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Old 23-01-2006, 15:25   #1
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Hi from Dawn Wheeler alias Mrs Wheels

This may not e about sailing, but I would like to share with you all our cruising last weekend. This was to be a special weekend for Alan (Wheels) and I, as it was our 17 year Wedding Anniversary on the Saturday 21 Jan. We were all set, we had two German friends on board to share the experience of the Marlborough Sounds and we also had another two female guest and lastly our prize procession our nearly 13 year old cat called Squeak.

We had awesome company, great food and wine. On the Saturday I wasn't well, come down with a tummy bug. Everyone enjoyed their day. It was about 4 or 5 a.m. when the unthinkable and unexplainable happended. Squeak dissapeared. Our excited guests awoke at 5 a.m. and started fishing of the Mooring. Two of our guests thought they saw what looked like our cat on the Jetty.

Later that morning Alan asked me if Squeak was with me, and I said that I thought she was with you. We searched all her usual hiding places on the yacht and she was no where to be seen. I said to one of our guests, "why didn't you call us to check if it was squeak or not" The reply was I thought it was a really fat Opossum, and the other guest said that, "that's no Opossum it is a cat like ours.

Well I think a few felt bad and they went ashore to look for Squeak, but I knew it wouldn't work because Squeak will not come to strangers. Well before the time we had to leave Alan and I went to call her one last time, but she didn't come.

We are going out this weekend to see if she is still in the area and I am praying she will be safe and Okay and we can get her back.

We have had the yacht for two years now and she comes with us whenver we go out. This is Squeaks very first misadventure. Who said you can't teach an old cat new tricks.

I hope this is not off topic in this forum.

Regards
Dawn alias Mrs Wheels
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Old 23-01-2006, 16:53   #2
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Hey Dawn. I assume Squeak jumped ship. Not really surprising after reading about some of your adventures. Probably figured she would be safer on shore. Hope she turns up.

Nice to read your post, and believe me when I tell you, "off topic" is the standard on this forum. You actually started a separate thread and in the category of "Women Afloat". That puts you way above average. If you hang around, you will want a screen name....Alan gets in trouble from time to time....best not to be connected.

Larry
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Old 24-01-2006, 20:22   #3
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Squeaks and Wheels

Hi Dawn,
I'm sorry to hear that your beloved pet, Squeaks, has been missing and can only hope that you will find him or her soon. I know what it is like to lose a pet. It is like losing one of your family. I have two cats of my own and I have worried terribly about what I will do with them when I go "cruising" next year for what I hope will be a period of 3 months. They are house cats and probably would do better than I think but I'm very afraid they'd fall overboard and I wouldn't know or be able to retreive them.

Your husband's nickname "Wheels" is also the nickname of a very dear friend Doug. He is a US Astronaut who is scheduled for one the next Shuttle missions. His fellow pilots and Astronaut buddies dubbed him "Wheels" due to his last name, Wheelock. I'd never known anyone else called "Wheels" so of course it caught my eye.

Good to have you on post. I so hope you find Squeaks soon.

Later,
Patti
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Old 24-01-2006, 20:29   #4
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Hello Dawn.

Yeah I told Wheels, that I was sorry to hear about the family cat.

I hope you both will find Squeaks soon? Good luck!!
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Old 24-01-2006, 21:02   #5
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Dear Dawn,
So sorry to here about your cat. Scott and I have a cat also "Shep". She was raised on top of a mountain and when we got our first boat we had high hopes that she would like the boat. She was fine while we were in the boat yard but it turns out that she gets very sea sick and the scary thing is she only wants to hang out on deck. We thought we lost her once and looked all over for her in very bad weather. When we got to dock the silly cat was in her cat box . What a relief! We hope that squeak turns up. Luckly cats are good swimmers evan the ones that hate water, so the chances of squeak being OK are very good. Finding her of course will be the hard part. Is this some place you can put up flyers? If not there then mabey at the closest store. People tend to buy snacks and drinks before they go to the ocean.
Good luck and let us know when you find squeak.
Susan
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Old 25-01-2006, 01:29   #6
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Mrs. Wheeler, I was so saddend by your post. Please tell us if you've found your cat. We just lost our 8 year family dog to cancer and have been devistated every since. We moved onto our sail boat last May 1st in order to move on to the rest of our dreamy life and felt a tremedous amount of guilt after we lost our beloved friend and loyal family memeber. So I recently brought our two house cats to the boat in order to feel more like a family and ease some of our pain. It has helped but the loss is great nonetheless. Please continue to share and any tips of safety hindsight would help us all.

Brenda Ivey first year on the boat. Every season new.
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Old 02-02-2006, 00:12   #7
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Thank you all for all your kind words and thoughts on our missing Squeak. I haven't felt up to posting a reply till now. We went back out this last weekend gone, and had a real good search for squeak, but no sign of her. I have just phoned the lodge owners tonight and there has been no sighting of her. After nearly 13 years our household and when we were on the boat last weekend is quiet. I miss her so much. I am and still praying for a miracle that somehow she will arrive home. I think the worst thing is not nowing if she is still alive, or will she somehow turn up. Two year's ago when we decided we were going to live on the yacht we wondered how Squeak would cope. For the first month we remained in Havelock Marina. Squeak coped with it better than Alan and I. One day don't ask me how, but she bought a live bird inside the cabin. It was both a shock to myself and Alan because Alan would say that the only way she would catch a bird is if one flew in her mouth when she yawned. I also said that if Squeak wasn't coping with the life on board I would probably consider putting her to sleep, but I was really pleased I didn't have to make that decision. We are going back out this weekend so will keep my eyes and ears open. Once again thanks or your kind thoughts.

Regards
Dawn
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Old 02-02-2006, 12:43   #8
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Dawn.

Like I said in an earlier thread. I'm really sorry that you and your husband lost Squeak.

I had a favorite pet cat. And I found out my neighbor shot my cat with a BB gun.

I got my revenge over that incident. But, my cat died from my neighbors ignorance?

Pets can be an extension, to any family. But losing ones pet. Is like losing a loved one. I understand, Dawn.

Well, I can not say any more than what I just said. Except to say, that it's a shame that had to happen.
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Old 25-03-2006, 00:11   #9
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Unhappy SQUEAK

G'day Dawn+Alan
Do hope the time-lag doesn't touch a nerve, but having just found this thread I am wondering and, of course, hoping she turned up - especially so as I have been trying to find fellow-yachties' precious 4-legged crew. Having unusual colouring, the local animal rescue man and I thought we had sighted him and enticed him to visit for food, so advised our cobbers to drive 6hrs back to claim him - their winter berth having 'driven' them onwards. Only it wasn't and we are all still saddened.
Having also lost two dear, eccentric (aren't they all, given the attention?) companions, I empathise with the awful imaginings as to what happened. Not knowing is horrible so one can only wonder at the agony of those whose relatives go missing.
How ghastly for CaptainK. Best wishes
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Old 04-04-2006, 23:50   #10
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Hi Gini, no we still have not found her. It's getting colder now, and maybe, just maybe, she might come out of the bush to seek a warm fire. She loves lying in front of the fire in the winter. She stretches right out and will lye there all day and night. Except for important intervals like food.
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Old 05-04-2006, 07:43   #11
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Sorry to hear about you cat Wheeler family. . It's horrible to lose a pet. Lost our dog of 12 years last year. Took a long time to get over that one. Hopefully she'll show up

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Old 08-04-2006, 23:53   #12
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Lost Pet

Sorry to hear about the loss of your pet.

Over the ditch here in OZ, our pets have to be microchipped and registered so that lost pets can be re-united with owners. This involves having a small microchip inserted under the skin of the animal when it is young, and registering on a data-base.

Do you have that system in NZ? It ensures that if a stray is located or picked up it can be identified and owners tracked down.

Good luck

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Old 09-04-2006, 01:53   #13
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At the moment, there is no law saying a Cat must be ID'd in anyway. We do have a special ID Tattoo inside the cats ear. This code means she can be tracked back to us.
There is a law change current underway in NZ for All Dogs to be microchiped. But many are against it. Mainly Farmers ont he big Runs that may have as many as 30 dogs. It's several hundred dollars per Dog to have done here.
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Old 09-04-2006, 17:06   #14
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Here in the US. They have been tattooing ID numbers on pets.

And probably over the past few years. They have been putting microchips in pets for identification!!
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