LIVING ABOARD WITH FELINES!

This is written by a guy that was brought up with dogs and has always been, and always will be, a true dog lover. I have even passed that love on to my two adult children ~~ my son, Rob and his wife have 4 dogs ~~ and my daughter, Nikki, was on a short passage with us on our ICW Journey in May of this year and in Coinjock, NC, the animals just flocked to her!  

Nikki - Coinjock Marina

CHEYENNE

CHEROKEE

And then I met Jan, my bride of two years now, and she had two cats ~~ Cheyenne and Cherokee ~~ (she calls them her babies) 
GUESS YOU CAN SEE WHERE THIS IS GOING

At first, we were livingaboard our classic Swan sailboat (S/V Thumper). "Thumper" just had no space for anything extra ~~ especially cats!!!  

But, when we bought our motor yacht, the classic Hatteras 53, we now had room for clothes, shoes AND cats ~~~ yes, two long-haired rescue cats, named Cheyenne and Cherokee. They were about 13 years old and sisters.  

CHEYENNE RELAXING IN JJ FLYGIRL GALLEY

Taking care of
Beethoven  & Mozart

I knew nothing about cats . . . While I lived on the Swan as a bachelor, a dock mate liveaboard on a 42' Hatteras motor yacht asked me to watch his two new Maine Coon kittens (Beethoven & Mozart) over a weekend . . . "Sure, no problem", I said. Well, the first morning I went onboard to feed them and clean the litter box . . . as I started to scoop things up, these huge, heavy lumps came up ~~ I asked myself, how is this possible with two tiny kittens ~~ so, I called the owner and he had a good belly laugh and explained how the “lumping” litter works…..amazing stuff I thought . . .

So, Jan did move her two babies onboard "JJ Flygirl" . . . we found a spot for the litter box, out of the way, and cat-proofed the boat . . . I even went so far as to have some custom covers made by the stern line access cleats, and even purchased the smallest PFD for animals . . . The first time we put it on ~~ it was like watching a bucking bronco at the Calgary Stampede !!! We decided that we just need to insure they could NOT get out the door . . . well, unfortunately, one day Cherokee (the less social friendly) cat did get out and was lost . . .

CHEROKEE

Cheyenne is still with us and is a pleasure to have . . . She is very loveable! On occasion she does venture out onto the foredeck, usually at night when the sun is not as bright. She simply wanders around the deck . . . Yes, this is under our supervision . . . But Just in case, we purchased a very long-handled net . . . so far have not used it . . . As with all living things, she needs care, shots, and lots of love. We feel we can leave her alone onboard for a few days . . . not so with a dog. 

CHEYENNE RULES!!!

Oh, also, cats do at times spit hairballs up, (especially if they have long hair) but modern foods have some property to reduce this . . . yes, I have discovered cats do need some attention ~~ But over the past two years, she has become my Buddy!!! And I can say ~~ the rewards are definitely worth it . . . . You be the judge ~~
Adopt a Kitten!!! 
(Guarantee they will keep Elephants away!)
Captain Ed