Some time ago, I posted about our rodent problem in the barn. I tried some interesting ways to kill the creatures, but ended up resorting to lethal, well tested, just not what I want to have around the barn, stuff.
I asked around to see if someone had a cat I could keep in the barn to do the natural checks and balances, but nobody did! Last month, I got a call from the vet, it seems that there were 2 kittens that had been brought in at 3 weeks of age. They were brought in to be euthanized because they were not eating! (At 3 weeks!) As so often happens in situations like this, one of the techs took them home to raise. Her dad is taking one of them, but they needed a place for the second one. They thought of me!
Meet Mouse! She is seven weeks old, really almost 8 now, and a delight to watch. The grandkids love her and she them. They are learning about tiny claws, and how she doesn't mean to hook them, but they are learning.
She is too little yet to go to the barn, in fact she is barely old enough to go off the porch! I have set up a large metal crate on the front porch, with a small crate inside for her to hide and sleep in. Two or Three times a day I go and let her out to play for 30 minutes or so. This morning, she is defending the porch against Dear Ones shoe laces, as I type this entry!
Black cats and Kittens are very hard to photograph! They are just black! Hopefully you can get an idea of just how small she is.
Not everybody is thrilled with this new addition, however. The resident old cats are pretty miffed. Toni and Pheobe, 11 and 8 years old respectively, are refusing to even come up on the porch to eat until after dark! In the past Toni had been really good with a batch of kittens that were dropped off on our street, so I have every confidence that he will accept her after awhile. I am not forcing it though. There has been some hissing from afar, but no up close contact.
My hope is that by the fall she will be fully integrated into the pride, and on duty earning her keep, slaying the future dragons in the barn. For right now, however, I must just enjoy the self training process, for example, right now, she is chief fly swatter, and Day Lily frond tamer!
Until next time, Happy Weaving, Tina
I asked around to see if someone had a cat I could keep in the barn to do the natural checks and balances, but nobody did! Last month, I got a call from the vet, it seems that there were 2 kittens that had been brought in at 3 weeks of age. They were brought in to be euthanized because they were not eating! (At 3 weeks!) As so often happens in situations like this, one of the techs took them home to raise. Her dad is taking one of them, but they needed a place for the second one. They thought of me!
She is too little yet to go to the barn, in fact she is barely old enough to go off the porch! I have set up a large metal crate on the front porch, with a small crate inside for her to hide and sleep in. Two or Three times a day I go and let her out to play for 30 minutes or so. This morning, she is defending the porch against Dear Ones shoe laces, as I type this entry!
Not everybody is thrilled with this new addition, however. The resident old cats are pretty miffed. Toni and Pheobe, 11 and 8 years old respectively, are refusing to even come up on the porch to eat until after dark! In the past Toni had been really good with a batch of kittens that were dropped off on our street, so I have every confidence that he will accept her after awhile. I am not forcing it though. There has been some hissing from afar, but no up close contact.
My hope is that by the fall she will be fully integrated into the pride, and on duty earning her keep, slaying the future dragons in the barn. For right now, however, I must just enjoy the self training process, for example, right now, she is chief fly swatter, and Day Lily frond tamer!
Until next time, Happy Weaving, Tina
5 comments:
Mouse has the sweetest little kitten purr!!! I'm sure she will grow into a great rat hunter!
How cute she is.
Oh how sweet!
What a dear skinny little Minnie mouse she is. If you put down poison for the barn rodents, I hope it's all gone before Mouse gets hold of a poisoned critter.
Shoelaces do need severe discipline to keep them in line!
And day lilies can never be trusted! Welcome, Mouse!
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