Cat cat the Barn Cat

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

She died.

Was here when we built the barn. Some 18 years ago. She just appeared. Tiny fuzz ball with an attitude.

She’d park herself right in your way and hiss at you for inconveniencing her.

We could never get our hands on her for anything. There’s been a couple incidents she needed seen to. Not on her watch.

She never had babies. We wondered for a couple years was she a she at all.

She had an epic fight with a raccoon once and came out needing stitches badly. I got a tranq for her, that and blood loss we were able to get her in a carrier. Vet sewed her up and spayed her. He had to keep her sedated two days. Finally he said come get her she driving us crazy.

Got her home and she was placed in the carrier in my husband’s office in the barn. Overnight. Next day she had gotten out of the cage. He goes in. She’s sleeping in his chair. We place a litter box and a dish of water and just checked periodically. Kids were warned. Noise kept down in the barn.

5th day after the whole ordeal..he tip toes in the office. Cat darts out with something in her mouth. It was a mouse. Girl was hungry, he watched her eat it. She practically flew up to the loft.

Mr.wrekker installed a cat flap on his office door. She slept in there most nights after the Ordeal. No more Raccoons gonna bug her. She gave them wide berths.

She iradicated alot of the vermin. Snakes, rats, mice, birds that were too slow. You never get it all storing feed and seed. She was on the job.

She didn’t like me much. Cat was Mr.wrekkers cat. She didn’t tolerate the dogs or the grandkids near her at all.

My garage cats left her be. She put out an aura, I guess “no-touch-a-me”.

She was a loner. Had a job to do and that was her happy place.

We let her be happy. Cat, cat the Barn Cat.

Son-of-a-wrek saw her asleep in the chair. It was very hot so the AC was running in there. He thought “well she’s smarter than me, napping under the AC”. Later that evening he looks, she hasn’t moved. He checked her. Died in her sleep.

Happily buried in the flowerbed*.

*Communal pet graveyard

2

See what happens when you don’t use a Consultant for pet names?

3

Fuck yeah, warrior cat. Kill what needs killing on the other side. :raised_fist:

4

I am sorry that she’s gone!

But I’m glad that she got 18 years of the life that she wanted. And it seems that she died gently, in her favorite safe place.

You wrote her a very good obituary.

5

Far too many people these days have grown used to boring, mass-produced cats, which may bounce with health and nourishing vitamins but aren’t a patch on the good old cats you used to get.

6

I’m sorry, but glad she had so many happy years. She may have been miserable to you, but it sounds like she had the life she wanted.

I currently have a barn cat I got from the feral cat rescue 9 years ago. I’ve feed him every day of those years, and still can’t get closer than 5’ from him. He comes running when it’s time to eat, but then waits until the food is presented and I’ve backed away before he eats. When he goes, I probably will never know - he’ll just stop showing up.

StG

7

I’m pretty sure she wasn’t miserable. Kinda had her free will. Slept and ate when she wanted. Hunted daily.

I was miserable because I wanted her to love me and want to be near me. I worried about her being alone so much.

I soon gave her the space she wanted and possibly needed.

We co-existed in the same small world and made do.

8

“A Real cat’s aim is to get through life peacefully, with as little interference from human beings as possible. Very much like real humans, in fact.”

9

I believe my two Siamese cats are seriously in need of a human or two. They might make it 3 hours overnight outdoors.

Just be disappeared. They don’t necessarily “love” me. But I love them and have committed to keeping them alive.

No, nooooo they’re not spoiled brats. At all :face_with_peeking_eye: .

I swear.

10

Sounds like the distribution network got that assignment perfectly correct. She had the life she wanted, and how many of us can say that? Bless you for respecting her wishes all those years.

11

Cats vary a great deal.

My current batch, and nearly all of the previous crew, may not want the humans to interfere with them. But they most certainly want humans to pat them; and will interfere with humans as much as necessary to accomplish this.

Cats who don’t want me to interact with them sometimes wander through. They also make that clear.

12

It sounds to me as if you gave her the life she wanted–not necessarily the one you wanted for her but the one she wanted for herself. There’s no telling if she recognized that not trying to force her to be a different kind of cat was a sign of love from you to her. I think it’s possible but such things are hard to tell with cats, especially ones like her.

You’re right about not having to wonder about cats who don’t want people to interact with them. You can easily tell and only a fool or a masochist will try to force them to buddy up to you when they’ve made it clear they prefer you to leave them be. Cats know what they want and what they don’t. I think it says good things about you that you let her live the life she wanted when I know you wanted her to warm up toward you.