Cats aboard (long) and possible foster home

Yesterday afternoon, we put Cinder and Rosie in their travel bags and took
them onboard for a trial overnight cruise. We'd had them onboard overnight
before, but while tied to the our dock. This would be their first time
underway to a different place.
Our destination was a marina about 20 minutes from our dock where we would
have a barbecue with two other couples and spend the night tied to the
courtesy dock.
I put the kitty bags with the kitties in the bedroom and shut the bedroom
door to keep them safe while we left the dock. Once underway, I came back
and let them out of the travel bags. I sat on the floor with them in the
bedroom with the door shut while Jim drove the boat.
The kitties were quite nervous at first, but did not run around in panic or
try to hide. They cried some and panted some. Cinder walked around a little,
but mostly lay near me on a throw rug on the floor. Rosie spent most of the
time in my lap, but also did a little exploring. They both kept an eye on
the bedroom door and obviously did not like the idea that it was closed.
This was the first time they'd felt the floor vibrate and heard the rumble
of the engine below them. I suspect that was one major cause of the anxiety.
They are used to going on and off the boat voluntarily when it is at the
dock with the engine shut down and doors and window open.
I left them in the room with the door shut when I readied the boat for
docking, I handle the fenders and lines, and Jim handles the boat.
Once docked, we opened the bedroom door, and Cinder was first up the steps
into the main cabin area. They didn't like the idea that the doors and
windows were shut to the outside, but they seemed to enjoy looking out the
windows. They were particularly interested in watching the reflections off
the water that made dancing light on the ceiling and walls.
The cats protested when we left them to eat with our friends. I went to
check on them after a while, and they were quiet, but when they spotted me
looking in the window, they started up again.
When we returned, they settled down right away and we had a peaceful night.
When we went to bed, Rosie snuggled and purred as usual. Cinder slept on
the dining bench where she had a good view of the bedroom.
I got up just before dawn and joined Cinder on the seat, which she liked.
She's occasionally snuggles, but mostly likes to hang out in the vicinity.
Then Rosie joined us, and they took turns exploring the various nooks and
crannies and looking out the window while the sun came up.
I shut them in the bedroom again when we left the dock, which they
protested. I let them out once we were on our way home and stayed in the
cabin with them until it was time to dock again.
Once we were on the dock, I put them back in the travel bags and carried
them into the house. Now they are acting as if it were all some sort of
strange dream. Or maybe they think we were struck with temporary insanity.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention that one of our friends said she would foster
the cats for us while we go on our trip. They have a cat who is very
mellow, so it might work. I'll discuss it with them soon and see if we
(including the cats) think it will work. We are not leaving until March, so
we have time for an introductory period.
(Sigh) I'm really torn on this.
Annie

Purrs and prayers that whatever you decide to do works out for the best all
around.
Lily & her mama
Jazz, RB

--

Irulan
from the stars we come
to the stars we return
from now until the end of time
"Annie Wxill" wrote in message
...

Yesterday afternoon, we put Cinder and Rosie in their travel bags and took
them onboard for a trial overnight cruise. We'd had them onboard
overnight before, but while tied to the our dock. This would be their
first time underway to a different place.
Our destination was a marina about 20 minutes from our dock where we would
have a barbecue with two other couples and spend the night tied to the
courtesy dock.
I put the kitty bags with the kitties in the bedroom and shut the bedroom
door to keep them safe while we left the dock. Once underway, I came back
and let them out of the travel bags. I sat on the floor with them in the
bedroom with the door shut while Jim drove the boat.
The kitties were quite nervous at first, but did not run around in panic
or try to hide. They cried some and panted some. Cinder walked around a
little, but mostly lay near me on a throw rug on the floor. Rosie spent
most of the time in my lap, but also did a little exploring. They both
kept an eye on the bedroom door and obviously did not like the idea that
it was closed.
This was the first time they'd felt the floor vibrate and heard the rumble
of the engine below them. I suspect that was one major cause of the
anxiety. They are used to going on and off the boat voluntarily when it is
at the dock with the engine shut down and doors and window open.
I left them in the room with the door shut when I readied the boat for
docking, I handle the fenders and lines, and Jim handles the boat.
Once docked, we opened the bedroom door, and Cinder was first up the steps
into the main cabin area. They didn't like the idea that the doors and
windows were shut to the outside, but they seemed to enjoy looking out the
windows. They were particularly interested in watching the reflections
off the water that made dancing light on the ceiling and walls.
The cats protested when we left them to eat with our friends. I went to
check on them after a while, and they were quiet, but when they spotted me
looking in the window, they started up again.
When we returned, they settled down right away and we had a peaceful
night. When we went to bed, Rosie snuggled and purred as usual. Cinder
slept on the dining bench where she had a good view of the bedroom.
I got up just before dawn and joined Cinder on the seat, which she liked.
She's occasionally snuggles, but mostly likes to hang out in the vicinity.
Then Rosie joined us, and they took turns exploring the various nooks and
crannies and looking out the window while the sun came up.
I shut them in the bedroom again when we left the dock, which they
protested. I let them out once we were on our way home and stayed in the
cabin with them until it was time to dock again.
Once we were on the dock, I put them back in the travel bags and carried
them into the house. Now they are acting as if it were all some sort of
strange dream. Or maybe they think we were struck with temporary
insanity.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention that one of our friends said she would
foster the cats for us while we go on our trip. They have a cat who is
very mellow, so it might work. I'll discuss it with them soon and see if
we (including the cats) think it will work. We are not leaving until
March, so we have time for an introductory period.
(Sigh) I'm really torn on this.
Annie

On 2005-10-09 14:01:07 -0500, "Annie Wxill" said:


Yesterday afternoon, we put Cinder and Rosie in their travel bags and
took them onboard for a trial overnight cruise. We'd had them onboard
overnight before, but while tied to the our dock. This would be their
first time underway to a different place.
Our destination was a marina about 20 minutes from our dock where we
would have a barbecue with two other couples and spend the night tied
to the courtesy dock.
I put the kitty bags with the kitties in the bedroom and shut the
bedroom door to keep them safe while we left the dock. Once underway,
I came back and let them out of the travel bags. I sat on the floor
with them in the bedroom with the door shut while Jim drove the boat.
The kitties were quite nervous at first, but did not run around in
panic or try to hide. They cried some and panted some. Cinder walked
around a little, but mostly lay near me on a throw rug on the floor.
Rosie spent most of the time in my lap, but also did a little
exploring. They both kept an eye on the bedroom door and obviously did
not like the idea that it was closed.
This was the first time they'd felt the floor vibrate and heard the
rumble of the engine below them. I suspect that was one major cause of
the anxiety. They are used to going on and off the boat voluntarily
when it is at the dock with the engine shut down and doors and window
open.
I left them in the room with the door shut when I readied the boat for
docking, I handle the fenders and lines, and Jim handles the boat.
Once docked, we opened the bedroom door, and Cinder was first up the
steps into the main cabin area. They didn't like the idea that the
doors and windows were shut to the outside, but they seemed to enjoy
looking out the windows. They were particularly interested in watching
the reflections off the water that made dancing light on the ceiling
and walls.
The cats protested when we left them to eat with our friends. I went to
check on them after a while, and they were quiet, but when they spotted
me looking in the window, they started up again.
When we returned, they settled down right away and we had a peaceful
night. When we went to bed, Rosie snuggled and purred as usual. Cinder
slept on the dining bench where she had a good view of the bedroom.
I got up just before dawn and joined Cinder on the seat, which she
liked. She's occasionally snuggles, but mostly likes to hang out in the
vicinity. Then Rosie joined us, and they took turns exploring the
various nooks and crannies and looking out the window while the sun
came up.
I shut them in the bedroom again when we left the dock, which they
protested. I let them out once we were on our way home and stayed in
the cabin with them until it was time to dock again.
Once we were on the dock, I put them back in the travel bags and
carried them into the house. Now they are acting as if it were all
some sort of strange dream. Or maybe they think we were struck with
temporary insanity.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention that one of our friends said she would
foster the cats for us while we go on our trip. They have a cat who is
very mellow, so it might work. I'll discuss it with them soon and see
if we (including the cats) think it will work. We are not leaving
until March, so we have time for an introductory period.
(Sigh) I'm really torn on this.
Annie

Wow. It sounds to me like they would easily adjust if you keep doing
trial runs like this. Are you going out of country at all? (Sorry, I
can't remember your itinerary). That would be the only catch I can
really think of. Out of country vet care if needed would be not so
hot.

"Irulan" wrote in message
...
Purrs and prayers that whatever you decide to do works out for the best
all around.
Lily & her mama
Jazz, RB

Thank you. That is our intent.
Annie

"Karen" wrote in message
news:2005100916084224084%kchuplis@alltelnet...
Wow. It sounds to me like they would easily adjust if you keep doing
trial runs like this. Are you going out of country at all? (Sorry, I can't
remember your itinerary). That would be the only catch I can really think
of. Out of country vet care if needed would be not so hot.
Hi Karen,
It is encouraging. Yes, we will go outside the U.S. We will take the canal
system into Canada and the Great Lakes. If time and weather permits, we
may to the Bahamas.
If you look at the eastern part of the U.S., you will see a system of
channels, locks, and inland waterways that enable you to go by boat from
Brownsville, Texas (near the Mexico/U.S. border, across the northern Gulf of
Mexico, and make a loop around the portion of the U.S. that is between the
Mississippi River and the Atlantic Ocean. The northernmost part of the trip
will be through canals and locks in Canada.
Annie

On 2005-10-09 16:47:35 -0500, "Annie Wxill" said:


"Karen" wrote in message
news:2005100916084224084%kchuplis@alltelnet...
Wow. It sounds to me like they would easily adjust if you keep doing
trial runs like this. Are you going out of country at all? (Sorry, I
can't remember your itinerary). That would be the only catch I can
really think of. Out of country vet care if needed would be not so hot.
Hi Karen,
It is encouraging. Yes, we will go outside the U.S. We will take the
canal system into Canada and the Great Lakes. If time and weather
permits, we may to the Bahamas.
If you look at the eastern part of the U.S., you will see a system of
channels, locks, and inland waterways that enable you to go by boat
from Brownsville, Texas (near the Mexico/U.S. border, across the
northern Gulf of Mexico, and make a loop around the portion of the U.S.
that is between the Mississippi River and the Atlantic Ocean. The
northernmost part of the trip will be through canals and locks in
Canada.
Annie

Canada wouldn't be too bad (although I suppose it's pretty "rural"
where you intend to go). It certainly does sound fun. I'm too much of a
homebody though. Then again, you will have home with you. I still hope
the kitties adapt. It just seems like an awful long time away and they
might actually enjoy it.

Annie Wxill wrote:
Yesterday afternoon, we put Cinder and Rosie in their travel bags and
took them onboard for a trial overnight cruise.

Why do I hear the theme from Gilligan's Island in my head? "Just sit right
back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip..." Thanks for the
earworm!

We'd had them
onboard overnight before, but while tied to the our dock. This would
be their first time underway to a different place.
Our destination was a marina about 20 minutes from our dock where we
would have a barbecue with two other couples and spend the night tied
to the courtesy dock.
I put the kitty bags with the kitties in the bedroom and shut the
bedroom door to keep them safe while we left the dock. Once
underway, I came back and let them out of the travel bags. I sat on
the floor with them in the bedroom with the door shut while Jim drove
the boat.
The kitties were quite nervous at first, but did not run around in
panic or try to hide. They cried some and panted some. Cinder walked
around a little, but mostly lay near me on a throw rug on the floor.
Rosie spent most of the time in my lap, but also did a little
exploring. They both kept an eye on the bedroom door and obviously
did not like the idea that it was closed. This was the first time
they'd felt the floor vibrate and heard the rumble of the engine
below them. I suspect that was one major cause of the anxiety. They
are used to going on and off the boat voluntarily when it is at the
dock with the engine shut down and doors and window open.
I left them in the room with the door shut when I readied the boat for
docking, I handle the fenders and lines, and Jim handles the boat.
Once docked, we opened the bedroom door, and Cinder was first up the
steps into the main cabin area. They didn't like the idea that the
doors and windows were shut to the outside, but they seemed to enjoy
looking out the windows. They were particularly interested in
watching the reflections off the water that made dancing light on the
ceiling and walls.
The cats protested when we left them to eat with our friends. I went
to check on them after a while, and they were quiet, but when they
spotted me looking in the window, they started up again.
When we returned, they settled down right away and we had a peaceful
night. When we went to bed, Rosie snuggled and purred as usual.
Cinder slept on the dining bench where she had a good view of the
bedroom.
I got up just before dawn and joined Cinder on the seat, which she
liked. She's occasionally snuggles, but mostly likes to hang out in
the vicinity. Then Rosie joined us, and they took turns exploring the
various nooks and crannies and looking out the window while the sun
came up.
I shut them in the bedroom again when we left the dock, which they
protested. I let them out once we were on our way home and stayed in
the cabin with them until it was time to dock again.
Once we were on the dock, I put them back in the travel bags and
carried them into the house. Now they are acting as if it were all
some sort of strange dream. Or maybe they think we were struck with
temporary insanity. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that one of our
friends said she would foster the cats for us while we go on our
trip. They have a cat who is very mellow, so it might work. I'll
discuss it with them soon and see if we (including the cats) think it
will work. We are not leaving until March, so we have time for an
introductory period. (Sigh) I'm really torn on this.
Annie

You know you can buy kitty life vests and just keep them with you on the
boat if they adjust well to seafaring life. Some cats don't mind boats at
all! But I'd do the kitty-vest thing just in case.

Jill

"jmcquown" wrote in message
...
.... Why do I hear the theme from Gilligan's Island in my head? "Just sit
right
back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip..." Thanks for the
earworm!

LOL. Well, it wasn't a three-hour tour. We'll probably do one of those
next.
....
You know you can buy kitty life vests and just keep them with you on the
boat if they adjust well to seafaring life. Some cats don't mind boats at
all! But I'd do the kitty-vest thing just in case.

Jill
Yes, I bought such a pet vest that I think Rosie might wear, except it looks
like it may be a little small. I got a harness for her when she was finally
tame enough to try it out. She let me put it on her and take it off a few
times. Then I decided to take her outside for a little walk. I put the
harness on her and a leash and carried her outside and stood next to her
while she rolled around on the ground. The next thing I knew, she was
halfway out of the harness. I'm going to try this pet life vest when she is
relaxed and see how she does with it.

We have a heck of a time just getting Cinder to wear a collar. She has an
attitude. If we take it off to change her tags or whatever, we have to be
fast to get it back on before she gets away. When we put the Revolution
drops on her, she struggles and when it is done, she hisses at us whenever
we even look at her. She won't let us clip her claws at all.

I'm sure that even getting her into a life vest would be extremely difficult
and getting her to let us get it off would be even worse.

I read some information on using life vests for cats and it was kind of a
two-way sword. The life vest can interfere with the cat's agility and throw
them off balance if they decide to do any jumping or climbing. (I think
this describes Cinder more than Rosie.) The implication is that they could
be more likely to fall overboard if wearing a life vest. However, they
should be less likely to drown if they do go over wearing a life vest. I
suppose that's not taking into account such things as hypothermia.

I can say that Cinder is a very good swimmer because in her younger days,
she actually jumped off our dock and into the water to pounce on a leaf that
floated over her head and landed in front of her in the water. When she
came up, the expression on her face was priceless with her eyes so big.
But, she turned around and swam right back to where she had gone in. I gave
her a little boost and she got out and ran into the house. The concrete on
the bulkhead reduced her claws clear down to the quick. Poor thing. But,
at least we didn't have to worry about trimming them for an extra long time.

Annie

Annie Wxill wrote:
(Sigh) I'm really torn on this.

Well, FWIW, it sounds to me like Cinders and Rosie would do just fine on
the boat. They would soon get used to the routines on board, and the
sound of the engine. I'm also selfish in that I want to hear boatcat
stories. ;o)

--
Marina, Frank, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Nikki.
marina (dot) kurten (at) iki (dot) fi
Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/
and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki

Annie Wxill wrote:
I can say that Cinder is a very good swimmer because in her younger days,
she actually jumped off our dock and into the water to pounce on a leaf that
floated over her head and landed in front of her in the water. When she
came up, the expression on her face was priceless with her eyes so big.
But, she turned around and swam right back to where she had gone in.

Go Cinder! I once read a column where this man wrote about his boatcat.
He had a small sailing boat, and this cat wandered on board one day when
he was docked at a little town. He asked around, but couldn't find the
owner, and since the cat seemed to like his boat, he let it come along.

This man took a morning swim every morning, jumping into the water from
his boat. He was amazed the morning after the cat had joined him on the
boat, when he jumped into the sea, and the cat followed and swam with
him for the five, ten minutes he did. After that, the cat would go for a
swim with him every morning. There was much more to the story, but
sadly, I didn't save it. ISTR that the cat eventually just vanished at
some docking place - maybe it had come from another boat and left for
another.

--
Marina, Frank, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Nikki.
marina (dot) kurten (at) iki (dot) fi
Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/
and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki