kittycat in mexico

[tjhalo]

Hi, does anyone with a pet cat have any recent experience with checking into mexico? My cat will stay onboard and we intend to be two weeks around playa del carmen in december. Any other thoughts on easy carribean travel with a live aboard pet?
We are on the hard in Fla. seem to be running into conflicting info. We also heard that there is an insurance requirement for our boat, any thoughts on that would help as well.
My partner and I are new to this as we have just bought the boat, a C&C 38 and will be launching next month. We hope to travel south by December, but it seems like so far, only Turks and Caicos allows pets onboard without all the paperwork, which we dont want to wait 6 months for if poss.
Open to any suggestions on traveling with a cat. Thanks, Jeff/Teri

[Hud3]

You need to hear from CF member Zeehag. She's in Mexico with Bubba the Boat Kat right now.

[zeehag]

lol doj turned me onto this--i am cruising with bubba da boat kat--he is an awesome companion...wish he could steer
i had no problem cruising gulf of mexico florida to lousiana with him, nor have i had any problem cruising mexico--not in ensenada on entry nor port checkins along the way.
there are excellent veterinarians along the way--la jungla, dr rafael, in mazatlan, dr dunia in la cruz de huanacaxtle, and i dont know his name here in barra de navidad.


there is no fancy feast in barra de navidad--the rest of mexico has it where there are large stores--banderas bay and mazatlan both have, as does zihuatenejo... i dont know veterinarian in zihuat--i went to mega/comercial for pet goods.
there is also no iams--only purina products and whiskas. make sure you convert your cat prior to leaving or he will herd the beejeeziz outta you to get his favorite.

in some places you can find science diet...no fish flavors--chicken and meat.
dry food mainly chicken and beef flavors. is a tough life for a gatpo here but they dont snuggle with theirs here--cats are pest killers only here.
as for flea control--there are fleas on streets in many places--i use revlucion for gatos...vet has it.not in stores. proine doesnt do it. advantage i s not always available--it is in maz and la cruz.
what did i miss....

check in--dont even have to mention cat. it stays on board--you golden. it gets off boat--beware of rat poison and cats--deadly, and other critters and wildness..might wanna keep shots current. or leash critter--mine is on leash in marinas and free to roam boat in anchorages.doget veterinarian papers before yoi leave with shots and everything=-is best for gato--chip if you can--- it can also be done in la cruz--not certain if rafael inserts chips .....

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by zeehag

lol doj turned me onto this--i am cruising with bubba da boat kat--he is an awesome companion...wish he could steer

Should have got a goat .

[zeehag]

lol... yeah a goat can even see over the house roof while on watch....lol

[Dennis.G]

We have travelled a few times in Mexico with cats, entering both by car and by boat. Had vet letters showing good health and shots up to date (including rabies vaccinations).

Was never asked for these documents, and even when volunteered the documents they were waved-off, officials had no interest at all. The same really coming back into the USA too.

I would make sure you have some documents showing good health just in case. Never know what you might get asked for. I hear of some getting government type forms filled out, but those are really for livestock I believe not really applicable.

Mexico is easy. Hawaii on the other hand - forget it!

[shaka]

I was really curious what it's like to have your cat at sea. Was it raised in a house and brought abroad or has it always been a 'boat cat' so to speak? My fiance and I are very fond of our cat and couldn't imagine being without her if we were to move to a boat.

Good luck!

[onestepcsy37]

we've cruised to the bahamas with our cats several times. the first time we went through all the hurdles to get health certificates and import papers. when we checked in the authorities could care less. so we never bothered again.

our cats are 'house' cats, never been outdoors when at home. we took them aboard in cat carriers, provided a cat box (just like at home) and they never made a fuss. life just went on for them. instead of being confined to a house they were confined to a boat. crossing the gulf stream was rough but they just found themselves a comfortable place to hide and slept through it.

i like dogs, but don't think i would ever want to go through the trouble of cruising foreign with a dog.

[Teknav]

Cat food wherever you go...buy ground beef...brown it in a skillet...serve your cat...bon appetit! Better than any cat food you'll ever buy! I'd assume that you'll supplement the ground beef with table left-overs; balanced diet. Had a 22 lbs tabby cat...ALL muscles...lived 15 years...never ever was sick!

Mauritz
Knows what cats like!

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by zeehag

lol... yeah a goat can even see over the house roof while on watch....lol

Yeah, but can you train a goat to use the head? AND flush? My bet is on no ...

And God help you if you leave yesterday's clothes out -- they'll be today's breakfast for the goat!

I have a friend whose great Dane's favorite playmate is -- a goat!

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by shaka

I was really curious what it's like to have your cat at sea. Was it raised in a house and brought abroad or has it always been a 'boat cat' so to speak? My fiance and I are very fond of our cat and couldn't imagine being without her if we were to move to a boat.

Good luck!

You're planning to move aboard, right?

I live aboard with my cat and she seems to love it. She really enjoys being in the cockpit (in her carrier) while I'm sailing. If she's in the cabin, she goes into her "hidey hole" in the galley because she knows things -- and she -- can get tossed around.

She is an "indoor" cat on the boat. I have Phifertex netting all around the cockpit. I take it down when I sail, but as I said, she's in her carrier.

She's never gotten seasick and we've been in some pretty rough water. I think the advantage was that she was on 100% of the time once she was on. She's just got great sea legs.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Teknav

Cat food wherever you go...buy ground beef...brown it in a skillet...serve your cat...bon appetit! Better than any cat food you'll ever buy! I'd assume that you'll supplement the ground beef with table left-overs; balanced diet. Had a 22 lbs tabby cat...ALL muscles...lived 15 years...never ever was sick!

Mauritz
Knows what cats like!

My cat has no interest in ground meat, raw or cooked, and will only take a few nibbles of roast chicken. I give her dry cat food, but I keep it in food-quality containers because it turns out that unwelcome pests really love catfood. I don't leave it out open for her all day.

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by shaka

I was really curious what it's like to have your cat at sea. Was it raised in a house and brought abroad or has it always been a 'boat cat' so to speak? My fiance and I are very fond of our cat and couldn't imagine being without her if we were to move to a boat.

Good luck!

bubba has always been on a boat--since 5 1/2 weeks of age.
the boat is his home and he has free range of it, including cockpit. he lives on a lash in marinas and freedom at anchor--in rough passages he is on leash so i can find him--i follow his string..lol
bubba has taken well to other peoples boat also when i sailed gom with him.he adapted well to the smaller boat of a friend and did well except when he escaped and freeked me out. he made all the dogs on our side of the canal in eden isles bark at 0200 then came back--screwy gato.
he has yet to get seasick and heis happy as long as heis with momms.
i trid sailing for a month without him---he killeded me when i got back, so he comes with me.(he attacked me and drew blood to punish me for leaving him--cats are that way--they do not like to be abandoned.) now he doesnt let me out of his sight. i am allowed to shop and return, and i am allowed to go out and come back. i am not allowed to spend more than a day away .he expresses himself well.(teeth and claws)
he has fallen overboard 4 times, total, al while on leash and able to save self---twice with help and twice solo. and he kills birdees when they land on boat. we are safe...lol

bring the cat to the boat and live with it there and sail with cat and be at home with cat--i think cat will come around--it takes 2 weeks for a cat to adjust to a new surrounding successfully.
many cats will not eat cooked beef. they will eat a small amount of raw beef, and they wil eat some cooked chicken--if you have to make own food--chicken and fish work best. cow is not a natural cat food. fishies and birdees are, so they work best.

[tjhalo]

Thanks a bunch z and to all, we are new to this, having just bought our boat, living on the hard and dreaming of shangrala, hopefully in a few weeks, lol. Peace