After losing the cat who helped him navigate life and the ocean, a deaf sailor has been buoyed by a wave of support for a new furry first mate.
Retired boat builder Paul Thompson, 69, is totally deaf and relies on lip-reading in a world he says is "not set up for deaf people".
Aboard his 32-foot sailboat, Thompson relied on his polydactyl Maine Coon cat named Skatty to be his ears during multiple offshore voyages.
"Maine Coons had a long history of being ships cats, and the polydactyl cats in particular were much loved by the old-time sailors who thought their extra-large paws gave them surer footing and also made them better mousers," he said.
Thompson first got Skatty at 14 weeks from Rebel Pawz breeder Marie Prendergast, who knew that he was going to live on a boat and began harness training as soon as the cat could fit the smallest size available.
Over the years the bond grew between the pair, and Thompson said he learned Skatty's body language which signalled key information he would not otherwise hear.
"When the phone rang and vibrated because a message had come through, he put his paw on it. This he did at first on his own, but I then praised him and gave him a treat and very shortly he began to do that every time the phone rang.
"Ditto for many other things he did. Should strangers approach the boat, Skatty would immediately stand up and go to the hatch or look out of a port, in so doing he alerted me to the fact that something of interest was happening outside. Observing his body language was the key and also just encouraging behaviours that were useful."
He gave another example of a time Skatty became very curious in a specific section of the boat's floorboards that could be lifted up.
"I immediately got up and pulled up the section of the floor that he was interested in. Under that section was a pump that pumped our fresh water, the hose had come off and the pump was cheerfully pumping out our fresh water into the bilge. I was once again glad that I paid attention to his messaging.
"Not everything that caught his attention mattered to me, many a time it was something that was only of interest to cats - but often it was something that I was very glad to know about," he said.
Sadly, due to an accident, his beloved companion and first mate died earlier this month, which Thompson described as "devastating".
"We had lived cheek and jowl together for the best part of 11 years. We lived aboard a 30ft yacht in a space not much bigger than a small room and spent most days together or at times went ashore together.
"I'm used to living alone, as a deaf person you are always alone as deafness is very socially isolating. No matter how successfully one learns to navigate one's way, aloneness is just a fact of life. Skatty made the world a less alone place."
Thompson said, following Skatty's death he needed another cat trained to keep him informed – which is when his friends set up a GiveALittle page to raise money for a costly purebred cat.
More than $4300 has been donated since the page was created - enough for Thompson to buy a new kitten through Rebel Pawz, and use the rest of the funds to make Zebedee a safer boat for cats.
"I can only be thankful that enough people cared enough to make this happen, and by the time the kitten is old enough to leave his mother and family, I will be ready," Thompson said.
"For my new friend, Marie will start with his harness training and I will teach him to come when called, to sit and stay when needed and take him with me wherever we go so that he becomes comfortable with other people.
"Importantly, I will help him make friends with the vet and to understand that having to use his travel basket is not a bad thing."
He said "most cats adapt very quickly".
"Despite not liking change, [cats] are very adaptable beings. I suspect he will be reasonably content in a week or so and totally content in about six weeks."
He said one of the biggest takeaways was that "there are many really, really decent people out there".
"It's impossible to say just how much I appreciate the love and care that so many people have shown me since Skatty died.
"Indeed far more than I ever imagined. To all those wonderful people who cared and cared enough to do something, I will never be able to thank you enough."
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