Cats in General

[Lt.]

General discussion of cat care. Such as: where you put litter boxes how you keep them on the boat what do you feed them, when I say what you feed them I mean supplements to regular cat food. what types of cat you have, like breeds and also do you have them declawed? Just general talk about how you take care of your cats and stuff.

[hummingway]

My sea cat is dead now but I had enough room under the companion way stairs for the litter. That kept it from sliding around. I used some stuff made from corn instead of the clay and it really reduced the mess and smell. She was an old cat when she went to sea so it may be different for a younger cat. She loved the boat, had little desire to get off. I didn't declaw and the only place she sharpened was on the teak deak which was too hard for her to penetrate. She was pretty small cat, no name brand. I fed her high quality food, stuff with little filler and that was it.

[tenchiki]

I have a friend who "potty-trained" her cat. There's a kit available and a training sequence. Younger cats probably train easier than older ones. Though any time it spent any time off the boat with a regular litter box, it needed a refresher course.

[Nemo55]

Please remember that Cats are "Obligatory Carnivores" meaning they must have meat and only meat,,NO Grain Products or fillers,,they should rarely have to drink water from a bowl since they are supposed to get the Majority of their water from their food.
I had to lose many Loved Family members(Cats)to learn these truths.....
You can use the odor controlling beads (clear) for their litter its very clean,,or like others have suggested you can train them to use the head.

[NornaBiron]

We have two moggies on board, they've been with us since they were tiny, found by the bins in Greece, and we bottle fed them initially. Their litter tray lives in a dark corner at night and on deck during the day, they are used to it changing places. We feed them on a complete dried food and there is always plenty of fresh water about for them to drink. They have both been swimming a few times (unintentionally). They like to go ashore for a roll in the dust if we are tied to a quay but that's rare. They jump from the boat to the dinghy when we are at anchor otherwise they stay aboard quite happily.

We don't believe in de-clawing, however we do treat them to a manicure every now and then to get rid of the sharp tips of their claws. We've done this since we first got them so are quite used to sitting on our laps and letting us get on with it!

[Dennis.G]

Originally Posted by Lt.

...do you have them declawed? ...

Please DO NOT DECLAW your cat. Provide a scratch pole (or similar device) and reward its use. Use spray bottle of water to train not to scratch on furnishings. Declawing is a terrible practice and very unkind to animals. Consideration: Cat in the water would have little chance to climb up a rope or onto a dock without claws.

[deckofficer]

Originally Posted by Dennis.G

Please DO NOT DECLAW your cat. Provide a scratch pole (or similar device) and reward its use. Use spray bottle of water to train not to scratch on furnishings. Declawing is a terrible practice and very unkind to animals. Consideration: Cat in the water would have little chance to climb up a rope or onto a dock without claws.

That needed to be said, thanks Dennis.

[Astrid]

Indeed. I have never advocated declawing a cat. For one, it greatly hinders a cat's agility and grace and defend itself, not to mention being able to move around safely on a rolling and pitching platform; secondly it is a drastic operation with extremely painful recovery period. It is in fact, illegal in some European countries and in England is considered an inhumane and unnecessary form of mutilation.

[Bash]

"Declawing" involves more than just removing the claws. The procedure basically amputates each digit up to the first knuckle. It's a death sentence for a boat cat because it will no longer have a way to climb back up on a dock when it falls in. And notice that I say "when" rather than "if." Boat cats end up in the water a lot.

[Astrid]

"Declawing" involves more than just removing the claws.

Indeed. Not unlike a person who has lost the first digits of toes and fingers to frostbite, but unlike a person the cat would still have to walk to food dish, water dish, litter box, etc even during the healing process.

[NornaBiron]

Being English, I'd never heard of declawing until a couple of years ago when we met some American cruisers. We would never dream of taking away our cats only defence mechanism. If we're planning to tie up to a quay that they can go ashore on we even delay the manicures so that they are able to fend the local moggies off!

[jacob30]

I have an exotic short hair persian aboard (not recommended for a hot environment though). Litter box goes in her own head. I Feed science diet dry food on free feed and treat her with temptations (which she would rather eat as a main diet). Not completely happy with her food yet so still experimenting.
She got out once for 11 days. Make sure you spay or neuter your cat which will help prevent roaming far if they do get out and chip as well.
At first she hated sailing but is coming around now to tolerate it.
No way on declawing. I have two scatching posts for her to work on.
Ping pong balls, micro robots, laser and feather on a string for toys. You got to keep them busy.
Oh yeah and we live aboard.

[SaucySailoress]

Originally Posted by jacob30

Litter box goes in her own head.

Your cat has its own bathroom? Jeesh - now I heard it all!

[Bluejacketjazz]

This is a great thread. I had some questions to add...Where does your cat sleep? Does anyone use a hammock for their cat(s)? How about scratching posts (what types, where do you put them)? I have this really nice cat tree in our apartment and I was thinking about making a special one that blended into the boat for when we eventually become liveaboards. Our cats shed a lot, as well, even with daily brushing. Anyone else have this trouble? I wish they weren't afraid of vacuums because I would get the dyson pet brush attachment (it's supposed to be only for dogs) and suck all the loose hair off! :P

[Astrid]

My cat pretty much sleeps where ever she wants to--usually in my berth at night. As for a nautical-like scratching post, you might try making one of sisal rope:

How To Make a Sisal Rope Cat Scratching Post