View Full Version : Keeping wild cats out of my boat during storage.
It appears that cats have made a home in my boat over the winter. I hate cat hair and it is all over my boat! Before I exterminate the cats, I wanted to explore other options to repel them from the boat. Do you know of any tricks (moth balls, insulation, etc.) to keep the cats from climbing onto the boat through the gap in the cover betwen the transom and the motor.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Todd
czy42strokes
03-18-2003, 03:15 PM
Same thing happened to me where I store my boat, I used to like the idea of cats around as they keep the mice out of the boat, but I picked it up to find that at least one of them had bladder control problems, It took many quarters at the car wash to clean up that mess, I cinch my cover down nice and tight now, no more problems.
ironguts
03-18-2003, 03:20 PM
I had the same problem for the first time this year. They crawled under between the rear rails and the cover at the rear of the boat. I just got done shampooing carpets and cleaning it out. I guess on the bright side you probably didn't have a mouse problem, I know mine didn't. I had moth balls all over and I think they had fun playing with them so I know they don't work. They also like the floating key chain hanging from the dash. My suggestion would be to just seal it up the best way possible lay boards accross the gaps is what I'll try next year.
JonSailerSD
03-18-2003, 03:30 PM
Put a dog inside the boat.:0
Sorry, it's been a long day.
This reminds me of fishing opener last year. I went to my grandfathers place on lake Vermillion, and he had a dead crow hanging from a 3 foot steak in the ground. I wondered if he was going crazy and asked him "what's up with the dead crow" and he told me that he was having crows eat all of the food in the deer feeder. So he shot one and hung it in his front yard to set as an example, he has never had a crow in the feeder since. Sounds crazy, but it works.
Ole
luredaddy
03-18-2003, 05:10 PM
Well, replacing carpet and TRYING to remove the smell is $$$$$$$$$. A 22 shell is cheap!!!! Feral cats and dogs, can be a major problem. I know it is not the animal's fault, it is the fault of those who dump and abandon them.
kitty-kitty
03-18-2003, 06:38 PM
I use sardines or kipper snacks as bait for my live trap. Then a 55 gal barrel for a swimming pool.
fishandhunt1
03-18-2003, 06:59 PM
I like the idea of the dog in the boat!!!!How about one very hungry and very angry Pitt Bull under the tarp when the little critters wana come in and play with the moth balls!!!!!!!!!Oh Boy I think I would almost pay $$$$$$$ to see something like that!!!!!!!!
brack
03-19-2003, 05:43 AM
Having the same problem, the only way I could keep them out was to close every possible opening in the boat cover. Another solution is to contact aninal control and have them loan you a cat trap. Gives you
something to do in the winter, but if you take this option your neighbors cat will wander in and you will have an irate cat lover.
zipper
03-19-2003, 09:52 AM
Make a simple Plactic mesh cover to fill the gaps - Hydrogen peroxide removes the urine smell on contact and is very cheap. Voice of experience talking. good luck - zip
wiley walleye
03-19-2003, 10:05 AM
Sorry to hear the moth balls didn't work. I use that and D-con.
In our family open bow, I put the original cover on tight, then covered it good with another tarp. A cat got inside, into the contained box, with the seat tight on top of that. Then we uncovered, did spring work and launched and placed on lift. My son was helping clean and yelled. There were nine or so kittens still alive in a big fur ball. Mom was gone. We loaded and took 10mi back to the storage barn so she could find them.
What got me is she was in and out of that home that was about as secure as could be.
It probably has more to do with where you store it than what you do. I have switched from that sight. Being able to check is another key.
Now, be glad it was cats and not the bandit coons. They absolutly destroy your seat and anything their, paws and teeth can naw on, in addition to their toilet habits. They got two of my friends in last two years. They were sick. We are talking major redo interior and then argue that with your insurance. Many times not covered.
More suggestions wanted. The moth balls and D-con seems to work on mice and bats but the larger critters still come.
Thanks
Joe
dummie
03-19-2003, 10:47 AM
I used moth balls in my rig and nothing got into it. Just put in a sizeable amount and they stayed away. At least it worked for me. Good fishing, God bless.
eyewall
03-19-2003, 02:05 PM
I have a .45 and a shovel you can borrow, nobody is going to miss a few cats. That's not to say that I don't like them, have one running around the house as I type, of damage,ferral cats cause all kinds I just read an article about california requesting residents to "dispose" of them because they kill an estimated 4 million song birds a year.
Shoot and the problem is solved, if you live in an area where that is an option that is. otherwise live trap them and take them to the human society, they'll get rid of them.
RANGER
03-19-2003, 02:09 PM
Know any Chinese? ;)
RANGER
03-19-2003, 03:42 PM
Nope!
dmack
03-20-2003, 08:38 AM
Don't know if this will work. But, in our home we put tin foil on chairs to keep our cats off.It works. I wonder if you couldn't try something like that.Clean, cheap, and no smell. Good luck.
Badger 05
03-20-2003, 09:15 AM
I have a friend who owns a nice nitro bass boat. He lives in the country and has quite a few wild cats. Every winter/early spring one female cat in particular decides to have her kittens in the middle of his boat. She tears up the seats and carpet, the kittens ##### and piss all over everyting and it is just a mess. After this happened the first time he tried many remedies, tight cover, chicken wire, electric fence wire etc. nothing works. His wife won't let him shoot the cats so he just gets everything fixed every year and lets the cat go about her business. I would have just shot the thing without ever letting my wife know.
Fishing is: One jerk waiting for another jerk at the end of his line.
Tracker185
03-20-2003, 09:48 AM
There is nothing worst than Cat Piss, I would shoot the cat also
Fish the Finest!!!!! Fish Tracker!!!!!!
T185
livetofish
03-20-2003, 01:34 PM
>I have been using bounce dryer sheets for the last three winters and not had any mice or cats. I put them in all storage compartments and hatches and spread them over the boat floor and decks. Then put the cover on to keep the bird crap off the boat. Another plus is it smells pretty good when the cover is removed in the spring. It works for me ,and I had major problems with the critter before I started using the dryer sheets.