Dear Sinéad, Siouxsie and Thomas:
About 1 1/2 years ago I adopted 4-month old Sake, my Siamese cat. Sake is my first cat -- I had actually adopted him for my husband. As it turned out, I absolutely adore Sake and even though he and my husband get along fine, it is pretty obvious that Sake loves to spend time with me best of all and adores me back. I live a somewhat unusual lifestyle in that I alternate between staying on our boat 3-4 days a week (it's 45' so it's got enough room for the three of us) and at home the other days. I have a small business that is about 20 minutes away from where we keep our boat and a little over an hour from our house. My husband is a pilot and has a small plane and when we travel away occasionally for a weekend, I take Sake with us if at all possible. On most days I take Sake with me to my office (which is outfitted with all the comforts of home for him), and then either back to the boat or house. He travels in a safe kitty carrier and is always buckled in. I make sure to keep water and other supplies on board for him just in case we get stuck somewhere for any length of time.

My concern is that until reading some of your messages today, I didn't know that most cats don't like to travel. Being relatively new to cats in my life, I am still learning new things all the time. I take Sake everywhere with me because I don't want him to be lonely and because I enjoy having his company. However, if he isn't happy about it and would rather be at home, I would adjust to whatever is best for him. Unfortunately, it is not possible for us to get a friend for Sake although I think he would enjoy it -- he loves to be around people, other cats and dogs. Do you thing Sake would rather I left him alone either at home or on the boat while I went to work or continue to go everywhere with me? I have not noticed that he doesn't like traveling, but maybe I haven't been looking for the right signs. What do you think would most likely make him the happiest?

Sincerely,
Melissa

Sinéad: Although it is true that many cats don't like to travel, Melissa, it sounds like your Sake is an exception to that rule.

Siouxsie: Believe us, if Sake were unhappy about traveling with you, you would know it. He would hide from you when you tried to put him in his crate for traveling, he would act depressed (sleep a lot, hide, etc.) when you took him to other places, he wouldn't eat properly, and so on.

Thomas: There are some breeds of cats that are just more people-oriented than others. Siamese and other "Oriental" breeds (Burmese, Abyssinians, etc.) are high on that list. These cats are happiest when they are with their people.

Sinéad: Not only that, but Sake has been traveling with you since he was a kitten. He is familiar and comfortable with your lifestyle, and he obviously appreciates being a part of it. If you were to stop bringing Sake with you when you went to work or on your recreational travels, he would probably become quite depressed and lonely.

Siouxsie: For a cat like Sake, being your constant companion is really the best choice. He's happy, you're happy, and he is well taken care of and comfortable wherever he goes.

Thomas: If you adopt another cat in the future, that may not necessarily be the case. It's very important to pay attention to your cat's reactions to his environment. Cats that are more outgoing and curious will be better travelers than shy cats, because they will tend to adapt better to change in their environment.

Sinéad: Also, cats that are very "people-bonded" will manage change better than cats that are not. Take me, for example. I'm kind of a shy kitty, but as long as my Mama is around to give me comfort and love, I'm okay. If Mama went away and left me with people I didn't know in a strange place (like a boarding facility), I'd probably have a harder time than I would if I traveled to a strange place with Mama.

Siouxsie: You might be interested to know that there's a book featuring stories of pets that love to travel on boats. And there are quite a few cats among them!

Thomas: The book is called Wet Pets and Other Watery Tales. It's a collection of stories about traveling pets, edited by Hazel Hitson Weidman and Jacqueline Korona Teare, and it's a fund-raiser for the Camden-Rockport Animal Rescue League, a no-kill animal shelter located in Rockport, Maine. Incidentally, Mama adopted me from the Camden-Rockport Animal Rescue League! And the people who work there are just wonderful. They were so nice to me, even when they had to give me pills and wipe gunk off my nose when I was sick ....

Sinéad: If you're interested in finding out more about Wet Pets, it's published by Trafford Publishing, an on-demand publishing house. Here is a link to the book's catalog number.

Siouxsie: Mama says she once saw a cat sitting on a man's shoulder as he rode his bicycle through the heart of a city. And one of her friends had a kitten who went with her everywhere -- and loved to ride in the car.

Thomas: Hmm, I don't know about the riding in the car thing. That sounds a little bit strange to me!

Sinéad: Just remember that when a kitten is exposed to new things between the ages of 2 and 7 weeks, it is more likely that they will continue to enjoy and not fear those things as they get older. That time period is called the critical (or sensitive) socialization period in a cat's life. But even after that time, cats can adapt to new lifestyles. Sake is living proof of that.

Siouxsie: So, Melissa, the answer is, we don't think you need to worry that Sake is unhappy with his life as a traveling cat.

Thomas: You may need to make special accommodations for him as he gets older. If he starts to become less limber, he may need extra help getting up the steep steps leading from a boat's deck to the cabin below, for example. Or if he begins to lose his vision (which probably won't happen until well into his teen years), he may need more supervision when he's on deck.

Sinéad: But overall, it sounds like you and Sake have a life that's just right for both of you. And we wish your family many happy years of living and traveling together.

Got a question? Need some advice? E-mail us at advice@paws-and-effect.com. None of the material in this column is meant to be a substitute for regular veterinary care.