then elderly cat, Spooky, took to Parfait rather well, but we never got him sailing before his diabetes got the best of him. When first introduced to Parfait, he did the usual tour a cat will do and we wondered just what he would decide about the best place to carry out the various aspects of a cat's life. There was no bad news! His "place" was on the cushioned step below the V-berth. Well-protected on three sides and a clear view of the rest of the cabin.

Spooky was named that because he looked ghostly as a kitten, light grey and white, and he also tended to avoid strangers. I guess some of our visitors weren't as nice to him as we. If we travelled with him by car, he would hide away at the very back of his carrier and refuse to come out. He seemed much more comfortable onboard Parfait, at least in the slip.

Good luck with those extra hands!

Keep on sailing,

Ken Coit
CD/36 Parfait
Hailing Port: Raleigh, NC
Sailing from: Beaufort, NC

Ok folks...a technical question. Can anyone enlighten me about having a cat aboard our CD28, specifically whether to have a kitten or a mature cat, or somewhere inbetween? We will be cruising here in Maine and I will be soloing when I can. I hear that a cat is good company while soloing. Any special provisions? Uh...My wife and my kids would feel better if I had extra paws to handle lines and cook. You can email me at my address or put it on the board. Thanks. Bill.

parfaitNOSPAM@nc.rr.com

[Larry DeMers]

We "obtained" a baby Calico (female) last November, witht he intentions of toilet trraining her so that we could have her come aboard DeLaMer. SHe almost made it too, but complications set in, and although we had her trained to use the head as we do, as soon as we left she would start hunting for her cat box, and was kinda frustrated, so we relinquished and provided her cat box, thus ending the possibility of her coming aboard the boat.
The reason that I say this is that a cat box on board is a very messy thing, especially underway. The granules of clay get everywhere, and are tracked on everything. In addition, what does your cat box smell like at home? Ok, now puit it in a closet and close the door, turn up the heat, and now what does it smell like? (thus our thinking htat maybe we could train her to use the toilet..etc..sigh).
Last, the typical house cat will get *so* sea sick, and will make such a smelly mess that it is likely to be a problem. We have friends that spent 5 years down in the Caribbean and Venezuela (now on a circumnav.), and they started out with their cat, but by 6mn. along, they gave her away.

So try it in harbor and locally to see how your cat reacts..maybe she'll be a perfect cat..there are some that are better than others. But hte majority of those thrying it are quickly dissuaded from continuing.

Best of Luck..from a cat lover,

Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30 Lake Superior

Ok folks...a technical question. Can anyone enlighten me about having a cat aboard our CD28, specifically whether to have a kitten or a mature cat, or somewhere inbetween? We will be cruising here in Maine and I will be soloing when I can. I hear that a cat is good company while soloing. Any special provisions? Uh...My wife and my kids would feel better if I had extra paws to handle lines and cook. You can email me at my address or put it on the board. Thanks. Bill.

demers@sgi.com

[Bill Bloxham]

Try these:
http://www.geocities.com/peljack/meow/catcruise.htm
http://www.bitwrangler.com/wt/lv-ab-cats.html
http://www.svpelican.org/jennyp/logs/june99.htm

and a series of articles
http://www.sailnet.com/collections/crui ... /index.cfm

Train 'em to swim before they fall over.

Bill



mmmmmmbill@earthlink.net

[Al Smith]

I'll try to answer this on two levels. First, I've known of several cats who took very well to the sailing life, but as has been said, some never do.Dramamine and Bonine tend to help the seasickness, but I'd go with a kitten, preferably 8-10 weeks old so she/he would adapt more easily to the confinement and the motion of the boat.Litter-box training would be easier, and the initial resultant messes would be easier to clean up. Second,there are several relatively odorless litters on the market, clumping and non-clumping. I suggest the clumping ones with little odor crystals in them. Scoop out the clumps and the odor pretty much goes with them.

Now, that said, you should know that many cats are lost overboard. Some jump ship voluntarily and then there are the others. No pfd, no cat overboard pole, no epirb. A sad ending to a cute kitty. One small help is trailing a length of fabric, rope, or netting behind you in case of an accident. It helped save a friend of mine's life while offshore.

Would I do it? Probably not, but many do. I knew one who took a long trip to and from Bermuda in horrible weather and never got seasick!Everyone else did.

Al Smith
Cpt s/v Elysium
C/D 33
Deltaville, Va

(Veterinarian when not on the water)



saylr@adelphia.net

[Bill Stebbins]

As the initial responses to your question roll in, it becomes clear that a cat is not the answer. They get seasick, they fall overboard etc. Pick a Laborador retriever or Portuguese water dog pup (female, they mind better than males and don't get in scrapes with males from other boats). They rarely if ever get seasick and they will swim back to the boat if they fall over. They can quickly be trained not to fall over and they can be housebroken easily. If you are on the boat for more than 10 hours at a time, the dog can be trained as easily as the cat to a small piece of indoor-outdoor carpet which can then be rinsed. I put mine in the stern. I slightly prefer a Lab but the Port. Water dog is a bit lighter for ease of getting in the boat. Good luck!



stebbins@umich.edu

[Warren Kaplan, DVM]

It really depends on the cat. Some easy going cats just curl up in a favorite spot or two and sleep the voyage away. Lots of felines from housecats to lions sleep about 18 hours a day, normally. More lively ones can be more fun to have around but the potential for mischief also increases. Anything from falling overboard to being where they "ain't supposed to be" like in the bilge or engine compartment. Long range cruising cats face the same problems long range cruising humans do. Local foods and water can get them sick. Decent veterinary care may be hard to come by or non existent if your cat gets sick. Many countries have quarantine laws about entering animals that may prohibit you from even entering an anchorage. I don't think you have to worry about this stuff cruising the coast of Maine but its just something to keep in mind if you ever want to broaden your sailing horizons and take the cat along. As a general proposition, most cats would be happier ashore (as most people are). But, you can try it on some day sails and short overnights and see how the cat adapts. If you have a cat who is pretty "social" with people at home but stays hidden below decks almost 100% of the time while aboard, you can be pretty sure the cat isn't too thrilled with the sailing life.

Warren Kaplan, DVM
Sine Qua Non
CD27
Oyster Bay Harbor, NY



Setsail728@aol.com

[Larry DeMers]

The larger the dog, the less space one has to live in. SInce the Cape Dories tend to be the equivaalent of an average boat that is about 2 ft. shorter, we are already tight in the boat..regardless of size. So a large dog like a Lab would be way out of place on the usual CD's, unless you are lucky enough to be living in a 36 or 40.
The Shippke (sp??)is the/a water dog, bred for water/boats, and is smaller in size. So would be a better fit.

Now, here is my experience from up here on Superior. Virtually *every* single boat that had a dog, did not get the dog trained well enough to use that carpet, as they were not aboard long enough to reinforce this training. The dog lost the training between visits, or over winter. So they ALL need to water their pets int he evening and in the morning.. snow or rain, sun or clouds, storm or good weather. It usually is a wet dog that returns to the boat, shaking off water, sand and dirt. It is a hassle to get them into the dinghy, out of the dinghy, to shore and from shore..at least to me it seems so. Now to a dedicated dog lover (I am not all that dedicated I guess), this is an acceptable compromise, but to me it seems to be a huge intrusion and inconvenience.
You makes yer choices...:^)

Cheers,

Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30
Sailing Lake Superior ~~~ At least it's raining now..good bye snow!!~~~

As the initial responses to your question roll in, it becomes clear that a cat is not the answer. They get seasick, they fall overboard etc. Pick a Laborador retriever or Portuguese water dog pup (female, they mind better than males and don't get in scrapes with males from other boats). They rarely if ever get seasick and they will swim back to the boat if they fall over. They can quickly be trained not to fall over and they can be housebroken easily. If you are on the boat for more than 10 hours at a time, the dog can be trained as easily as the cat to a small piece of indoor-outdoor carpet which can then be rinsed. I put mine in the stern. I slightly prefer a Lab but the Port. Water dog is a bit lighter for ease of getting in the boat. Good luck!

demers@sgi.com

[Hanalei....]

Captain Kaplan,

Need we go to stories about cats.....UH, I didn't think so.....might get me in trouble all over again....Hey, I bet if you signed on as crew for Captain Armstrong there would not be any problem with the cat! I mean really, how many vessels have their own DVM aboard, well excluding Sine Qua Non......that is!

Dave Stump
Captain Commanding
s/v Hanalei CD-30C

[Catherine Monaghan]

<CENTER><IMG SRC="http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/bcomet/crew/crew.JPG">
Our dalmation Cimon, my husband Bruce and me.

<IMG SRC="http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/bcomet/crew/crew012.JPG">
Cimon's ready to go ashore, too bad the dingy's not in the water yet.

<IMG SRC="http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/bcomet/pho ... -cimon.jpg">
Cimon and another cruising friend enjoy an evening at anchor in Realization's cockpit.

<IMG SRC="http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/bcomet/crew/crew002.JPG">
He's nearly always well-behaved while onboard.

<IMG SRC="http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/bcomet/pho ... hmatt1.jpg">
Me, Cimon and our another friend sailing on Raritan Bay.

<IMG SRC=http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/bcomet/crew/crew009.JPG>
Cimon and I enjoying an Autumn sunset.

He's a great sailing companion. The only drawback is the need to take him ashore. We tried and tried to boatbreak him, but he simply refuses to take care of business on deck. At one point I told my husband that I thought he needed to show him what to do, but he also refused to take care of business on deck. So that means a trip to shore no matter the weather. The most interesting trips ashore take place after dark when it's blacker than pitch. Oh, by the way, he's self-tacking.


Cathy
CD32 Realization, #3
Rahway, NJ
Raritan Bay



catherine_monaghanNOSPAM@merck.com

[Ken Coit]

The larger the dog, the less space one has to live in. SInce the Cape Dories tend to be the equivaalent of an average boat that is about 2 ft. shorter, we are already tight in the boat..regardless of size. So a large dog like a Lab would be way out of place on the usual CD's, unless you are lucky enough to be living in a 36 or 40.
The Shippke (sp??)is the/a water dog, bred for water/boats, and is smaller in size. So would be a better fit.

Now, here is my experience from up here on Superior. Virtually *every* single boat that had a dog, did not get the dog trained well enough to use that carpet, as they were not aboard long enough to reinforce this training. The dog lost the training between visits, or over winter. So they ALL need to water their pets int he evening and in the morning.. snow or rain, sun or clouds, storm or good weather. It usually is a wet dog that returns to the boat, shaking off water, sand and dirt. It is a hassle to get them into the dinghy, out of the dinghy, to shore and from shore..at least to me it seems so. Now to a dedicated dog lover (I am not all that dedicated I guess), this is an acceptable compromise, but to me it seems to be a huge intrusion and inconvenience.
You makes yer choices...:^)

Cheers,

Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30
Sailing Lake Superior ~~~ At least it's raining now..good bye snow!!~~~

As the initial responses to your question roll in, it becomes clear that a cat is not the answer. They get seasick, they fall overboard etc. Pick a Laborador retriever or Portuguese water dog pup (female, they mind better than males and don't get in scrapes with males from other boats). They rarely if ever get seasick and they will swim back to the boat if they fall over. They can quickly be trained not to fall over and they can be housebroken easily. If you are on the boat for more than 10 hours at a time, the dog can be trained as easily as the cat to a small piece of indoor-outdoor carpet which can then be rinsed. I put mine in the stern. I slightly prefer a Lab but the Port. Water dog is a bit lighter for ease of getting in the boat. Good luck!

parfaitNOSPAM@nc.rr.com

[Will W.]

The points against a dog on board are valid. I'm still finding dog hair in Suzi Q and Wesley has not been on board for 8 months. Plus the claws can be rough on your deck paint.
However, they make great daysailing partners, and they will leap to your side with glee and pretend to share your interest in just about anything you are interested in. If trained properly they can assist with fog signals and occasionally help haul the sheets. ( although this he usually does when I am already pulling, and he doesn't always pull in the same direction ) I don't think he understands even the basic manouvers or navigation but he does understand the wind in your big smiling face, thus his perch upon the cabin top when it is not too rough.
The thought of loosing Wesley overboard frightens me and that is my primary reason for not taking him along anymore. Wesley was my constant companion until I got married. As a result of this bond he has gone on many adventures. He swam the rapids at Great Falls MD ( we were tubing and he would not be left on shore ) he would come and get on the tube for the calm stretches but when rapids approached he was back in the water for the ride. He also has been windsurfing. I was windsurfing one day in the middle of the South River near Annapolis. I first saw Wesley when he was about a hundred yards off shore and swimming for me. It was so far I figured he would turn around and go back but he kept on coming. Eventually he got to me and with a little help he got on the board and by the time we were approaching the beach he was on the front of the board "hangin ten" with ten more for back up.

Will Wheatley & Wesley the Sea Dog
Suzi Q
CD25
Sailing from Chesapeake Beach, MD

The larger the dog, the less space one has to live in. SInce the Cape Dories tend to be the equivaalent of an average boat that is about 2 ft. shorter, we are already tight in the boat..regardless of size. So a large dog like a Lab would be way out of place on the usual CD's, unless you are lucky enough to be living in a 36 or 40.
The Shippke (sp??)is the/a water dog, bred for water/boats, and is smaller in size. So would be a better fit.

Now, here is my experience from up here on Superior. Virtually *every* single boat that had a dog, did not get the dog trained well enough to use that carpet, as they were not aboard long enough to reinforce this training. The dog lost the training between visits, or over winter. So they ALL need to water their pets int he evening and in the morning.. snow or rain, sun or clouds, storm or good weather. It usually is a wet dog that returns to the boat, shaking off water, sand and dirt. It is a hassle to get them into the dinghy, out of the dinghy, to shore and from shore..at least to me it seems so. Now to a dedicated dog lover (I am not all that dedicated I guess), this is an acceptable compromise, but to me it seems to be a huge intrusion and inconvenience.
You makes yer choices...:^)

Cheers,

Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30
Sailing Lake Superior ~~~ At least it's raining now..good bye snow!!~~~

As the initial responses to your question roll in, it becomes clear that a cat is not the answer. They get seasick, they fall overboard etc. Pick a Laborador retriever or Portuguese water dog pup (female, they mind better than males and don't get in scrapes with males from other boats). They rarely if ever get seasick and they will swim back to the boat if they fall over. They can quickly be trained not to fall over and they can be housebroken easily. If you are on the boat for more than 10 hours at a time, the dog can be trained as easily as the cat to a small piece of indoor-outdoor carpet which can then be rinsed. I put mine in the stern. I slightly prefer a Lab but the Port. Water dog is a bit lighter for ease of getting in the boat. Good luck!

willwheatley@starpower.net

[Larry DeMers]

Dogs are so loyal and noble. We have had a Shelty and a small terrier over the past 20 years, as well as 6 cats..3 Burmese females that came when we called their names, a son of one of the burmese, and now 2 orange and white fluffballs that make sleeping in on saturdays impossible. (not all these were at the same time mind you..they overlapped each others lives) Cats live such a long time, and become so enrooted in our family..kids born, grow up and move out..the cat still comes up and licks my face in the morning.
Our dogs were meant for us I guess.. we rescued one from Jan's mother when she could not handle the Shelty's excitement and enthusiasm. The little terrier we found freezing to death one winter while on a walk, and brought him home. Same for one of the Burmese..she had been run over by a car in the dead of winter, and we came across her while x country skiing out in the woods. She was about 1 lb and I held her in my pocket as I skiied home. SHe had a badly broken rear leg, above the joint (knee?). Jan is a nurse, and she called her Doctor at the clinic and he told her to bring the cat over. They xrayed the leg, shaved the little bugger and wrapped her leg to her side to hold it. Now she was like 8 in. long max. so she was tiny. Well, time went by, and he grew..the bandage didn't expand much..when 6 weeks went by, and the tape was cut..it nearly exploded off her!
She took a while to get her hair back, and recover her legs use, but that she did in spades. She ahd a nice long life of 19 years, and passed away last year.

Anyway, pets have and always will be a part o my life. Life would be pretty vanilla without them. -But not on the boat, sorry.

Cheers,

Larry DeMers

The points against a dog on board are valid. I'm still finding dog hair in Suzi Q and Wesley has not been on board for 8 months. Plus the claws can be rough on your deck paint.
However, they make great daysailing partners, and they will leap to your side with glee and pretend to share your interest in just about anything you are interested in. If trained properly they can assist with fog signals and occasionally help haul the sheets. ( although this he usually does when I am already pulling, and he doesn't always pull in the same direction ) I don't think he understands even the basic manouvers or navigation but he does understand the wind in your big smiling face, thus his perch upon the cabin top when it is not too rough.
The thought of loosing Wesley overboard frightens me and that is my primary reason for not taking him along anymore. Wesley was my constant companion until I got married. As a result of this bond he has gone on many adventures. He swam the rapids at Great Falls MD ( we were tubing and he would not be left on shore ) he would come and get on the tube for the calm stretches but when rapids approached he was back in the water for the ride. He also has been windsurfing. I was windsurfing one day in the middle of the South River near Annapolis. I first saw Wesley when he was about a hundred yards off shore and swimming for me. It was so far I figured he would turn around and go back but he kept on coming. Eventually he got to me and with a little help he got on the board and by the time we were approaching the beach he was on the front of the board "hangin ten" with ten more for back up.

Will Wheatley & Wesley the Sea Dog
Suzi Q
CD25
Sailing from Chesapeake Beach, MD

The larger the dog, the less space one has to live in. SInce the Cape Dories tend to be the equivaalent of an average boat that is about 2 ft. shorter, we are already tight in the boat..regardless of size. So a large dog like a Lab would be way out of place on the usual CD's, unless you are lucky enough to be living in a 36 or 40.
The Shippke (sp??)is the/a water dog, bred for water/boats, and is smaller in size. So would be a better fit.

Now, here is my experience from up here on Superior. Virtually *every* single boat that had a dog, did not get the dog trained well enough to use that carpet, as they were not aboard long enough to reinforce this training. The dog lost the training between visits, or over winter. So they ALL need to water their pets int he evening and in the morning.. snow or rain, sun or clouds, storm or good weather. It usually is a wet dog that returns to the boat, shaking off water, sand and dirt. It is a hassle to get them into the dinghy, out of the dinghy, to shore and from shore..at least to me it seems so. Now to a dedicated dog lover (I am not all that dedicated I guess), this is an acceptable compromise, but to me it seems to be a huge intrusion and inconvenience.
You makes yer choices...:^)

Cheers,

Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30
Sailing Lake Superior ~~~ At least it's raining now..good bye snow!!~~~

demers@sgi.com

[Warren Kaplan]

Anyway, pets have and always will be a part o my life. Life would be pretty vanilla without them. -But not on the boat, sorry.

Cheers,

Larry DeMers

Larry,
Your right about that of course. One other thing. They also don't seem that interested in boats. Case in point. I was all excited when I finally got, and brought home my new mainsail. I took it out and showed it to my 14 year old cats. They both took a look at it. Sniffed it for about all of five seconds then yawned and promptly turned around, walked out of the room and curled up and went to sleep. Now I ask you...have you ever heard anything so ridiculous in your life!!

Warren



SEtsail728 @aol.com

[Larry DeMers]

Warren,

Smart cats! they realized right off that this piece of material had to do with **gasp** >water!< (mortal enemy of all cats it seems). heh..

Enjoy the weekend!

Larry

Anyway, pets have and always will be a part o my life. Life would be pretty vanilla without them. -But not on the boat, sorry.

Cheers,

Larry DeMers

Larry,
Your right about that of course. One other thing. They also don't seem that interested in boats. Case in point. I was all excited when I finally got, and brought home my new mainsail. I took it out and showed it to my 14 year old cats. They both took a look at it. Sniffed it for about all of five seconds then yawned and promptly turned around, walked out of the room and curled up and went to sleep. Now I ask you...have you ever heard anything so ridiculous in your life!!

Warren

demers@sgi.com