Paws On Deck

A good, high-visibility harness

Cerenia & Zofran Prescriptions for nausea/vomitting

Ways to encourage play in a confined space

Cat-specific medical kit for emergencies

A high-quality pet carrier-- our fav is the Sleepypod!

Veterinary records and health certificates for foreign travel

We don’t let Lux free roam outside, and he gets seasick easily while underway if he is down below so this was our solution: an XL soft-sided kennel, with room for his litter bin, either a box or a bed, as well as room for a water dish / food bowl.

The mesh is very thick and durable, and the kennel folds down flat then slides into a storage bag when not in use. Though it is huge, it takes up littel to no space when stored. When in use, we secure it to the forward winch or the dodger behind so it doesn’t move if we’re heeled over.

The kennel has mesh on all sides besides the side closest to the litter bin, so when he is going to the bathroom he has less of a view out when using the bin. As needed, I can drape a throw blanket over it as well, leaving half the kennel uncovered for fresh air while providing a calm, quiet hideaway. We either give him a bed or a cardboard box inside the kennel, and of course lots of treats.

All in all, it works great. He complains a little when he first is brought outside but settles down fairly quick especially if he can see us and we chat with him. This has been a game changer for traveling with him, and long gone are the days of him traveling in a cramped-cat-sized kennel!

There is a Facebook group called "Gatos Del Mar" where you can find incredible tips and information for sailing with a cat on board and get answers to related questions.

We feed Lux a diet of canned food and high quality, balanced raw food. This makes packing for a long trip harder, since half of his food requires freezer space which is a hot commodity aboard sailboats.

Since the canned food is easier to store, we can pack as much as we need to which is a peace of mind to have extra aboard for emergencies. For the raw food, we store it into glass freezer containers that each hold 2-3 meals that way we can thaw them individually as needed.

The Breeze litter system is a top pick for cruisers that have cats aboard. The box uses zeolite beads, instead of traditional litter, which prevents litter from tracking everywhere.

We did find that the beads that the Breeze litter system comes with are not very comfortable for cats sensitive feet. We replaced them with a bag of round zeolite pebbles from Amazon and these do the trick just as well- with no unhappy toe beans!

We use both a Breeze box as well as a traditional litter box with clay litter to allow Lux to have multiple options. Some pet owners notice aversion to the Breeze box and we wanted to ensure ours never feels like he isn't happy with his environment.

Since the box with clay litter does track litter when he uses it, we use litter rugs around the immediate area to prevent the litter from going everywhere.

A cat requires mental stimulation, exercise, and a way to stretch their muscles in order to thrive. How do you keep a cat from becoming too sedentary on a sailboat with limited space?

A way that we have found works great, is to use crunch treats to encourage our cat to run for exercise by tossing one and letting him run after it. Another must-have is a good scratcher, since this is an integral way for cats to stretch their muscles (and to keep them from scratching your settee!). We keep catnip, treats, unique snacks like tuna and chicken breast, and a ton of toys on rotation in order to prevent our furry friend from becoming bored. Another favorite of Lux's is "cat tv" aka videos of birds, squirrels, or bugs for when he isn't amused by watching the world outside the windows.

Top of this list is letting Lux stay down below while underway. We quickly learned that it is better for him to be slightly ticked off and outside with us, than down below. He becomes incredibly seasick. Cerenia (available by prescription only) can help with this, however this isn't a full remedy for seasickness.