Teacup cat required for houseboat life

by Marie
(Chattanooga, TN)

My husband and I are planning to retire to a liveaboard houseboat in a year and are considering the teacup cat as a pet. I would be interested in information for adoption or purchase.

Marie


Hi Marie… thanks for visiting and enquiring. I see the logic of thinking about adopting a very small cat for houseboat living.

However, a very small cat does not necessarily feel more at home living on a houseboat than a normal sized cat. Also a very small cat might not be less likely to cause damage etc. In any case we should be able to accept any level of damage from a cat if we are to adopt a cat. Cats do not usually cause any noteworthy damage.

Teacup cats are pretty rare in my opinion and the prices are high.

The breeder in the USA that I have in mind is Pocket Kitties. You probably know them.

Here is a Pocket Kitties page showing some miniature toy or teacup cats. However, you might also know that they have stopped. So they are no help to you other than in contacting them and asking questions. They may know alternative breeders of miniature cats.

Personally, I would adopt a cat suited to apartment living which is similar to houseboat living.

I have a page on the subject of cat breeds suitable for apartment living.

Other than a cat breed, I would have thought a suitable random bred would be a good idea. An older cat is more likely to feel at home inside. That idea might well be unacceptable to you.

I have a page on teacup cats. The smallest cat breed and a cat that is not much bigger than a teacup cat is the Singapura. These cats are the same price as any other purebred cat. See Singapura world breeder list.

You might like to try and contact an person who lives with a miniature cat: Melvin.

I also have a page on miniature cats.

One potential negative with very small cats is health. I don’t know it they are predisposed to health problems but they are bred very small and that may promote health issues.

Comments for
Teacup cat required for houseboat life

Average Rating starstarstarstarstar

Click here to add your own comments

Apr 01, 2012
Rating
starstarstarstarstar
“Teacup” for Houseboat NEW
by: Lisa James

Marie,

Actually, “teacup” or “pocket” cats are no more than regular cat breeds selected for size, breeding smallest to smallest. Generally, they are NOT healthy, & usually have a plethora of health problems that lead to shortened lives. So far as the size of a houseboat goes, a small cat is completely unnecessary. Several years ago, I adopted a rescued Maine Coon mix kitten to a retired couple who owned a houseboat. Since I had never placed a cat on a boat before, they invited me to tour the boat, bring the kitten, etc. Now, Maine Coons are one of the very LARGEST breeds of cat, & Tugboat Timmy, as he was christened, now spends his large life between life on the boat, a hunting camp in Georgia, & a summer beach home on the coast of Maine(ironic, but there ya go). I also saw people all the time on boats when I was stationed in Key West that lived with large breed dogs, on smaller boats than Tugboat Timmy went to live on.

Honestly, I think you should just visit your local shelters or rescues, & adopt the cat that grabs your heart, no matter what size it is….


Leave a Comment

follow it link and logo