Barn Cats II
Poor old declining Tom, he is so beat up, ragged, ears torn, claw marks on his neck, and an infected foot that is swollen up like a baseball. He limps along but keeps on trucking. He is my main medical patient. You have to take care of your people in your care and although barn cats lead precarious lives with predators and squabbles, you must remain diligent.
I remain amazed how these creatures retain so much stamina. Now of course it is warmer weather and I can smell the sweet cloying estrogen odor from the rabbits, and the female cats are rubbing against the Toms and wrapping their tails about their head. I see they like to bump heads a lot.
So I am going to have to keep count, as usual, and look for kitten nests while the yodeling is still in progress signaling the call to mate.
To me it is all reminiscent of teenage boys in their cars with the loud boom box earthshaking music trying to lure the girls into their territory.
I do not use herbs with the cats as for one they are sweet and cluster about my feet but they are not tamed to pick up and take to the Vet. So if one gets droopy or beat up and infected I obtain powdered Amoxacillan – the pink stuff – from the Vet, and start a ten day routine of mixing a small spoon full of deluxe cat fishy food and Amox and separately feed them their medicine for ten days.
When you speak to your vet, and mine is Dr. Young at the Christiansburg Vet on 460, he understands the “don’t touch me attitude” of untamed cats. One cat we had was named “Stinky”.
When I was at the pharmacy the loudspeaker would announce the medication being ready by calling: “STINKY STEEL”! “Your prescription is ready”. That was always a head turner.
Fortunately a neighbor has trapped all the raccoons and transported them elsewhere and all the cats are safe from this predator. Yes, I know raccoons are cute but they can be vicious once grown and have actually killed people by bites to the throat. A full-grown Mama coon can weight 20 pounds and is a hellion, especially when she has baby racoons following along with her.
When Diane’s late father was visiting some years back he saw a cat go up a tree. He asked me to get him a ladder so he could rescue the cat. I told him the cat would climb down when he was ready and it served no purpose to risk life and limb climbing up a tree to rescue a cat that has 20 sharp climbing claws and does it for fun and birds.
I have watched cats go vertical up the barn walls with such agility and they turn and look at me as if I am a stump.
I would like to encourage owls, which abound the surrounding forest, to roost in the barn, but alas, the cats would get them. I had toyed with the idea of a hanging large bird swing at the top, but cats are persistent and I have seen them jump several feet, like a flying squirrel from branch to branch. I would say that is a healthy cat.
When I am butchering livestock the cats all swarm about looking for tidbits. Their favorite though is cooked shredded rabbit meat. Dogs love it too. When we make a stew of it there is always plenty of liquid left over to pour on the kibble for both.
Speaking of rabbits today was the start of the breeding as all the does were thumping, out of the nest boxes and exuding their estrogen perfume. Apparently, according to Diane, I have a nose like a dog. I can even smell the doe deer in the forest when they are ready to breed. I will say that you girls give off beautiful estrogen perfume too. Unfortunately for most men, this ability is rare; so you use over the counter perfumes. I suggest “Beautiful”™ as the most alluring.
While I am on the subject of romance, be it barn cats, rabbits or humans, the touching is important. You girls will have better luck with your intended if you rub the man’s forearm while crooning words of love. Long hair is a swisher of estrogen, and a visual attractant. Short hair is “I am not interested, married or otherwise non available. I notice long haired cats do better too.
Alas, in six weeks the kitten nests will be filling, I am increasing the cat’s fish-meat consumption along with cat kibble. The reason I want some more cats is predator increase, but also neighbors are dumping garbage in the woods, because the financial cut back of trash pickup. This means more rats on the loose.
There is an excellent short series DVD: “Billy the Exterminator” about a live trapper of wild animals in Louisiana. You might find it interesting.
Ancient Egypt revered cats and made them into Gods. We need to pay more respect to cats.
God Bless,
Old Timer,
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