Hi ya’ll!
Does anyone have any experience taking cats kayaking? Recommendations on how to get them into the day hatch would be helpful. The water we’re looking at is pretty flat.
Thanks!
Jayne
My cat keeps runnin’ away
– Last Updated: Jun-18-08 9:56 AM EST –
waan he looks over (cat scan) me boat, so ah' calls it a cat-a-ma-ran...
FE
I would put a cat in a day hatch very
quickly and shut it just as fast.Once you are on the water, open it.The cat will decide the boat is a good place.
are you kidding?
If not a joke…
is this your idea or the cats’? I dare to point out that cats can swim if they need to, and if they got scared and jumped out of the day hatch to swim to shore there’s a good chance that they’d keep going. And if you did capsize, no matter how little you expect it, the cats would be dead. They’d try to swim up, etc.
Seriously, if you so want to bring cats, or a dog, paddling at least give them a chance to survive a capsize by using a SOT or something else open like a canoe.
Don’t forget the camping grill
and the cat seasoning.
What a great lunch idea for a paddling trip, I love cat !
I had one who walked on a leash
On the beach with me - some folks thought that was amazing. I miss him a lot. He might have been one who would have adapted to the kayak - but I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t have trusted me as a paddler to not get him wet at the exit.
Presently none of my cats get to go anywhere much.
The only cats I’ve had…
…would have required a 2x4 to get them in a boat,
let alone a hatch.
It would be pretty cool though.
I once asked Dammit if he’d like to help me troll for
'gators, but he never answered me. He just kind of
opened one eye and then went back to sleep.
cat-yaking
Funny, I often tease my wife that I want to take the cats out on the inflatable kayak. Just put them in the carrier and strap it on top of the deck. Fresh air, sunshine, lots of fish…they’d love it I’m sure! And cat claws on an inflatable hull…what could possibly go wrong?
Gotten any useful info so far?
– Last Updated: Jun-18-08 2:19 PM EST –
I remember a picture in SeaKayaker Mag of an apparently very contented cat in a kayak. Don't remember the issue though.
I have a Maine Coon that is fascinated with water, but I have no desire to take her on the water.
Jim
Then There’s THE KatYak…
…no cats aboard, but this one’s a real tribute to the feline species…
http://ballyhackpoint.blogspot.com/2008/06/katyak-what-can-you-say-but-wow.html
boy
good thing this is a family forum
If the cat is willing …
… many paddlers enjoy quality time on the water with their favorite feline:
http://www.aquadynology.com/GFX/kayak-and-cat.jpg
Some cats are actually quite skilled surfers:
http://www.aquadynology.com/GFX/SurfinKitty.jpg
But for the really rough stuff, I suggest a quality surfing helmet:
http://www.aquadynology.com/GFX/cat-hat.jpg
Good Luck!
Delphinus
Overdose him on catnip
Haven’t we all (OK, maybe not all) done things under the influence that we would not normally ever do?
-rs
Do you like your cat?
Somewhere someone is calling the ASPCA and the Humane Society.
Does this cat like water?
I used to have a cat that liked to swim in my pond. He would swim out about 50 feet when I swam to the raft in the middle of the pond. This cat would like a drowned rat, but he seemed to like swimming. He would also swim in cricks and loved jumping in the bathtub to play around. Another cat liked to ride in a small rowboat. I couldn’t launch it in the pond without her jumping in for the ride. At the same time, I’ve had other cats that would send you to the hospital (for scratches) at the sight of water. So… it all depends on the cat. Some cats seem to like swimming, some don’t… I definitely recommend a pfd for the cat though, just in case you don’t keep the open side up, or in case the cat jumps out after a bird, frog, or fish. My cats that swam couldn’t do a long distance (50 feet or less), and I doubt they could have survived in any kind of a current.
I saw a real film clip with a Siamese
who loved riding on his owner’s boat.
Welding gloves
I would suggest wearing welding gloves, or similar heavy leather gloves with long gauntlets when trying to put a cat in a day hatch.
yeah
and a welders mask too…
use a weighted
burlap sack to stow the passenger(s) aboard. One of my cats, a stunning and intelligent Russian Blue, absolutely loving riding in the wheelbarrow. This started one day hauling in firewood when she was in the rig honing her claws on some oak bark. After that she would take every opportunity to go for a cruise. I am sure the neighbors thought it odd I was often galloping around the yard with Sasha the cat leaning into the turns.