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!
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.
It t
ook 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.
F
rankie
was one of 3 feral kittens born in our garage just
before Christmas 2017. He was the only one I was able to tame
so he got to stay inside. He is named after Ol' Blue Eyes.
D
olly Mama
-
arrived around Christmas 2017 and had 3 kittens in
our garage. She's a semi feral but her kittens were very feral. I
trapped them all and moved them to the spare bedroom where they
all eventually got neutered, one at a time.
Only Frankie was tamed. The others - a black and white tuxedo
female and a blue point siamese female and Dolly Mama were
released next door at my Mom's old horse barn. They get food and
water and have a safe place to hide. Despite all attempts and being
in the house for several months, they avoid human interaction.
