The Animals Part 2

How bout them Steelers?!? I for one am grateful and happy they won. I would have one very grumpy and upset hubby if they hadn't! But it was a great game and definitely kept us on the edge of our seats!

Crossing my fingers that the groundhog predicts that Spring is coming quick!
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This is Part 2 of my posts about our animals. The first was about the dogs, and can be found here.

Let it be known, that when B and I moved in to our new house last May, that we had 3 cats and did not plan on getting anymore. 3 cats in the house along with 1-3 dogs at a time was more then enough in our opinion. Little did we know, that we would be receiving 2 barn cats with our house purchase, and that they would have kittens. Now, we have many more then we ever would have thought...

This is Onyx. I wrote about him here. He was my very first pet that I got on my own. He is black with a little bit of white on his tummy and is four a half years old now. He is a lover...much more like a dog then a cat. He actually fetches mice and brings them back to you. He also LOVES to get up in the most bizarre places...some times he will actually jump to the tops of doors and balance on them. He'll then realize that he can't sit on them and jump back down...but what possesses him to jump up there in the first place is beyond me! He can be stubborn and has a habit of batting things off tables, counters, etc. He is the reason I don't have many decorations on my tables...

This is Lucky. Lucky is two and half years old. She holds a very special place in my heart. The way Lucky became a part of my family is different then all the others. I had decided at that point, I did not need any more animals. I was done (at the time we had 5 cats and 4 dogs and enough was enough). One night I was up at the farm and we went out to eat. When we arrived at the restaurant, there was a kitten sitting in the parking lot. My friend mentioned that he had tried to catch one the last time he was there with no success. I, being the smarty pants that I am, bet him I would be able to go right over and pick the kitten up. So I did. And my gosh. What I found was a kitten whose eyes were almost completely crusted shut. Extremely dehydrated (so much so that her gums and tongue were white), very small, very hungry and flea infested. I was mortified. I couldn't leave her there. So, I took her home. I didn't expect her to make it through the night...everything was closed and I had no milk for her. I sprayed her with flea spray and put her in a crate for the night (the fleas were so bad that they were jumping off her to escape the flea spray...ugh). She made it through the night and the next day I got her some milk, and gave her a flea bath...I had to since the spray barely touched her. The water was filled with blood. Her belly was raw. The next day, I had to go down to see my mom, so Lucky made the trip with us. I took her to the vet then, they gave her a shot and told me to do what I'd been doing. Somehow, she made it. Lucky is a very smart kitty. But, she is one of the few I have that is not extremely social. She does like attention, but only in her time. If you pick her up, she will immediately start purring. She runs and hides when we have company, only really wanting attention from me and B (especially me). She is a bit cross-eyed, and I think she has the most beautiful face. She looks a lot like Onyx, with the bit of white on the chest. She is my special girl. :)

This is Myah. She is a year and a half. Again, I wasn't looking to get another animal. But, she came in to my life as someone abandoned her in a park on one of the hottest days of summer (it hit about 100 degrees). A friend called me and asked me if I could give her a home for a few days, and then that was it. I fell in love with her. Myah is our most standoffish cat. She loves to get attention when she can come in our bedroom, but otherwise she pretty much keeps to herself. It is weird to me she is like that because when she was found, she was very young. She was a very loving kitten. But, she changed. She is playful, and used to climb up furniture and curtains. Kind of a crazy kitty. :) She and Lucky are pals and she's not the biggest fans of the little kittens. Myah's quirk is that she will always stick her paws under the bathroom door when someone is in there. It is her way of saying hey! let me in! i want to be with you! I'm often greeted in the morning by a paw stretched under the door, and it makes me laugh.

This is Mama Cat. I have no idea how old she is. She is one of the two barn cats that came with our new house. When we got to the house, she had 2 kittens on her (Speck and Tears). Eventually, she also ended up mothering Wild Cat's kittens. She was a very good mom and stayed in the house for about 2 months raising the kittens. Now that she is back in the barn, she disappears for days at a time, but shows back up eventually. I often see her out in the field hunkered down, waiting to pounce on some unsuspecting meal. She is now spayed, so no more little kittens from her, which is for the best.

This is Wild Cat. She is the other cat that came with the new house. She had kittens also (Mouse, Maggie, Smoke and Hammie, who didn't make it), but we had to take them from her because we didn't want feral kittens...and that would have happened with her. She is not really people friendly...she does come around to eat food, and hangs out in the barn consistently. Almost always there when we are there. I think she is starting to get more used to us, but who knows? She is fixed now also. We don't want more kittens!


This is Speck. He is about 9 months old. He is my baby. All my life I've wanted a long haired cat...I had one, but she was attacked by a dog and passed away when little. When I first saw him, I fell in love. He was about a month old when we found him and his sister in the barn. They weren't too fond of us and hissed at us all the time. Speck was very sick as a little guy. He lost a lot of weight. Eventually though, he cleared up and as you can see, became a very healthy and big boy. He is also one of the friendliest kittens. I absolutely adore him. Unfortunately, B felt that some of the kittens had to go to the barn (we had a few too many in the house...8...when we originally only planned for 3) and he took Speck down one day when I wasn't home. As Speck was healthy (and many of the other kittens not) he felt it was a good choice. I honestly miss having this kitten around all the time. He has a wonderful personality and is just a baby. He seems to like being outside, but I can't say I like having him there...

This is Tears (she is kind of in the middle in this picture...the one with the white on her face). She is Speck's sister, and is about 9 months as well. Tears went down to the barn...and then came back up to recover from her spaying...and never went back down. Although she was originally standoffish...something changed in her. Now you can hardly ever get her off you. We are still discovering facets of her personality, but she sure does love to be wherever the people are. And, she absolutely loves Onyx, and Jem. She will often go over to Jem and just lie next to her belly, at which point Jem will start licking her. It is quite an adorable sight!

This is Mouse. He is about 8 months, although like his sisters (Smoke and Maggie) he doesn't look like it as he is so small. He has been sick for quite some time with the runs...which is part of the reason he was taken to the barn. We couldn't get rid of them...and when a kitty has a continuously running behind...it makes a mess in the house. We tried hard, and even the vet couldn't figure out what was wrong. For the most part, he seems to like being in the barn, but like Speck, I miss having him with me in the house. Of the kittens, he is the one who cares the least about getting attention, although he likes it when you give it to him. I love his markings. His one eye is black and I think it is the cutest thing.


This is Smoke. Also, about 8 months. Also, doesn't look it. Like her brother and sister, she has been sick for quite a bit of her life. We wonder if maybe it is because they were born in the barn to a barn cat. Who knows? Smoke is an absolute lovebug. If you sit down, she is on you. If you put her on the ground, she gets back up. She will not be dissuaded. If she wants up, she will find a way to be next you you. Smoke also loves to sit in the most bizarre places. I've found her on paper plates, on paper packaging, you name it. She will also lie on you in the most bizarre ways...I often think it must be so uncomfortable, but in the end, she seems happy that way, so who am I to guess how comfortable she is? :)


This is Maggie. I wrote about her here. She is also about 8 months. We have been trying for the last month to help Maggie get better with our own type of treatment (in the bathroom, better food, etc....if it worked we'd do it on the others), but have not succeeded well. She has gained some weight though. Maggie is a very loving kitten. She absolutely loves attention. She attacks feet with a reckless abandon, many times coming out of nowhere. She is another that loves to be in your face, and when she wants to be there is determined to be. There is no discouraging her. Something silly about Maggie is that she would just decide to take a nap in the middle of the floor. I could be cooking in the kitchen, look down and Maggie would be in the middle of the room, in the midst of everything, snoozing away.

This is Dakota. I think he is about 7-8 years old. Dakota is a monster and weighs over 20 pounds. Not because he is fat necessarily (although he is a bit overweight) but more because he is just a big cat. Dakota was originally my sister's cat. She had him for a few years, and felt that he wanted to be an outdoor cat. In fact, one time he wanted out so bad that he jumped out her 2nd story window... When she met her fiance about 4 years ago, he told her he didn't want cats, so she sent him up to the farm, where she felt he would be happy because he could be outside all he wanted. I guess he was happy, but about a year ago, when people stopped being at the farm regularly, we didn't know if he was still there. I loved the cat too, as he is very personable. He loves attention. He was our original sink sleeper. When B and I went up to get the horses in October, we knew if he was up there, we had to bring him back. We didn't want any animals up there anymore. I had little hope of finding him up there, as the person who stopped by on a frequent basis said he hadn't seen him in a while. But, wouldn't you know, that I stuck my head out the door when we got there, called "here kitty!" and out of the woods he ran. We tried to put him out when we got him here, but he kept going to the neighbors. So, he is inside right now, until the weather gets nicer, and he has a better sense of where his home is. I love having him here and am glad that we can provide him with his final home.

This is Fat Cat. I have no idea how old he is. Or if it really is a he. We are assuming by the way he looks that he is a he. He randomly showed up in the barn one day last fall and has become a regular visitor since then. We aren't sure how we feel about that yet...especially if it is a he. We don't want him trying to run Speck and Mouse off. Wild Cat and Fat Cat are really good friends, surprisingly...and when I come in the barn, I often see Wild Cat sleeping on top of him. He is not people friendly...runs when you get near, but apparently, he likes the food we leave in the barn...

We have one other cat who just started showing up whom we have named New Cat. No pictures of her. It is rare to see her. She seems to be about Speck and Tears age, but who knows at this point. We'd like her to stay away. We don't want kittens. No more!

And those are all the lovely cat furbabies that bless us with their presence. While many (most) were not planned, they all bring us joy, and I love them each for their differences and what they bring. While having so many cats can be overwhelming at times (more so then having quite a few dogs) they are worth the time and effort.

My final animal post will cover the horses and goats. :)