Strays, The Pond and Chick Palooza

A stray of sunshine

Living "in the country" brings many blessings and surprises, one especially repeat surprise is the amount of strays in the area. We look up, and there's a "new" cat coming and going, running and hiding, just trying to stay alive. Some cats stick around for a few months, eat the cat food in the barn and then disappear. Others come to stay. Sometimes we even name them, some are feral, others are house cats people no longer want who are now very scared. Whatever their situation might be, there's always cat food available to any cat, from anywhere. We have a cat food feeder in the barn, and somehow cats always know where to find it. Rarely do they let us get too close, so we talk sweetly to them and try to comfort the lost soul in them.
In the last year, we've had 3 cat strays who have been around, which we named Boots, Short Haired Blackie and Long Haired Blackie. Very original, huh. Boots isn't around anymore, and you just never know what happens to them. He lived the the garage for several months, and had food and water there. Do they find their way home? Did a predator get them? Short haired Blackie shows up now and again, but not a main stay here. Now Long hair Blackie is the exception. ** For whatever reason we call them all "he's" like they are all males, yet we really have no idea which sex they are. Long hair Blackie started dropping in, slinking in from the neighboring pasture of cows. I could see him on the Barn Cam at night coming in for food, and I could hear the guard dogs barking at him, as the dogs have a different bark for that sort of thing. Blackie is a silky, long hair beautiful cat who likely was an indoor cat. Granted he showed up matted, dirty, scared and with a nice size wound on his forehead, that takes up his whole forehead. As usual, we couldn't get too close to him, but we started making baby steps. We talked to him, made kissy kitty sounds to coax him over, and gave him a cat bed in the tack room, hoping he'd settle in. And settle in he did. He started living in the tack room in the barn, sleeping in his bed up on a high shelf. At first we were never close enough to see his wound. Then, as we started walking through the tack room into the barn, he got to where he would not run away. He hid, but we knew he was there. Over a couple of months, we were able to get somewhat close to him without him running away. Then, we saw it. What had happened to him? He did try to clean himself up, but the wound was too much for him to fight. It got infected and stinky. During this process, we knew we had to get him to the vet. David did the deed of getting him in a crate that we could transport him to the vet in. Thanks, David!
After being at the vet for two days, they were trying to decide his destiny. They gassed him down, cleaned, debrided and shaved the wound area. He got an antibiotic and steroid shot. I went to pick him up, and they gave me a couple of options of how best to "keep him" while he heals. Or tried to heal. He's not out of the woods yet, as only time will tell how this plays out. I'll tell you that we made a critical decision to allow him to live in the guest room (door shut, of course) with a litter box, food, water, clean environment - and safe. We felt the need to give him the best chance possible to see this through. Would he use a litter box, what about the things in the room, would it still be so stinky? Answers: Yes....... I removed many things from the room.....and no. He's using the litter box like a champ. I took so much out of the room to accommodate him. His wound is no longer smelly. It's hard to tell if it's healing, as it's only been 3 days, and it still looks the same. It will probably take some time. It's not worse, though. We will take him back to the vet next week, for a re-evaluation. If the wound is being persistent, they will culture it for things. Bad things. I'm crossing my fingers for progress.



He's found his way into the closet, and likes the shelves there. He's actually wanting us to pet him now, and is just the loving-est cat. He purrs, and leans in when being petted. He's come a long way from the scared, frightened run-way kitty he once was. Maybe he used to be an indoor cat? He's soft, silky and sweet - now that he's gotten cleaned up. But, the thing is......



His forehead has likely been like this for several months, and is not budging and is dodging the healing process. Oh! The vet did tell us 1) he is a boy, 2) he's been fixed, 3) he's negative for kitty leukemia and 4) they found find to be very sweet to them, and completely non aggressive at the vet office. And since we've brought him inside to get well, he's skittish, but does allow us to pet and touch him now. We will see what this next week brings. If it's still not showing signs of healing, cultures will be taken to verify what's really going on. I'll keep you posted.

How's the peeps? 

There's good new all around on 355. The 24 little chicks are doing wonderfully! The donkeys are to be congratulated for making sure these yummy tasty treats are safe. So far, so good. While these sweet things grow and are getting their feathers, we decided to grow their living environment, too. So, they went from a 100 sq feet area, along with their with their coop, to 300 sq feet, including more grassy area for them.



Granted, they love picking the grass for bugs, yet they are such a close knit group of chicks. This is all 24 of the them showing their sisterly love:



They are supposably Rhode Island Reds and Orpingtons. The are supposably all hens. And for us, time will tell this as well. They are getting their feathers - and tail feathers - right now. It's so fun to watch them grow. Just as we are watching our little kids Dotty and Petunia grow. The baby farm animal sounds warm the heart.



David made the chicks a feeder that hangs, like a swing. Well, technically, it is a swing. The purpose was so their food stays off the ground, therefore not attracting ants. The chicks absolutely love it. I actually thought they would eat out of it while on the ground, as he hung it low. But nope, they jump up on it and eat away. They seem to like the little sway of it. We can raise the feeder as they grow, but just having a chicken swing AND a feeder is a dream come true for me. Chicken ladys love things like that.



So while the chicks eat, grow, sleep and repeat, there's happenings across the pond.

Literally, the pond?

It used to look like this, because it's a smaller pond, and loses its water at times (like this) without rain:




It's pretty green right now! The pond can grow to almost twice that size in the fall and spring, when rain comes. But while it was low this year, we decided to have it dug out even wider, and have the dirt dug placed as its berm around it. We are hoping when the rain comes, our pond can grow and become bigger, and hold more water. We plan on putting an aerator/fountain in it to assist with the freshness and clarity of the water. It does house snakes, frogs, turtles and some fish. And maybe some day.......ducks. Who doesn't love duck eggs?!



The digging has begun and the berm is starting to take shape. There's so much more to dig, and more dirt to move. Luckily, rain is not forecasted this week, so hopefully it can be ready when rain does come. Only time will tell.



The purple martin's will have even more mosquitos to eat. We may even have it stocked with fish, if the pond can maintain a good, consistent level. There's a lot more work to be done before we can travel down those thoughts.

So how is everyone 

Great! David is thinking lamb thoughts, and buying-ram thoughts. The kid goats are growing so much, and making the cutest noises you've ever heard. And all 39, OMGoodness, did I just say 39 chicks and chickens? They are all surviving the heat. Dora and Diego (miniature horses) have blended in magnificently and I absolutely adore them. Diego's bray brings such joy to me, as I've not heard these melodies on our farm before. Dora's nature of independence is heartwarming to watch her live her life as she desires to. She's blind in her left eye, yet she's keeps on keeping on. The horse's brays rival with the kid goats maaa's for First Place in the Heart Melting category. And thanks to the guard dogs and donkeys who guard 24/7 so that everyone can relax and live a nice life, it's an eco system all its own around here, with everyone doing their thing. I'm realistic to know something could happen, I just put my faith in the good Lord and lay my head down at night knowing everyone is as happy as I'm able to help them be. We all have water, food and shelter - and love. Lots of love. That's what lol means around here. (For real, my father in law thought that - til his last day, and we never told him otherwise.)

For now, there's a stray cat in my guest room and 24 vulnerable chicks up on 355. Only time will tell how this story will tell its tale, what the horizon will bring, and what the Will of God will be. I try hard to exert my own will, but I know better. I've learned to try and let it be. I try hard to flow with what is around me without fighting too hard to make it something else. It's a work in progress, for sure. (If I only had done so in my 20's and 30's, life would have been so much easier). Older and wiser, but still learning. Every day.

And with time, I'll tell you too, what it has brought us,

Cyndi