To make sure that Lucky the cat is safe and comfortable with us, we gave some thought to his possible move on board.
Coziness
We also have boxes, baskets and cuddly blankets for Lucky in various corners on land. This would probably be the same on board. Lucky would have the opportunity to spend his daily 16 hours of sleep comfortably in the cockpit, the saloon and a cabin. To make the move easier, various „existing baskets“ will definitely come on board. There are also fleece blankets on the cushions to mark Lucky’s area, which he likes to use. And of course there is still the space on my lap, which could of course be used much more often on board than in the Daverdener Mühle.
One of the best purchases in terms of coziness was the „Fluffy“. „Fluffy“ is a circular donut cushion with a fluffy cover. And Lucky „loves“ Fluffy! Since „Fluffy“ has been lying on our sofa, Lucky has spent hours lying on or in it, feeling „just like mummy“. Even strangers can walk past, Lucky can hardly be disturbed. As „Fluffy“ is a big hit, we ordered a second one so that Lucky has his „Fluffy“ both inside and outside.
Fun and activity
While Lucky has a large garden at the Daverdener Mühle and plenty of variety and things to do, he naturally has to limit himself considerably on board. It will certainly be exciting for him when flying fish land on board or a tuna is caught. Otherwise, it is of course our duty to keep him a little occupied. Accordingly, toy mice etc. will be brought on board and perhaps we will manage to get him used to going ashore at some point.
As we also have a tree on board the catamaran, but it is less suitable for sharpening his claws, we have also thought about this. Of course, we don’t want Lucky to sharpen his claws on our upholstery or fixtures. Fortunately, Lucky has already developed a great love of coconut doormats at the Daverdener Mühle and uses them to sharpen his claws at every opportunity. There will therefore also be various mats on board that Lucky can use accordingly. So that we don’t spread coconut fibers all over the boat, the mats are nicely laid out in the cockpit. We will also wrap a cockpit support with thick sisal rope so that Lucky can stretch out when scratching and get a „tree feeling“.
Delight
As far as food is concerned, Lucky is rather unproblematic. He likes to eat and he eats (almost) everything. If we don’t give him enough, he goes on the hunt. He doesn’t care whether he catches a tasty spider, fly or mouse. And we really hope that the range on board is not extended to include cockroaches! Lucky also loves cheese. Even though cats are not supposed to eat cheese, Lucky gets a few small pieces of cheese from us every now and then or is allowed to lick his beloved cat cheese paste. It should stay that way on board too.
The cat cheese paste is not just for enjoyment, but also helps to ensure that hair swallowed during cleaning does not clump together. To counteract this problem, we will also put a box of grass in the cockpit for Lucky to nibble on when he needs it.
Hygiene
While Lucky clearly prefers to do his business outside in the Daverdener Mühle and only uses the litter box in an emergency, he will probably have to get used to it on board. As we don’t expect much heeling on board the catamaran, we will try the existing litter tray for the time being. In sailing circles, a high, open-topped box is recommended as an alternative. Cat litter seems to be available all over the world. But of course you would have to plan for a correspondingly large supply on board.
Company
In terms of company, not much has changed for Lucky on board. He still has Axel and me nearby as „can openers“ and can choose whether he prefers to be with us or retreat to one of his baskets. The only thing that will change is that he can occasionally spend the night with us on board. While he was either outside or in the living room at night in the Daverdener Mühle, he will soon be able to keep us company on night cruises. We also want to set up a „cat flap“ for him on board so that in future he can decide for himself whether he wants to be inside or outside without having to ask us to open the door.
Safety
Of course, we don’t want Lucky to fall overboard at any time. For the same reason, many boats with small children and animals on board have nets attached to the railing to prevent them from „slipping through“ and falling into the water. On the other hand, from our point of view, these nets are a real hindrance when maneuvering in port and don’t look very smart either. As „La Ola“ is already equipped with a suitable net, we will first try out whether it has the desired effect. You can always take it down.
In heavy weather, Lucky would probably stay inside anyway, so the risk of being washed overboard would probably be rather low even without a net. We are also counting on Lucky being clever enough not to fall into the water. At Daverdener Mühle, he loved sitting by the pond and watching the frogs and fish. However, as far as we know, he never fell into the water. Well, once he came home quite soaked, but maybe it was just the neighbor chasing him away with the hose.