Cat Life Jacket

[jwidahonurse]

Hey Dave the Canuk.....I find your remark very offensive..if you don't like cats so be it..keep it to your self..

[Dave the Canuck]

Originally Posted by jwidahonurse

Hey Dave the Canuk.....I find your remark very offensive..if you don't like cats so be it..keep it to your self..

A person reveals his character by nothing so clearly as the joke he resents.
Georg C. Lichtenberg

[jwidahonurse]

Whatever

[Gman2065g]

When I got my boat and moved my cat on board a life preserver for cats was my first thing I went looking for. I couldn't find one for cats so I got one that was made for small dogs. Well like all the other posts on this topic this didn't work for my cat either.

So instead I gave up on a life preserver and just made two rope things and hung down over both sides of the stern of the boat so if my cat did fall in he could climb back up. This works for me. You can also use towels and those long foam noodle things they make.

[zeehag]

i have a 20 pound maine coon mix who is a leash walker---he wears a harness and leash while sailing and is a very goood kat---he has excellent balance and my caprails are not varnished so he isnt always in danger of falling into the seas...he has a braided line looped into the water in case he falls--but he hasnt done the falling in thing since a baby---at which time he was on leash and brought himself up onto the boat using his leash---jacklines for cats are easier than are jackets---when a cat is tired of swimming the cat will lower his head-this is how cats drown--life jackets do not address this ---therefore,pet lifejackets, as we know them now are not good for kats....leashes are better--make the figure 8 harness cross UNDER the cats chest--they tolerate nothing on their backs---have the leash connect the harness UNDER the cat, then cat will use leash and not be as hyper to escape---this is not my first cat i have had on board--i have not lost one yet..

[rubylene]

I'm having problems with my cat.. She doesn't want to wear anything including life jackets.. How can I make her wear one?

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by rubylene

I'm having problems with my cat.. She doesn't want to wear anything including life jackets.. How can I make her wear one?

try a figure 8 harness with the leashloop under her chest
let her wear the harness alone for about 2 weeks
she should adapt to it--then try the leash attached and see what she does.....most cats will not like it at first....how old is she?? younger ones adapt slightly quicker than older ones---but they eventually come around..mine wore his harness and leash the entire first year of his life--didnt know there was any other way--thought it was part of him....it saved his life a couple of ties in his first year--he was a dork.....fell overboard twice and was able to use the leash to climb back up to the deck...if the harness is placed as doggies have theirs, the cat wont be able to grab the leash to climb back up -- is for safety and for cat refusals the leash attaches on cats under the chest.

[GordMay]

Some good information at ‘Critter's Inflatable’® pet life jacket for Cats:
➥ Critters Inflatable, Pet Preserver, Pet Life Preserver, Pet Life Jacket, Home Page

[Cheechako]

You might consider a small floating platform that you tie alongside when anchored for the cat to climb up on if he falls over. The lifejackets seem to make things worse by upsetting their balance. Keep the cat in the cabin or close by in the cockpit when under way. I know a lot of people whose cats have drowneed while they lived aboard right in the marina.... cat couldnt get back on the dock.... the docks float too high off the water...

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

You might consider a small floating platform that you tie alongside when anchored for the cat to climb up on if he falls over. The lifejackets seem to make things worse by upsetting their balance. Keep the cat in the cabin or close by in the cockpit when under way. I know a lot of people whose cats have drowneed while they lived aboard right in the marina.... cat couldnt get back on the dock.... the docks float too high off the water...

i have my old mooring lines braided together for a kitty ladder and a me grab next to it----kat hasnt had his swimming lessons yet but i plan on doing that with him and showing him the ladder in case he sl;ips harness and falls in without leash to help him grab hold and climb....that life jacket gmay posted looks like it might actually work--is only appropriate looking one i have seen--thankyou for the linky....the key is not scaring kitty.....let kitty get used to the new thing over a coupla weeks and see how well the adaptation is....not all kitties get along as wella s mine on leash or with harness---let the cat adjust to live in a harness and go from there........

[AnkiChief]

Thanks Zeehag (and everyone else) for your postings, I've found them really informative and useful. I've had the harness and leases for my two young cats but as others have written the cats don't like them, but I'm now off to try putting the leashloop under their chests, and I won't waste my money on buying life jackets, but rather put my time into making them an aide to get back on board.

[Dulcesuenos]

We have tried twice to put a life jacket on our cat's. They will tolerate it but they don't walk or move once its on.
We have low transom steps we intent to zip tie a piece of carpet from the step into the water so they can climb back on. Someday soon we teach them.how to use it. Going to make a fun video!

Both do wear harness so we can gaff, er hook them if we need to! Or clip em in to a jackline loll

[Dulcesuenos]

This one didnt work so well but was hysterical

[zeehag]

cats hate anything on their backs. is better to find a pfd
that doesnt sit on the cats back.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Dulcesuenos

This one didnt work so well but was hysterical

Similar experience years ago putting a life jacket on our cats. Very funny. They just keel over. We decided that was more dangerous than not wearing a life jackets. A few things we did:

- mesh clipped to the transom steps so they could get back aboard. Used mesh instead of carpet because carpet gets really nastu fast and is hard to clean.

- saw kerfs in the last transom step to given then a better grip.

- Kitty MOB drills so they learned to swim to the stern (they especially loved this exercise).

- No pets on deck underway policy. This freaked them out at first, but we found if we cracked the cockpit door just enough where they could interact with us, but not get out, they got used to that. Installed latches to securely hold door in that position.