Being that we are bipedal hominids with opposable thumbs we will never truly understand or be able to convey just how our pets feel about living with us in such close quarters. Nonetheless, we have the utmost respect for all three them, for being so well behaved and unbelievably tolerant with us and each other.
Kiwi has been on board both our old sailboat Uno Mas and our current sailboat Rua Hatu many times before we moved aboard full-time. I would describe her relationship with boat life as love-hate. Love, because she sleeps in bed with us nearly every night and she is never more than 5 feet from one of us at all times. Hate, because she doesn’t get to run around whenever she likes or make as many new friends/play with old friends.
We have had our concerns about her energy levels on a small boat but she has surprised us many times with her patience and make-do attitude. With the boat fully packed, she has been relocated from the guest berth to the regular settee. She can still be caught stuffing her face up inside the berth that is now fully crammed with paddle board, skate boards, extra lines, and more. However she has found a suitable replacement: Our bed… Which she occupies fully (and with gusto) any chance she gets.
Coco, on the other hand, has taken to boat life like the saltiest of sailors. She sleeps curled up in her bed until late in the morning, takes various naps on our bed during the day then retreats to her bed for the night. Unsurprisingly her activity level has decreased from finding a suitable flower box to do her business in to walking from bed to the food bowl and back with the occasional visit to the litter box, all within ten feet of each other. As dusk arrives, this grey ghost takes to the deck to survey the harbor, keeping an ever watchful eye on our surroundings. She has spent many a night perched over the gunwale, observing the jelly-fish and wiggling water worms that flock to the anchor light.
If we’re in a marina, she will happily jump ship to explore the slips in the moonlight. On more than one occasion, we have spotted her climbing aboard other boats, often fishing boats, returning only after she’s found something fowl smelling to roll in. At anchor both her and Milka seem more relaxed and leave the cabin more often, including during daylight hours.
Milka is simply happy we are around all the time these days. Her behavior hasn’t changed much since moving aboard. She is still her chirpy self, talking loudly and being extra cute is her forte. Like coco, she enjoys watching critters in the water and around the boat and will go absolutely nuts anytime a crow lands on the radar arch.
Aside from her particularly strong affinity for sunshine, she maintains about the same sleeping schedule as Coco does. To date, she is the only cat on board who has ventured onto the dinghy, though only briefly and not while the outboard was running. With any luck, we’ll be able to train them to jump on and row with us to shore.
Logistics are key with so little space on board (and so many smells). The cats have a top-entry litter box in the hallway next to the engine compartment (stern port quarter), that is nicely hidden from view. Their food bowls as well as Kiwi’s are under the chart table hidden away as well. All three of the Port side settee lockers are filled with pet food and cat litter. To keep the kibbles fresh in such a damp environment, we’ve line each locker with a large plastic vacuum bag. Oh and don’t forget the “salad bar”! We keep a rotation of wheat grass growing in small pots under the dodger for all the critters to graze on (and boy do they graze).
Kiwi gets VIP treatment; a minimum of two shore trips a day! She is always the first in the dinghy and last back on board. While we were stuck in place due to the COVID situation, we alternate our shore runs between landing in the marina or going ashore on a small island near our harbor so as to limit our exposure. Walks through town are a favorite, primarily because Kiwi now knows every other resident dog and will happily round up her gang for a romp on the beach. But the island is an off-leash paradise, and has another surprise only a pup could love! Raccoons!
Now that we are making our way East, the pets have started developing sea legs! The rocking doesn’t seem to phase them much, but none of us are fans of running the engine. When the cats hear the oil pressure alarm as I turn the ignition, they shoot for their cubbies and hiding spots, but once the motor is off and the sails are set, all the animals will join us on deck for the duration of the journey.