Meet Doodles!

Doodles and the very hairy Grizzly Bear cuddling
on Farmer Man's lap.

Farmer Man had put his foot down a few years ago:  No more pets.  There was hardly any room in the bed for him between the little doggies and the cats.  But then, we lost Peanuts.  And then, he met Doodles.  Doodles is one of the barn kittens.  From the outset she was friendly, curious and would follow Farmer Man in that galloping, unsteady way that kittens have.  He described her as 'doodling around' the barn.  As the weather has taken a chilly turn the last few weeks, Farmer Man would appear, doing light chores, with the kitten stuffed in the front of his vest.  She would try to follow when he took the dogs for a walk and would end up tucked into his jacket, getting a full tour of the farm.  As we started to try to find the kittens home, to my surprise Farmer Man said that Doodles wasn't available.

Two nights ago, Doodles became a house cat.  Farmer Man brought her into the house and set her down to explore.  It was just kind of assumed she wouldn't be going back out to the barn.  It's a delicate situation with a small pack of doggies and one rather surly house cat, Blondie.  I got the pet carrier and set it up with an old towel for bedding, a small, plastic sandwich box for kitty litter and a small bowl for water.  We showed her to all the dogs and told them to be nice; growling or baring teeth received a correction.  We kept a close eye on her as she wandered and explored; it was all so exciting that she quickly settled in for a nap on Farmer Man's shoulder.

The good thing is the Grizzly Bear seems to have taken to her.  We still supervise every minute, but he really seems to be fascinated in a good way.  He's even given her a few 'kisses' and let her curl up on his back this morning.  If Doodles has been down and wandering, we just look for Grizzly, who seems to never be far behind.  He wants to play, but we admonish him to be gentle because he's so much bigger.  We're hoping they end up good friends.  The rest of the doggies are stand-offish and so far Blondie the cat seems to be afraid of the kitten!  Teddy Bear seems rather put off so far; poor girl started out as an only child and now has to share the attention with a number of other 'friends'!

At bedtime, Doodles is secured in the pet carrier.  When we left Saturday morning to do the Farmers Market, Doodles was secured in the pet carrier.  That will be the way, for a while.  There are hazards in any house, although ours is pretty pet safe!  We also can't completely trust the doggies and Blondie - these are animals and remain unpredictable.  And Doodles is just sooo small right now - and too nice for this crowd!

Kittens Meet the Chickens!

The kittens are scampering in the protection of the greenhouse!

 We've got kittens in the barn, again!  We tried not to, but just really don't have the budget to spay or neuter all of the little colony that has taken up residence in the barn.  I had an appointment at the vet's for the one we call Little Mama, but she disappeared about a week before the appointed day.  When the day came, I couldn't find her so I took one of the friendly males.  About three weeks later Little Mama reappeared, obviously pregnant.  She disappeared again for a number of weeks, then reappeared slimmer.  About two weeks ago, kittens appeared in the barn and not newborn.  She had obviously had a litter someplace, then started carrying them in.  They are, of course, just adorable!

Yesterday, Farmer Man was out working in the back yard on a little patio he's constructing and Little Mama decided a walk was in order.  She's quite bold what with the doggies around, but I guess she assumes Farmer Man and I will protect her.  The kittens and the free-ranging chicks found each other quite interesting.  We actually intervened at one point because we thought the chicks were going to start pecking at the kittens!  The June chicks are almost full grown at this point; quite a contrast in size!  A great adventure for the little kittens, I just hope they don't start free-ranging themselves yet because it's a dangerous world out there!  Anybody looking to add a kitten to their home?

Look What We Found!

You just never know what you'll find when you take a stroll around a small farm!  Egg production has been down significantly the last week or so.  We thought maybe it was the change in weather, shorter days - something like that.  While I was out this morning, camera in hand, I heard some squawking from the trees beside the chicken coop.  The squawking a hen makes when she lays an egg!  Investigating, I find one of the Browns, nesting in the bole of a large willow tree beside the coop!  There are at least six or eight eggs under her! A second chicken seemed to be waiting her turn!  No wonder egg production is down!  I didn't disturb her; for safety sake all the eggs will have to be garbage.  Why the little hen would decide to start laying outside is a mystery - but at least we know where to look now!

A few nights ago, preparing to bring the goats in from their pasture one night, Farmer Man heard some tiny meows!  Investigating, he found two little kittens out on the barn floor!  Afraid the goats would trample them when they came in, he looked around and found a little nest in some hay with two other little kittens!  The mother is not very friendly, so he placed the kittens in and we've largely left them alone since then, except for some peeking and a photo op.  The kittens definitely have the genetics of our barn cats with their orange or beige coloring.  I haven't been able to check their tails because a bob tail or short tail runs through this colony, too.  They are as cute as the proverbial buttons, for sure!  Anyone looking to bring a new kitty into their homes?