Cat Tales

Last Saturday when Kerry and his son delivered  Romeo and Juliet to my barn I suddenly became very self conscious about something.  As we led my new donkey and pony into the barn I realized that I had 7 cats, 4 dogs and one very expensive cow horse following me.  That’s normal…. right?  What did they think? Kerry’s been around a lot of eccentric women in his profession as a horse trainer and clinician. But I’m not eccentric. I’m not like”them”. Really. I’m normal …. right?

Yet, I may be on the verge of officially becoming an “animal hoarder”.  Specifically, I may be turning into one of those weird cat ladies.  Is there a program for that?

“My name is Terah ….. and I love cats. Barn cats in particular. I have 7 of them.”

In my defense, they each have a story. (Don’t we all?)

This skinny orange kitty came to me last June. This was the day I brought him home.  I have an underground “cat connection”.  A veterinarian girlfriend who also works in a big city veterinary  emergency clinic.  This cat was brought in by a couple that said they “found” him and he was injured. They just dropped him off.

What was really wrong with him?  The story behind the story.  These people had unsuccessfully tried to neuter him at home. He was in tough shape.  My vet-friend is a cat lover. She fixed him up and took him home and healed him up in her private country vet clinic ….. at her own expense.  Then she called me.  “This kitty has a really cool personality. Can he come live at your barn?”.  That was June.

Now it’s  January.

He’s friendly and outgoing. It took him a couple of weeks to figure out the hayloft in the barn and where he fit in the existing cat colony. He was obviously a house cat in his former life. I babied him until he was totally settled.

I have a simple routine for when I bring a new cat home.  The first 2 days I lock them in the tack room in the barn by themselves with food, water and litter. On day 3 I put another friendly cat in with them for another 2 days. Then I let them go.

He meows at me constantly when I come into the barn. At first I thought there was something wrong with him. But he’s just a vocal kitty. He’s not hungry, he just wants to be picked up and petted.

I don’t think cats dwell on past traumas like humans do. They don’t need therapy.

They need a chance.

In his case, I think the people who harmed him were weren’t as cruel as they were incredibly stupid.  And I mean “born-that-way” stupid. I mean …. who tries to neuter their cat at home?  Is their a kit?  Is there a YouTube video?  I mean “Red-Neck get-your-own-reality-show” stupid.  (Sorry I’m ranting)

Yet, I don’t think Orange-Kitty  identifies himself as a victim of anything.

I think he’s just happy to be here.

And that is this Cat’s Tale.

Love,  Cowgirl Red    aka  CatWoman