In this article
Welcome aboard!
“Hi, I’m Zena’s mom, Jane. My husband and I brought Zena on board when she was 13 weeks old, and she has been an excellent ship’s cat ever since! Her first night on the ship, she did what any kitten would do: explore her surroundings, eat and sleep a lot, and make friends with her doggo brother Taran. Little did tiny Zena know that a ship’s cat’s test was coming up.”
The big test
“During Zena’s first night on board, our ship was moored on the river, but the next morning we would have to start the ship’s engines and be on our way. We didn’t know how Zena would respond to the sudden noise and vibrations, so we kept a close eye on her. When we fired up the massive engine, Zena was fast asleep, and the sleepy kitten couldn’t care less about the sudden rumbling. She simply rotated an ear towards the engine room, briefly opened one eye, and went straight back to sleep.”
Never miss an issue of the FREE My Cat Exclusive digital magazine!
Captain Zena
“It soon became clear that Zena loves all aspects of being a ship’s cat. The kitten had only just moved in with us when we had to cross lake Ijssel in rough weather. The choppy waters didn’t bother her one bit. Actually, Zena loves looking out over the water, as her view changes constantly when we’re underway. As a true ship’s cat, she obviously spends quite some time in the wheelhouse. She keeps an eye on the boats and ships passing by and is fascinated time and time again by the large cranes scooping bulk goods from the cargo hold.”
Pets on a boat
“While cats and dogs are hardly rare on inland waterway vessels, we do sometimes get nasty remarks from the public. Some people think we are selfish for “locking up our pets in such a confined space”, but what most people don’t know is that below deck, our ship looks very much like a house, with a living room, kitchen, hallway, bedrooms, etc. Luckily, most people are enthusiastic when they spot Zena or Taran, which makes for fun conversations. Zena isn’t allowed outside as we are in a different location each day and I’m terrified she would escape the vessel and get lost. I did however buy her a harness and leash, so she can hopefully join us during trips on land soon.”
