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Monday, September 15, 2008

New Barn Cats!!!

My ol man really missed his barn cat, Spooky, after the cat was put down last winter.  He really wanted another cat for the barn.  He'd say he needed some way to keep the rodent population down.  He'd be practical that way.  But we all know the truth... there are many times when it's just nice to have a cat snuggle against your leg when you're out in the barn.  Sometimes you might want to stop, lean against a pen railing, and have a little purr time.  Cats are nice!  They get rid of rodents, and they're soft!

Two weeks ago, a guy dropped off three little tomcats, spring kittens, littermates.  They came mostly tame and smelling like a pig barn.  Ahh, the memories...

Introducing, 

LARRY


CURLY


and MOE.


I got busy and prepared a little lair for them.  Cats like to hide, so I swept out the open area between the last stall and the barn wall.  I laid down a wooden pallet, and set an old saddle pad on top.  They can curl up on the pad, but often choose to lurk under the pallet instead.


My daughter and I got some string and tied it to the mesh at the top of the stall.  They've already played with it so much, they've killed it several times.  Take that, you sneaky string!

The barn is a great place for a cat to grow up.  There are so many places to hide, sharpen claws, bury cat poop, and surprise your kitten brothers.



Much to my mother's worry, they have ventured outside the protective walls of the barn.  But not too far.  Just on the cement curb is far enough for them.  So far.  Hopefully they won't become too brave for their own good.  They seem to be pretty smart little dudes.  Many barn cats learn to look both ways before crossing the lane, and to stay away from hooves.


Curly found a convenient spot from which to watch the riding lesson in the corral.  You wouldn't think that hole in the wall would be cat-sized and yet he looks quite comfy.


It's a pretty good life out there in the barn.  It's a relatively clean barn, and there's enough human attention for all three of them.  Of course, if we want them to stay, they'll have to be neutered.  Tom cats don't stay at a place if there aren't any girl cats.


And we really, really want them to stay.


15 comments:

JKB said...

AWWWWW I WUBS DEM!!!

Great! Now I'm looking forward to barncat-inspired LOLCATZ!! Yippee!!

Srsly, they are so cyuoooot!!

Heidi the Hick said...

and soft! And purry!

(and no longer smell like a hog barn.)

Biddie said...

Wow. Must be something in the air. Kayla brought home a kitten. First a boy, then a boy cat. Egads. She named him Fickle. The boy cat, not the boy. He already has a name.
Can't wait to meet the new kittens.

Buddhist in Training said...

They are very cute, how nice to have them waiting for you in the barn. I think they would distract me though, I often spend too much time playing with my kitties instead of doing what I should be doing!

Marni said...

Curly looks like my little Lily... I heart Curly...

And the others. Soooo frakkin cute!

Anita said...

They're all so cute! My sister has barn cats, and a couple of them are mamas now, but their kittens are wild enough she can't get close to them, and it drives her crazy! To have kittens you can't play with... Torture!! :D

Unknown said...

Gotta love a kitty man.
Moe looks almost exactly like one of my guys -- Ray! I'll have to do a cat round up for my blog one of these days.

I'm so glad you mentioned neutering. They do stay closer to home (safer for them) and there are way too many furry homeless people in the world.

Super cute!

Heidi the Hick said...

Biddie you crack me up! Tell K that Fickle is an excellent name for the kitten. The boy is not fickle and that's a good thing. She does have a soft spot for strays, that good hearted girl.

B-suit, I think it's good to let a cat distract you. They're reminding us to slow down for a minute. Not like I often need to be told to slow down, haha.

Marni, they are killer cute aren't they!

Anita, I agree, wild kittens that you can't play with... torture! You want to pet them so bad and it just pains when they run away! It was our job when we were kids, my sister and I, to tame the kittens. My parents didn't like having wild cats around. They're just a nuisance that way. Tame cats are pure happiness.

Sue, the neutering is a new thing at our barn. It's all because of our dearly departed Spooky, who was a failed house cat. When they were farming, the cats were all females who'd have babies with the traveling Tomcats. Toms always had three or four farms to visit. The kittens would often grow up and leave. Having a neutered male meant one cat to be a constant companion. With only a couple of horses in the barn, we don't really need an army of mousers.

We just want a few nice lil barn cats. I really hope they like it there!

jules said...

My mom had three black barn cats. I named them Larry, Moe, and Curly Fry (like Arbys). It was hard to tell them apart.

What cute new kitties. I'd want to play with them too, instead of doing my work!

Michael Colvin said...

They look so cute! I want a barn now. :)

Real Live Lesbian said...

What a bunch of cutie pies! Or stooges...either way!

And I agree, everybody needs a little purr time!

Coffeypot said...

They are so small that I'm afraid the rats will eat them. Good luck!

hayseed said...

gah! so much cuteness-you probably leave that barn with a warm fuzzy feeling!

Heidi the Hick said...

Hayseed- warm and fuzzy, and I never really want to leave the barn anyways!

Coffeypot, if all three of them work together they can whup a rat! I don't know how big they'll get but they already put on some size in two weeks.

RLL- cute stooges?

Tod, just one more reason (or three more reasons) why I want a barn of my own...

Jules, I love black cats so much. Spooky was black, and my ol house cat is too. And yeah, I'm thinking those kitties will be more incentive to get the kids out to the barn... maybe they'll accidentally do some work while they're out there!

Lynn Sinclair said...

They are so sweet, Heidi. Love 'em. We have a stray hanging around our neighborhood. I was thinking about your dad 'cause it looks like my stray needs a home. Looks like I'm too late.