Want to cruise with our dog and cat.

[hamburking]

I'l be blunt. Cruising with animals is a bad idea.

A litterbox (for the cat) is going to stink up an already small space with unpleasantness. And anyone with an allergy (me) will not be able to go on your boat at all. Cat fur on your clothes, on the cushions, in your food...everywhere.

I recently replied to a local ad for a boat that just might have been my dreamboat. But when I learned that they had cruised with a cat, I knew I could never buy/sail that boat. I'm allergic to cats, and no amount of cleaning would ever make that boat safe for me.

I sailed with my 70 pound mixed breed dog. She was a lovely dog, always well behaved. But it was not pleasant for her. Dogs need to run. They need to poop in the grass. When I sailed with my dog, I did very little sailing, always rushing to a dock for her to do her business. She just lay on a bunk when we were underway. If the weather was rough she was scared, but there was nothing I could do for her. She loved the islands we would visit...she could swim and run and catch mice...she loved it. She loved the places we went. But overall, she would have been better off at home. After she passed, suddenly I could anchor out all the time. I could sail all day without concern. It was better sailing for me.

Bringing a pet sailing is nice for you, not the pet.

[wrwakefield]

Norman,

We have a couple of cats onboard.

We found some books written by a cruising Veterinarian who goes by Capt'n Dr. Dave that you may be interested in as well:

• Pets On Board? Adapting Your Pet to Travel By Boat or RV
  
• Where There Is No Pet Doctor

Our cats are quite content onboard fulltime— and we have met many happy seafaring dogs too...

Cheers! Bill

[Nickodemus]

We travel with a cat on board (liveaboards for three years). First of all, let me say that I wouldn’t give up having Hobie (cat) on board for anything in the world. Pets are a great stress reliever. But first and foremost, you have to realize that vets are few and far between, depending on where you are cruising. You didn’t say where you plan to travel to, but you should definitely research that detail before you head there. We are presently in the Bahamas, and I had to fly our cat from Georgetown in the Exumas to Nassau on a Wednesday, because he had a struvite crystal blockage and would have been dead before the weekly vet came to Georgetown on a Saturday. Not every island has a vet 7 days a week, so be careful where you go. And by the way, we have friends who have pretty severe cat allergies and are perfectly comfortable on our boat because we keep it CLEAN. And there is never an odor on our boat - all our guests/family say they wouldn’t even know we had a cat on board, and they’re not just being polite. Our cat is our child, so can’t imagine giving him up, even for our fabulous lifestyle aboard. Just be careful.

[picklesandjesse]

Cruised with a Siamese cat for years. She was Australian and had quite a life. Lots of air travel too. But it's harder these days I believe. One time in the Dismal Swamp in NC there was a lot of surface weed and she jumped in without us seeing her as she thought it was land. We eventually saw a green animal ashore on a rock... very funny. She definitely had 9 lives, maybe more. Once she was on a Dobermans mouth too....that was a heart tester for her. Lived to be 19 and now buried on Ruxton Is BC. She visited more than 15 countries and was seized by Customs in Panama until we paid a bribe but an ex CIA guy got her back for us and the money. Guess you're never ex CIA !! He denied being one though. Her name was Wacky for Western Australia.

[jkindredpdx]

Check out Carolyn's post on theboatgalley.com Re: Training your dog to poop on a deck-rug aboard.

Basic idea is to collect up your dog's waste in a poop bag and put it on the future deck-rug in your yard. With the treatment, your dog should pee and poop on it again.

[Kenomac]

When we live aboard for six months at a time, our 12 year old tabby lives with our daughter's family and her two cats and a dog. She appreciates living on terra firma with her friends.

[Sam8989]

As far as I know, health certifications (whether for Cuba or not) are issued by a vet prior to entering the waters of another country. Most countries expect the health certificates to have been issued within a certain period of time (like 90 days for example). I suppose you could get one done in-country, but that would really screw up any likelihood of a smooth entry.

The requirements of each country are different, so check travelsites before you head that way. Also, I've found that the official letter of the law typically differs from practice.

[zeehag]

there is a group in facebook for cats on board. topics discussed include everything from litter boxes to training to pfds and checking in and out of locations cruised. ... might want to consider that group as a resource
https://web.facebook.com/groups/277701742402893/