Kitties Ahoy! Preparing to Have Your Cats Live Aboard a Boat

Our cats, Barthélemy and Marcabrun, are in for a major change. My husband and I are preparing to sell our house, buy a passage-making trawler to live aboard and sail to as many places in the world as we can. And wherever we go, so go our feline pals. So I’ve started researching what we need to make their experience pleasant.

Boat Safety for Cats

Pet life vests

Pet life vests or PFDs (Pet flotation devices) are a must. Available at marine stores, pet stores in boating areas and online, they are made for dogs, but the smallest sizes fit cats.

Fit is the most important feature. The vest must fit so that it does not come off when being worn or when you lift your cat out of the water. It should have two belly straps for greatest safety and comfort. Barthélemy fits into an extra-small dog vest (7 to 15 lbs.) and Marcabrun into a small (15 to 20 lbs.) Yes, they are sizable cats.

A strap handle on top is the second most important feature. Most pet vests have a handle in the middle of the back. If your cat jumps or falls into the water, you can hook the handle with a boat hook, or grab it, and lift the outraged kitty out of the water. The belly straps helps keep the vest on your cat when you grab the strap handle.

The vest also needs to be a bright, contrasting color, to help you see your cat in the water.

I am leaning towards the Kent Competition Zone Dog Vest, which in comparison testing came out as the best for animals up to 20 lbs. They are available in red. I will sew reflective strips on the upper parts of the straps to increase the vests’ visibility.

The guys are used to wearing harnesses, so I’m hopeful they will take to the vests.

Boarding options

We will attach a piece of carpet to the edge of the swim platform and familiarize the cats with it. Should they fall or jump overboard they can pull themselves back onto the boat by grabbing onto this piece of carpet.

Cat carriers

We have one for each cat. We will put the cats in these when we are transporting them from the shore to the boat, and when we have people coming aboard to inspect the boat.

Health

Seasickness

Cats like humans can get seasick. Signs of seasickness in animals are fatigue, clumsiness, disorientation and of course vomiting. Our guys have traveled well on long car trips, so I’m hopeful that they won’t suffer much from seasickness. To alleviate the potential I plan to keep their litter boxes, food and water in the center of the boat, where the motion is the least; keep doors to the forward cabin closed, so that they don’t head for this bounciest part of the boat; and coax them to drink water if they become seasick to avoid dehydration.

Other medical and health concerns

We will carry a First Aid kit and emergency treatment manuals for our cats, as well as a supply of medications and flea and tick remedies. We will also research exactly what documentation and vaccinations different countries require and be sure that the guys’ shots are up-to-date and that we have all pertinent health certificates on board. You often have to plan months in advance to have these things in order.

Food, water and toys

We’ll stow sufficient wet and dry food to last at least a month. When abroad, we will stow at least a two-month supply, and may well have supplies shipped to us along the way, as the guys are very particular about what they eat. Our boat will have a fresh-water maker and a system for catching rain water, so water should be no problem. And we always carry a box of toys and a generous stash of catnip with us whenever traveling

Comfort, theirs and ours

Litter Boxes

Blech. The problems of litter boxes expand on board. What to do with the waste? How do you control the litter and dust from flying around? I’ve researched a number of recommendations. We already have litter boxes that have detachable covers with openings to let the cats in, that we use in the car when we go traveling. Pine pellets rather than clay-based litter keep the smell down and create no dust. But storing cat litter for long voyages seems tiresome.

One system I’m contemplating uses small river pebbles in a two-tiered pan with a perforated middle layer. You fill the top tier with the pebbles. The urine flows into the bottom of the pan. The cats bury the feces in the pebbles. Then I can sift the feces out, bagging them until we get to shore; empty the urine down the toilet; and wash and blow-dry the stones. Tiresome, but it eliminates disposable litter.

The Cat Genie is a third option that I’m going to discuss with boat makers. You connect this to your plumbing and electrical systems. It uses ceramic pebbles instead of litter. After your cat has used the box, the Cat Genie swooshes urine down the drain, takes feces, liquefies them, and flushes that down the drain. The Genie then washes and dries the ceramic litter. If this will work with the boat’s plumbing and “black water” holding tank system, it certainly would be the most efficient and easiest option.

Whatever option we use, the litter box will be located near the center of motion of the boat, out of traffic, in a corner if possible and secured well (shock cord) so it doesn’t move

Scratching

The guys do love to scratch. We will have firmly attached climbing towers firmly with natural hemp scratching posts. Also, I’ve started clipping their nails, and they now scratch less.

Cat Fur

I also brush the guys on a regular basis now. They love it and it has drastically reduced the kitty-fur tumble weeds that roll through the house.

All in all I think the four of us will have bon voyages.