Sick Kitty

Our poor little barn cat Hunter. Since we got him as a kitten, it seems like he has had one problem after another. As he grew up, he developed a habit of wondering off the property, getting in fights, and coming in terrible shape. We were constantly pulling ticks off him. He once came back with a wound on his hip so bad that we had to put him on antibiotics and drain and flush it daily. He still has a lump of scar tissue over his hip bone. All the wondering and fighting had to stop, so we decided to have him neutered a little earlier than we had planned.

 It wasn't long after he was under the knife that he started feeling bad. He was acting lethargic and picking at his food but we just figured he was mourning the loss of his "boys." A week or so went by and he didn't perk up. I finally decided to bring him in to the vet when he noticed that his gums were pale, his lymph nodes were swollen, and he was extremely dehydrated*.

I brought him into my vet's office. She took one look at him and said he was so anemic that he probably should be dead. We ran blood work and initially my boss thought he might have developed lymphoma which would have been crazy for an 11 month old kitten. After more discussion, she and I decided that a tick borne disease was the more likely cause. We started him on antibiotics, vitamin K, and sesame seed oil to try and bolster his blood counts.

After just a couple days of treatment, the little guy was perking up. His appetite improved, and he started following us on our walks around the property. We had kind of forgotten what a quirky ever-present little guy he was while he was ill.

These pictures were taken just a few days after we started him on the meds. I was actually out taking pics of the sheep with Hunter in tow when he wandered off into a little thicket of trees and brambles.

About 15 seconds later, he wandered out with a giant vole in his mouth.

Doesn't the little dude look proud of his catch?

We are just really glad that our kitty is on the mend and living up to his name! 

Josie Jr.

 Gwen is growing up fast. She is already following her mother's tradition of being so very helpful around the farm. 

Here she and Hunter help me cart hay out to line the poultry pens and nest boxes. (Yes, she and the cat are still best buds)

Trying to push down the neighbor's new fence to get at his tasty garden.  

Helping feed the poultry. 

Thanks Gwen!

Important News!

 Oh....Sheep! Sheep!

 Hey sheepies, why don't you follow me across the bridge...

 ...and over the hill...

 What could be behind this gate?

Raw Pet Food

All of the dogs and cats around here are fed an exclusively raw diet. It's something I have been doing for many, many years and something I feel very strongly about. When we got the farm, one of the goals was to be able to feed our animals from our own livestock. We quickly discovered that just like people are looking for better quality meat for themselves, there was a demand for local, properly raised meat for pet food. 

 

One of our best and most reliable sources of income has been making these ground mixes of meat, organs, and bone. Both cats and dogs seem to love them, and their owners love have a reliable source of clean and quality meat.

I work in a holistic vet's office so we have also had success selling the meat through my office. 

Hunter has been raised eating raw meat from the day he came to the farm. Now he's getting pretty good at catching his own version of a raw diet!

Gwen and Hunter BFFs 4ever

We've had an interesting and adorable inter-species relationship developing here on the farm in the last few weeks. Our Gwendolyn the goat and Hunter, our new barn cat, have become the best of friends.

When Gwen is out of her pen, Hunter is always with her. I suspect they originally bonded over a love of milk. When I put Thea up on the milk stand, Gwen gets to nurse her fill then Hunter gets a few squirts into his bowl then the two would hang around together while I finished the milking. Now one is hardly found without the other. If Gwen starts crying out for any reason, Hunter will come running, even braving a backyard full of dogs to be with his buddy.

Yesterday, I watched him follower her around the pasture while she grazed on grass and he hunted bugs and field mice. One day I got home from work to find Hunter IN the pen with Gwen and Thea, and I have no idea how he got in there!

 Mostly the two just like to lounge around and nibble on each other. Gwen chews on his tail...

 Hunter attacks her tail....

... and a particular favorite for both cat and goat is when Gwen nibbles on Hunter's ears. I swear one day we are going to go out to find a one eared cat, they do it all day long!

Here's a little video I got today of the two buddies bonding.

Could you just die of cute?!

New Hire

Since August 17th is apparently National Black Cat Awareness/Appreciation day, I figure today would be a good day to introduce the newest member of the HighTail farms crew....

This is Hunter Ratsbane 

Hunter has been hired to the recently created Barn Cat position. It's creation was necessary due to the recently discovered conspiracy taking place amongst the rodent population on the fram to deceive us into thinking that our large flock of otherwise healthy, happy ducks have mysteriously stopped laying altogether for the last few weeks.  In other words...

Damn rats been stealin our eggs. Hunter's (hopefully) gonna fix that.  

I had a heck of a time getting a decent picture of the little guy. He's black as night and since he's only about 3 months old, he is completely incapable of holding still long enough for the shutter to go off.

 This is the box he showed up in. His name originally was Panther, for very obvious reasons!

He took to the barnyard right away. Here he is meeting Josie for the first time. Since then these two have had a rather rocky relationship. Josie has no patience for this little upstart stalking and pouncing around her yard. Hunter, on the other hand, LOVES her fresh milk and has become my best milkin buddy always there in time to steal those first three squirts!

 See? He's already doing his job guarding the nest boxes! 

Big Onion is head over heels for the little guy. I think they bonded on the initial drive to the farm.

Hunter was completely flipping out in the car, yowling and ripping at the above pictured box until he tore his way out. Then he immediately climbed into the Big Onion's lap and fell asleep. Since then, Hunter has been his "Little Buddy" who follows him around for chores and rides on his shoulder whenever he gets the chance.

...and I guess I'm pretty fond of him too.