This bulletin board, hosted by the CDSOA, Inc., is the on-line meeting place for all Cape Dory owners and groups. We welcome everyone's questions, answers and comments about Cape Dory sailboat
Interesting observation. Very unlike mine. As long as I've been sailing (38 years) every cat I've had has done the same thing when I've spread out sails on the lawn: like bees to honey, each cat in its day has walked up to it, sniffed, it, walked around it, onto it, lay down, and gone to sleep (or at least tried to). My love for sailing is matched by love for these furry companions; so much so I always have difficulty in the choice between removing the cat and folding the sail, or just letting sleeping cats lie and come back later.
Bob
Warren Kaplan wrote: 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.
Actually, I have never taken a pet for much of a boat ride; I think I might try a harness with a leash if they were aboard while underway and took to wanting to be above decks. That seems to be tolerable in the car and gives us much more control as, even loose, they are trailing that tether around.
We had a cat that climbed a ladder into the attic space above our bungalow in Scottsdale, AZ. Talk about a hard place to retrieve a cat from! One thinks about large fish nets with long handles at a time like that.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Ken
Al Smith wrote:
Ken Coit wrote: 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.