| Blackie - was the undisputed neurotic king of our domain until March 2007. He was the runt of the litter so I raised Blackie on a bottle. To him I was Mama, which led to some identity issues about his true species. He would come on command just like a dog and loved to ride on my shoulder hanging onto my neck. His favorite position was upside down so you could rub his belly... very un-cat like! |
| Bobby - the barn cat King |
| Bonnie - passed over the Rainbow Bridge in 2004 after 14 years of love. |
| Patty - Bonnie's sister who also passed in 2004. She spent the last few years totally blind but was able to manage very well by using Bonnie as her guide dog. The smarter of the two! |
| Scarey - one of Velvet's first litter. A sweet but timid longhair. |
| Freckles - a La Mancha goat who liked to head butt Russell |
| Russell - a Lancashire/Suffolk cross wether. |
| Only *Some* of our Critters |
| ********* Some of our pets that have crossed the Rainbow Bridge ********** |
| Annie - our jumping goat |
| Sheba - a rescued standard tricolor collie. |
| My Dad feeds the "wild" turkeys that come and go. |
| Terri - came to us as a kitten with her mom, both strays. For several weeks we fed her mother, never knowing there was a kitten with her. One day we happened to see a little tail sticking out from behind a box. Once we caught her, she was terrified... probably never having been held by a human before. So "Terri" became her name. Terri is still shy. She gets so easily spooked that once she ran away when chased by a neighbor's dog. I had to trap her to get her back and since then she has become an inside cat. Less stress for her and me! Her kidneys failed and she had to leave us. |
| Velvet was Blackie's biomother. We never figured out why she loved the bathtub so much (?). Velvet arrived as a stray with two nursing kittens in tow and gave birth to six more on our kitchen floor almost immediately. Once spayed, she ruled as "The Queen Mother" for many years. |
| Pookie - Aunt Flora's cat who deigned to cohabit with us in his twilight years. |
| George - was another stray who wandered in from across the road. He went back and forth daily for awhile, but slowly decided to stay put at our place. We named him after my friend Kay's childhood pet. George was huge and had a fighting life until he was neutered. He sported a "cauliflower" ear from getting chewed on. But his rough appearance was deceptive - he was a quite gentle guy. He was Dave's favorite lap buddy. One day we noticed he was acting somewhat lethargic and suddenly he collapsed. Rushed to the vet, he was diagnosed with saddle thrombosis and there was no saving him. We still miss him a lot. |
| Fuzz - this little puffball literally blew in the door one night during a rainstorm. Just a tiny starving kitten with dysentery and scared of everything. Now she thinks she owns the place. Her long black fur can be found just about everywhere in my house... so she has earned her name! She's very placid and sweet which means that Mikey drives her crazy and is always making her his play toy. |
| Harry (tuxedo) and Snowy - Harry was found trapped in an old mobile home tangled in a venetian blind cord. He was a sight to see and desperate, so we thought him a feral. Once cut loose he melted into a lap puddle so there was nothing to be done but bring him home with us. Snowy came with Dave and was adopted from a shelter. He had the most gorgeous ice blue eyes. |
| Bobby arrived as a stray. He was shy but once he learned to trust us, was our outdoor greeter. Every morning he'd meet me at the garage door and say good morning walking with me up to the barn. He lived in the Barn all his years with us, keeping Gray kitty company. He lived a good long life, slowly aging until his heart quit on him. |
| Gray Kitty - Gray was a little feral female that took up residence in our horse barn. She was probably about a year old when I first spotted her and was a true feral- she would never let us get close. She gave birth to 5 kittens up on the hay pile. I knew I was in for a feral population if I didn't do something, so I trapped her and moved them all into a spare bedroom. They lived there for 10 weeks. During this time I tamed all the kittens and found them homes but Gray would never relent. I had her neutered and then returned her to the barn. She has lived there for many years with her buddy Bobby. Bobby has now passed and she is alone but she has stayed. After many years of never letting me near, one day as I was dishing up her food I felt a little rubbing on my leg. There she was touching me by her own choice! Since then she presents herself for petting every morning and night at feeding time. I never thought she'd ever allow touching, but it goes to prove you never know! |
| Alvin and Leo - both tom cat strays who wandered in. We neutered them and they lived with us for several years each. |
| Montana - is a standard donkey who came to live with us when his former owners lost their place just down the road. They kept him for 18 years, since he was a foal by his dam's side. When he lived with them his pasture was adjacent to the community mailboxes, so everyone greeted him each day as they picked up their mail. My Mom especially adored him and would keep carrots in her car so she could talk to him and feed him. As you can see, he really doesn't need any extra food. He has been on a diet at my place but his fat pads are a permanent part of him now. He was never halter trained and he is shy. It took me many months before he would let me touch him and he still will not lead. Now at 23 it is hard to teach this old dog new tricks. He suffers from Cushings which is incurable but we keep him comfortable and on medication. |
| Mikey started out as an adopted kitten named Mitzi. Took a few weeks to decide he was really a Mikey. Now Mikey rules the place as a very dominant neutered boy. All toys are his, all food is his and humans are merely servants. |