I really didn’t need, or want another house cat. A barn and strictly outdoor cat, yes. But what I want and what usually happens is two different things. We have had cats for several years. Some outdoors, some indoor/outdoor cats. Mostly indoor/outdoor. The two that were indoor/outdoor started to be outdoor only, but wound up being in the house. One was kind of laid back and the other..well, let’s just say that she is FINALLY chilling out now that she is about 13 years old.

We did lose our beautiful laid back cat, Smokey in April of this year. April 31. Almost exactly one month before we lost out dog, Bear to lymphoma.  Smokey was 16 years old. We got her and her sister from a neighbor farm when they were weaned. Her sister was not to car savvy and I ran over her with the truck a year or two after we got the pair. I was so upset. I hate to run over anything living. Let alone my own cat. That is probably when Smokey became mostly a house cat.

Smokey had been slowing way down sometime in March. She quit eating for about two weeks before the end of April, and we had made plans to take her to the vet to be put to sleep on  May 1. I decided to hold her that Friday night and try to comfort her as she was very restless. Finally she settled down for a couple hours or so. She gave a soft mew and it took me a few minutes to realize that she was not breathing.  It was a hard night, but I am glad that I held her and comforted her, and I hope she was pain free.

                                                                 Smokey chilling on the back of one of our chairs. January 2005

Smokey trying to hide from Bear. October 2008

Smokey decided that my clean towel basket is where she was comfortable. These pictures were taken on March 24, 2017. She was still going to the basement to eat and use the litter box, and would go outside to lay in the sun. Then she would come in to lay in the basket. I didn’t have the heart to make her get out of it. We had plenty of towels. She stayed there until she passed. When she stopped eating, we kept food and water in our bathroom and a make shift litter box. She hardly left the basket at all by then.  We miss you dearly Smokey.

This is the not so laid back cat, Shadow. She was a barn cat also, but wound up in the house. She was a busy, ornery and cantankerous little thing. She would pretend she wanted to be petted and rub on you. As soon as you started to pet her, she would try and rip your hand open. Then run gleefully off. Once when she was getting on my bar that sat behind Tom’s chair, I told her to get down. She looked at me, then at Tom and promptly ripped his ear. I didn’t know whether to laugh or yell again! 🙂 Tom didn’t find it funny. I was very sympathetic and cleaned up the ear. But, thankfully she is mellowing out now.

                                           Shadow as a weanling. June 6, 2004. She started out as a pretty black with a gray stripe.

She turned into a pretty all black cat with a little white hair on her chest. In May of 2005 Shadow had her first and last litter of kittens. They are about a month old here. She had four, but one died shortly after birth. These three have wandered off, or passed on. They were sweet kittens.

Tom’s old hunting dog liked to guard the little ones. May 7, 2005. We also lost Petie several years ago. He was about 12 I think. A really good dog. Except when he killed my Guineas. 😦

May 7, 2005

And now, we have another kitten! Well, she may be about 1-2 years old, but even the vet wasn’t sure. We found her in Holton when we were at one of the many soup luncheon fund raisers in September. She was under a car crying pitifully and looking so scared and hungry. Tom was saying it probably belonged to someone and to leave it alone. But, I had already got it to come to me and that was it. And I didn’t listen anyway.  So, Tom said it’s ours now and we brought her home and she ate like see hadn’t seen food in a very long time. And she was all skin and bones. She was going to be an outdoor cat. I did not want another indoor cat. No. Nada! No more. Well….as you probably guessed:

                                                                                                                    November 16, 20017

November 13, 2017

November 16, 2017

We named her Missy. She really is a sweet cat and lovable. We had her spayed and she is settling in. She thinks I am her chew toy. Even though I gave her some things to play with. She wants to sit on my lap and then grab a hold of my fingers with her claws and chew on the end of my fingers. We are working on that. Or maybe I should say, I am working on that.

Our other cat, Luke, does not like her at all. I thought at first that he was trying to be friends. But, she would growl and his at him, so now he wants to stalk her all the time and fight with her. He is now strictly an outdoor cat. Which he was mostly anyway. He drools really bad and makes a mess of his fur, so I don’t like him in. He is suited for the outside. He likes to hunt. The bad thing is he usually brings it into the garage to eat. I am always squealing in disgust when I go into the garage and find the meal.

And so ends this post on no more house cats! 🙂

Stay Safe and God Bless!

❤