Water Is The Cat’s Meow

Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to the following copyrighted material. For permission to reprint or excerpt it and/or link it to another website, contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com

 

Now that summer’s almost here people aren’t the only ones heading to the water. SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel discovered that, for some kool kitties, water is the cat’s meow.

Believe it or not, Hawkeye, a calico cat from Redding, California, likes to swim. Not just doing a dog paddle, but underwater. She likes it so much that her owner Gene Alba designed special scuba gear for her. Now she can stay underwater for up to an hour.

Here’s another cat that was so eager to get in the pool he couldn’t wait for the pool cover to come off.

This cat not only likes to swim, but to surf. Judging from his form, he must be a member of the Surfrider Foundation Huntington Beach/Seal Beach Chapter. 

   
Cats that live on boats get to see the world and discover new ports of call.

Summertime is a time to make new friends…and this cat on a boat has three new friends – dolphins.



Not all boat cats are recreational sailors. There is a long history of cats serving on naval ships and trading ships dating to ancient times.  Phoenician cargo ships are thought to have brought the first domesticated cats to Europe around 900 BC.  The cats’ main job at sea was pest control, ridding the ships of rats and mice. Cats also provided entertainment and companionship for the sailors. 

Blackie, one of the most renowned sea cats, served on the HMS Prince of Wales during WW II and had the distinction of meeting British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. As you can see, Churchill was immediately taken with this seafaring cat.

Some cats just like to chill out at the beach and not do a thing…like this kitty.

While other cats opt for a day at their own personal spa. 

And this cat is just a dreamer…having a cat nap about ocean adventures.

Even SurfWriter Girl Patti’s cat Smokey is ready for the beach with his new, cool summer sports do styled by Dr. Silvia, the Mobile Veterinarian.

SurfWriter Cat Smokey

Patti, Smokey and Sunny

The next time you hit the beach and think you’re the first one there…look again. You might be in for a surprise.

   

Beach Cats

Early in the morning at Huntington Beach,

Under the pier far from reach,

Slowly the cats begin coming out,

Twitching their whiskers and dancing about.

Rested and hungry from their long naps,

Sniffing the air for fishermen’s scraps,

The cats frolic in the tide

Long before any surfers catch a ride.

Quiet, except for hisses and meows,

Without its cover of colorful towels,

Bright umbrellas and tatami mats,

The beach belongs to the cats.

~SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel ©

www.surfwritergirls.blogspot.com

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