During his third month aboard, Smurfy turned from a savage, but sweet kitten into a rebellious teenager with severe anger issues ignoring all boundaries and testing his limits daily. We tried all the usual tricks we had learned with our previous cats and also did some reading in cat psychology studies: never play with hands but toys, offer punching balls to get rid of aggression, make meeping/howling sounds when bitten/scratched, ignore him when he’s too aggressive, etc. Nothing worked and we used up a whole package of antiseptic cream on bites and scratches (the Western South Pacific is famous for skin infections…).
Then he started pooping in the garden (after using his toilet from day 1 as a kitten) and again I tried to explain, reason and plead, then proceeded to shouting and ended up hitting him (I never hit Leeloo in 21 years)–all to no avail. When I caught him with his bum still in a herb pot I grabbed him and threw him overboard. That finally did the trick: after quickly climbing back aboard and getting a shower he looked quite contrite and he’s much sweeter and gentler now. It seems he finally realised that he’s not the big alpha cat here aboard and that we’re nice to him not out of weakness, but because we love him. Of course he knows that nobody can resist his mischievous freckles and the sweetest, little dotted belly in the world 
2024
29
Nov
3 months of Smurfy!
Last modified on November 29th, 2024
5 comments
Dejan says:
November 29, 2024 at 9:53 pm (UTC 0)
Smurfy’s adventures add another dimension to the myriad reasons that make your website and blog such a great place. Being a cat person, I thoroughly enjoy your feline storytelling dimension (aside from knowledgeable tips on sailing, adventurous lifestyle, and environmental consciousness). It’s also funny to observe the ups and downs in building your relationship with Smurfy (something all the cat owners can relate to).
))
I think you two have given him the heaven to live in, and your and Christian’s efforts around Smurfy are amazing.
November 20, 2024: “Falling overboard and drowning is the biggest danger for a ship’s cat.”
November 29, 2024: “[...] I grabbed him and threw him overboard.”
Priceless!
Fair winds and following seas,
–Dejan
P.S. Smurfy looks great, an ocean tiger so to speak.
Birgit says:
December 3, 2024 at 12:12 am (UTC 0)
Thanks for your kind comment! It really shows that you understand us and our lifestyle, the challenges and joys aboard like few other people do
Smurfy was never in danger of drowning after I threw him in the water, I felt horrible about the whole thing right away and was ready to jump after him to rescue him (and get thoroughly scratched and bitten while doing so probably). But at least we are reassured now that he knows how to get back aboard!
BTW the effect of the shock-treatment still lasts
Dejan says:
December 4, 2024 at 12:20 am (UTC 0)
Of course you felt horrible immediately afterward, Birgit, even though I have zero doubt about Smurfy’s safety—both during his “ordeal” and in general.
That’s the thing with cats: They intransigently remain focused on their misbehaviors, all the while simultaneously ignoring a myriad of our gentle warnings, only to trigger our more intense response, which, by default, always makes us feel remorseful about our reaction in the first place. That’s a remarkable feline talent—borderline passive-aggressive behavior, if you will—to make us, their owners, feel bad for their misdeeds.
I guess Smurfy will remain in check after your “shock treatment” for a while, although I wouldn’t be surprised to see him checking your garden limits in the future. Cats have a remarkable memory. Furthermore, it’s somewhat expected that in due time—if not already, and to a certain extent—Smurfy will have considered all of the Pitufa as his territory that he’s only willing to lend to the two of you for a while.
All kidding aside, you’re quite right about being reassured that he can get back aboard; that’s paramount. Speaking of Smurfy’s safety, have you considered microchipping him? I’ve read several articles about cats lost from sailboats only to be returned to their owners for having a microchip. (Cats in conjunction with sailboats is an unbelievable topic in general.)
Either way, I feel like Smurfy has brought joy into your and Christian’s lives, just as the two of you have done for his own.
Stay safe, very best,
–Dejan
Christian says:
December 4, 2024 at 4:16 am (UTC 0)
Hi,
how many cats rule your life? Do you take them sailing as well?
Yes, we had Smurfy microchipped along with his vaccinations when he was 8 weeks old…
Birgit
Dejan says:
December 4, 2024 at 6:15 pm (UTC 0)
I had two cats in my life, a mother and a daughter, both calicos, from 2010 up to 2022. They’ve both passed away. I’ve learned so much from them and I consider a cat the ultimate companion. I’ve also realized what a magnificent animal each feline indeed is, particularly in terms of biology and behavioral ecology. As a former dog person, I don’t envision myself with any pet other than a cat nowadays. Not that I foresee myself having another one, though; the sorrow is still quite fresh. I’ve raised two litters, ten kittens in total if that’s of any relevance. And no, I haven’t taken any of them sailing.
In fact, I never sailed in my life.
I got a sea bug as a kid; we had a small motorboat in the Adriatic Sea, way back in the 1980s. My passion transferred to reading Cruising World, Sailing World, and other magazines, as well as passionately following Volvo Ocean Race and Vendee Globe since 2000. In time, I got interested enough to start reading books and to try learning everything related to sailing, cruising, boating, sailboat design, onboard systems, engineering, weather patterns, geography—pretty much anything relating to the ocean, the seafaring cultures, long-term liveaboard, and long-distance sailing explorations both in the tropics and high-latitudes as much as I could.
But I’ve set foot on a sailboat only once actually. My experiences are exclusively vicarious. Thus, to an extent, I don’t know what I’m talking about.
Very best,
–Dejan