Mom's Cats Become Barn Cats

 

So, we have more critters than just the goats and the rabbits.  When my mother passed away there was a dilemma of what to do with her cats. She had 6, 4 of which were feral even though they would come up to her. We had trapped them at one time to have them fixed and vaccinated. Mom was the resident cat lady of her little town. She didn't actively seek them out...they sought her out. Make no mistake about it, Mom loved her cats and she loved that they would seek her out. Fortunately, the numbers really never got out of control as most of them were outside cats and they just don't have long life spans. Well, we hated to leave mom's cats to the new residents of her house. They had already made it very clear that the cats were not going to be welcome. So, the 2 that were domesticated love bugs were easy to move. Then we once again set about trapping the others. We managed to get 2 more before it was very clear that the new owners of the house didn't appreciate us returning daily to check the traps. We wished the cats the best and made our way home one last time. Moving cats is no easy thing. When you get them to their new place you have to confine them for a good bit until they are absolutely sure that the new place is their source of dinner. None of these cats had ever been confined and only one had been a partial housecat. The old cat, Buttons, would come in the house to eat and then whine to go back out. We tried to confine them in the barn, which was not designed to confine cats, especially determined feral cats. We also, were trying to decide how best to introduce them to the dogs in such a way that they dogs understood that they belonged here now. The 2 feral cats were the first to escape their confinement and were chased into the woods by the dogs. Then poor old Buttons, escaped before we could thoroughly train the dogs. Pumpkin the terrier got to her first and Titan was next. My husband saw it happen but could not get to her fast enough. Buttons death broke my heart. Mom had her for quite a number of years and she had been a fixture at mom's house for a long time. It was like losing my Mom all over again I guess because she loved Buttons so much. And then there is Mr. Gray. The dogs learned that the cats were off limits...they were mine. But by now our track record was not so great. We made sure that they dogs understood that Mr. Gray was to be left alone. That darn little terrier, Pumpkin, though is pretty stubborn and has to constantly be watched. For weeks after Buttons' death Mr. Gray lived in the loft of the barn only coming down at night. We fed him up there since it was where he felt safe. During the day he would lie on the roof of the walkway like a lion overseeing his territory. Now, he eats in the feed room and spends time with us in the yard. He truly only feels safe if I am outside or the dogs are inside. I thought he was all that we had left of our attempt to save Mom's cats, but just last week I had a surprise. Mr Gray brought a friend to dinner, Ace. Ace was Mom's black cat and he had been one of the two that took off into the woods. Ace had been a housepet that truly did not want to be a housepet. He was not quite as feral as the other cats, but he was only a pet on his terms....not yours. So now we have 2 cats, Ace and Mr. Gray. Ace we never see except at feeding time. I know when he is in the woods close by though because that little terrier starts running up and down the fence. Mr. Gray will hear us in the yard or the barn yard and come down to follow us around and receive a few extra scratches. For someone who really doesn't like cats very much, I must say I am happy to have these two cats around. 

Rabbit update

 Our rabbits are doing well in the barn colony. We have replaced a couple of bucks over the last couple of years to keep our genetics fresh. They truly are meat mutts. We have had Dutch, New Zealand, Chinchilla, and Silver Fox blood in there. They are healthy and breeding like...well...rabbits. For anyone who doesn't know we keep our rabbits in a colony. When the babies are weaned by their mothers and eating well on their own we put them up in cages to grow out. If we need to keep a replacement doe, then my daughter will pick her favorite girl and she will stay on the floor with the adults. My youngest daughter, Little Britches, is the rabbit whisperer. The moms will actually take her to their nest to show off their babies and they do not get upset when she handles them. She starts handling them before their eyes even open and so when she walks into the colony they all run to see her and get their daily scratches. She has been able to keep one as a pet in the house ever since she was little. Rabbits actually live quite a few years as domestic pets as long as they are taken good care of. Little Britches had to learn all about rabbit care before she was able to choose her first pet rabbit. His name was Fuzzy Bunny and she was about 6.  I chose him for her because he was so friendly as a baby and just determined to love someone. He was the best pet rabbit and the two of them adored each other. She taught him how to sit still so that she could groom him and he taught her the proper way to pet and address a rabbit. Lagomorphs are definitely a bit particular about how they are handled. She learned quickly. When he died  of old age a couple of years ago, she chose another rabbit....Peter. Where Fuzzy Bunny was sweet and loving to everyone in the family, Peter is the opposite. He loves Little Britches and only Little Britches. He charges and growls at everyone else. The dogs are even afraid of him. He is about 12 pounds of the devil incarnate. Those are not ears I assure you....they are horns. However, he worships and adores Little Britches. He even sleeps on her bed at night to guard her. And since rabbits are nocturnal it is the only way she can get any sleep. If she locks him up at night she rattles the cage so hard that the whole house can hear him. He learned how to use a litter box for her, he guards her, she can do anything to him and hold him in any such way (including upside down). The only thing he does not like is to go outside on his leash (yes he is leash trained).  He has decided the outside is not a good place to be. Inside is much nicer and he is convinced that there are things outside that will eat him and he doesn't like that. In the house he is large and in charge, outside...his instincts tell him that there are much larger critters than him. However, he loves her and she loves him and wants him to get some fresh air and exercise. So off they go for a walk around the house in the grass while she monitors every plant he is near so that he cannot chew on the wrong one or so that he doesn't each too much of a good thing (like the clover patches). Peter is always thrilled to get back in the house at the end of his journey. Little Britches loves her bunnies and she says that her house will have a whole bedroom dedicated to pet rabbits. It will be a romper room for bunnies and her husband will just have to deal with it. If it is a room full of "Peters" then I feel terribly sorry for the rest of the household.  As for the bunnies in the colony, she knows their fate but loves on them while she can. They never get names, but she knows each mom and which babies belong to which mom. I think they live a good life and that is always my goal for my livestock....that they have a good life full of love and kindness before they become dinner. I think that is why I have always had a hard time selling any of them, because I don't trust anyone else to be kind and loving to them and I don't ever want them to suffer or be afraid. I guess it is the least I can do because they sacrifice so much for us.  I suppose even Peter deserves our love and kindness. Have a blessed day all!

Goat Update

 Surprise! I actually made it back today. Today's update concerns our small goat herd. We lost our old buck last year to old age. It was time honestly because we really need some fresh genetics in our herd. He was a good boy, very gentle and loving. He is desperately missed. He did leave us with a full crop of babies this spring. We recently sold all but 2 of them, Bambi and Thumper. Both girls and both pretty skittish, but they are beautiful young does. Then we have Tickle and her first baby Pickle. Tickle is Lily's first baby. Lily was actually terrified of Tickle and ran away every time Tickle tried to get close to her. We wound up bottle feeding Tickle, so she is super friendly. In fact if you don't scratch her head when you are out there with the goats, she will follow you around butting you gently in the behind. Thumper is Lilly's second baby and by this time she was ready to try this mama gig. She actually turned into a really nice mama. She is also a really nice milker. Honestly, I can milk her anywhere as long as I have a pan of food. I don't even have to tie her up. Then there is Speckles, our old girl. If I am remembering correctly she is going on 8 years old. I don't expect to get many more babies from her. She is a great mama, a good milker and a strong producer. She has strong Kastdemur lines and it shows in her milk. So we are currently looking for a new buck. It's not a frantic look even though breeding season is coming up quickly. I am giving the girls some rest as we softly look. I need different genetics and so far everything I have seen is Kastdemur. I need something else. We are trying to keep our herd small, but it is so hard. Just like Bambi and Thumper....I never really expected to keep them. However, as I watched them growing the better they looked and I convinced myself that they would produce some really nice offspring and Speckles was getting old. You know....the old goats are like potato chips deal...All in all, the herd is doing well and they have really helped to improve our property. Even though I may retire from milking in the future, I will never get rid of all of my goats. They are really great for improving property and keeping fence lines clean. TaTa for now. More tomorrow!. Can't let this writing streak end so soon!

Once Again it has been Awhile

 Yes, once again it has been awhile. I always have the best of intentions, but life this past year was a bit "more" than I planned. Or ever thought it would be. I thought I was leaving the restaurant business last July. However, I was asked to stay and for some reason I just could not say no. Shortly after my mother was diagnosed with cancer. It was in her bones, spread all over her body and no one could determine where it originated from. After a whirlwind month of appointments, testing, radiation to shrink a tumor for pain relief; Mom was sent home with the diagnosis of there is nothing more that we can do but try to manage the pain. Mom went downhill pretty quickly. In July, we were going out to lunch after doctor's appointments. In August we were doing the same but Mom was tired a little more. In September, it was becoming harder to manage mom's pain and even though we went to lunch a couple of times the pain became too much and our trips ended. By October the pain was really hard, but she did not want us to call in hospice. Toward the middle of October she stopped eating and just drank a few sips of an ensure. We called in hospice the last week of October and Mom passed away the first week of November.  My mother's health had been horrible for years and there had been many times that I had called my sister from the hospital and told her to come home. Mom always made a recovery....until she didn't.  It was expected, anticipated, prepared for....but it still hit me like a freight train that my mama was gone. The person I had coffee with each week and went out to lunch with at least once a month if she felt like it. The person I called in the event anything good or bad happened in my life. It has been a tough year even though I know Mom's suffering is over. She missed the birth of her first great grandchild by just 2 months. It was a hard day. I also lost my Godmother in August, just as things were ramping up with Mom. Work became much more busy than I bargained for and then I was hit with another blow. My Goddaughter passed away. She was young. Now, I am in another transition period. I am leaving the restaurant and coming back home. I will go back to writing and working on my artwork. Our little homestead is still going strong and we are getting ready to search for a new buck for our little herd. The rabbits are breeding like rabbits and we currently have 2 chickens. We have had a difficult time with chickens here on this homestead, but I think that might be another post. My oldest had a baby in January, she is now 25. My youngest is getting ready to finish high school soon and thinks she wants to be a marine biologist. I am a Nana and my husband is a Grandaddy. Yes, time for another chapter in our life and I guess back to blogging about our goings on and our thoughts. I guess it is time for the Journey of Willow Pond to actually become a real documented journey. So, my goal this week is to write daily and let's see if we can catch up on this journey. Blessings to all, Kat