Cats on Board

Charlie on s/v Ceilydh

For nearly as long as sailors have been going to sea, their cats have been going with them. Whether as miracle workers, mousers, or mates, nary a crew member has been more valued than the ship's cat. Certainly, why we live aboard has changed throughout the course of history, but who we bring along to keep us company appears to be timeless. (Friends of Fido: Standby, dogs on board is an upcoming topic!)


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Topic Coordinator: Jane (more JOY everywhere!)

Learn some nautical history - a fun introductory piece about "the ship's cat," from Sarah (Blue Water Dreaming). And a second post about Fluffy's forays afield.

• The Ship's Cat
• Four furry little land legs

This post is packed with specifics, starting with how to introduce your cat to the boat. A guest post by Sandy, published on Saltwater Suzi and Cap'n Larry's (The Frugal Mariner).

• How We Convinced Our Cat to Go Cruising

Learn more about the move aboard process from Tammy (Things we did today).

• Test Week With Cats
• Boat Gear for Cats

Oh dear. Tasha (turf to surf) dares to SHAVE her darlings and posted a video about it. She also wrote about going wild at the Charleston Petco, and her ambitious toilet-training plan.  There's also a post written from Charlie's point of view, to help other cats adjust to shipboard life.

• Kitty-centric: The Barber of Vero Beach
• Kitty-centric: 3 Fun feline frills
• Kitty-centric: Toilet training cats
• 7 Self-help Tips (from one cat to another)

Here are a few posts about the exploits of my cats (Jane, more JOY everywhere!). Read about cats moving aboard, cat overboard, missing cat, found cat, etc.

• Cats on JOY

And here are a few posts about the exploits of Diane's cat (Ceilydh Sets Sail). Read about cat swimming, cat seasick, cat being imported to Australia, and more. Also a fun "small world" piece remembering her previous boat cat.

• Cat on Ceilydh

Details and pictures (!) of cat surgery in Grenada, from Willie (Mark & Willie).

• A Cat, a Transmission and a Dinghy Concert - Grenada

Mike (Zero to Cruising!) wrote posts about adopting a kitty and clearing through customs in Trinidad and St. Vincent with a cat on board.

• How has having a cat changed your boating life?
• Cat customs

Lynn (s/v Celebration) wrote a heart-rending memorial for her 21-year-old cat.

• The Never Ending Cat

Leigh (Living the Life Aquatic) contributed this story of how her old cat Zoe went missing on a weekend trip.

• The Past 48 Hours

What do you do with a seasick cat? See Robyn's story (The Adventures of Smart Move), along with "before-and-after" pictures of Lilly.

• A Tale of a Seasick Cat!

Catless himself, the skipper of S/V Blondie-Dog pens an homage featuring some of Key West's famous felines.

• Kitty, Kitty, Kitty... I Like Cats... They're Low Maintenance

First Mate Neptune tells tales of his adventures aboard SV Re Metau.

• The Real Cruising Kitty: Neptune

Jessica (Matt & Jessica's Sailing Page) describes adopting a cat partway into their cruise, and what they learned after the first two months:

• Georgiana On My Mind
• A Boat Cat With No Water

If you want it straight from the horse's mouth (so to speak!), check out Bailey's blog:

• Bailey Boat Cat

Along with other adventures, Suzanne's (Orbis Non Sufficit) cat went for a swim ... in the galley sink!

• Ship's Cats

A couple of months in, here it is from the cat's point of view:

• My Name is Jetsam ... and I'm a Boat Cat (Things We Did Today)

And just for grins, here's an ad for a no-maintenance ship's cat, contributed by s/v Octopussy (s/v Octopussy)

• Later, Seagulls

Zeehag (SK Solitary Bird) sails with bubba, who wins first prize for "best picture of a cat in a porthole".

• bubba daboatkat

Project Motor Boat shares an adoption story: they were in the Turks and Caicos and they decided that one tiny kitten was not enough:

• We Adopted Not One But Two

Drena (Sailing Journey), getting ready to start cruising, writes about Leo's first visits to the boat.  He's 12 and a bit grumpy, so will he be able to adjust to being a cruising cat? [Note: 5/19/2013 - Drena is MoFi's 100th blogger!]

• the adventures of leo
• adventures of leo: uh-oh

The crew aboard SV Serenity writes about how their cat, Tack, may have reached spiritualization before them. Perhaps it was his close brush with death(?) when he fell in the water? They also recount Tack's newest hobby: seat snatching. What else are you gonna do for fun on a 30 foot boat? You can also read about the custom cat door they made and how they cleared Tack into Mexico.

• The tabby's den
• Tack overboard
• Fat cat on a little boat
• The most expensive cat door in the world
• International kitty

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