Jos Being a boat cat isn’t that much different than being a house cat, according to Speck. Speck rules Tocino in much the same way as he ruled our land house. He appears to be pretty content on board. Only under the worst conditions does he seem to be affected. As long as Speck’s humans are near, he pretty much chills regardless of what is going on.
Speck is not allowed out of the cabin without his harness on. (Unfortunately, the dog harness we use for him has been discontinued. We bought as many as we could at Petco because even though Speck has been wearing a harness since he was 8 weeks old, he insists on chewing through them. So, at least we have some backup before we have to try a new type. Lol.) The harness is for leashing purposes as well as ease of rescue if something goes awry while we are stopped (at anchor, at a mooring, or in a slip). Depending on conditions, he can be outside while briefly unattended when we are secured, but I usually am in the cockpit to supervise any roaming of the decks. He has a lifejacket, but it is so cumbersome that I would rather supervise than have him be all clumsy wearing it.
While underway, he is leashed within the cockpit. We bring out his little hut and he spends most of his time in it (and sometimes on it). If he gets warm or bored, he moves around (on leash) until he finds a suitable spot. We then rearrange everything to make him comfortable (for as long as 10 whole minutes, sometimes. Lol!). Eventually he’ll decide to go back to his usual hut position on the starboard side. Sometimes if it is very calm I let him take me on a walk around the deck. He’ll spend some time relaxing in the shady area between the jerry cans and the cabin roof. I just bought a gel cooling pad (non-electric, no water). It is AMAZEBALLS!! It really does work! I have been stealing it when Speck isn’t using it. I think we may have to buy another just for me!! The Green Pet Shop – Cool Pet Pad
We don’t have much on board for kitty care that differs from what we had on land. He has his normal covered litter box in the V-Berth and we use Tidy Cat Lightweight Litter and Arm & Hammer Litter Box Deodorizer.
He does have a hanging water bottle (Kaytee Hanging Water Bottle) in addition to his own little Yeti cup and a water bowl. We bought a pump to make a water fountain, but haven’t used it too often because we have to use a huge bowl of water to contain the fountain spray. If we are at a slip it gets set up since we have access to electricity and water. He loves his Temptations Cat Treats, but Pure Bites Freeze-Dried treats are kitty crack. He loves it! He will actually dig it out if it is nearby. We keep his food (Blue Buffalo Weight & Hairball Control) in the same bin we did on land. We may upgrade to one with a gasket, but it doesn’t seem to be a problem at the moment.
He has multiple sleeping areas set up for his convenience.
All in all, Speck is pretty much down with #boatcatlife.
