My cat is having kittens....updated photos post #150, p. 10

[princessmom29]

Wow! I have no words.....

It is the way of life on a farm. Plain and simple. It is where the meat you buy in grocery store in a neat little packages comes from. If not you wouldn't have those nice steaks for your Sunday barbeque. Cats are a part of what keeps a farm running. They necessary to keep rats out of the feed, and if they are coddled housepets they won't do that. YOu cannot use pesticides near grain you will be feeding animals, especially if those animals are for human consuption. Some animals are going to die form disease, perdators ect, and some will be slaughtered for meat. We also practice responsible land managment by killing deer. Otherwise we would be overrun with deer spreading lime disease, ect. We kill 15-20 every year and still have enough to see 6-7 under the oak every tiem we pull in after dark.

 

[jrmasm]

sounds like someone was not taking porper care of where the cats were and were not allwoed to be. They were likely being fed too close to the road(ie at the house just off the highway) and should never have been in a horse barn in the first place. This is not what it is like on every farm. We have only lost mabye one cat to the road in the 10 years I have been around, and never had one killed in the barn.

Of course they weren't being taken care of properly. But neither is not spaying a female cat. And horse farms don't have rodent problems?

I have never lost an animal to the the road. So what?

I struggle with the idea of barn cats and dogs. I can rationalize the need for them but the risks are just so high.

 

[princessmom29]

Um, excuse me but I have lived on a working farm (1500 acres) for 34 years. I have had many farm animal pets. Just because they are farm animals does not mean they can't be pets as well. When we raised pigs I made a pet of one that I saved when she was being born. We kept her for breeding rather than selling her for slaughter. We raised sheep, they were ALL pets, none of them went to slaughter. I had several barn cats that occasionally came into the house. Just because they were barn cats didn't mean I could never let them inside. Maybe on YOUR farm you didn't make pets of farm animals, but on OUR farm we have. Not every farm runs the same.

Sonds like a for pleasure fram rather than for profit, unless you were selling top notch wool. I cannot imagine ahving enough "pet" sheep to make enough profit to be a primary source of income. Making a pet of one pig is different than saying the your mousers should all be housepets.

 

[XTinabell]

Oh how exciting! I still remember when we brought in a stray cat and got to watch her belly grow bigger and bigger and then had 6 kitties! It was so cute to watch how she mothered them.

BTW, I think some people don't realise that farm cats are quite different from city cats. Their life spans aren't quite as long as there are more risks on a farm. There isn't quite the same pet population problem on farms as there are in the city. My fiance's family has quite a few little kitties that have new litters every so often, they don't all survive. It's part of nature, no need to lecture on spaying farm cats. Quite different. Always good to be concerned about the growing pet population problem though.

 

[sbell111]

Do you have any idea the sheer number of kittens/cats that are destroyed every year because of unfixed cats? I get mad because it's totally irresponsible, that's why.

You know, if you got your wish and everyone spayed their cats, soon there would be no cats.



Enough of this angst. Bring on the pics of the cute little kitties!!!!!

 

[skater]

Do you have any idea the sheer number of kittens/cats that are destroyed every year because of unfixed cats? I get mad because it's totally irresponsible, that's why.[/QUOTE]


How is it irresponsible for this particular poster? The cats that are being destroyed every year have absolutely nothing to do with what happens on her farm . HER cats are not being destroyed. HER cats are being taken care of. Why should what other people do or don't do to animals impact what she does on her own property? I'm just not connecting the dots in the same way, I guess.

 

[java]

Do you have any idea the sheer number of kittens/cats that are destroyed every year because of unfixed cats? I get mad because it's totally irresponsible, that's why.

How is it irresponsible for this particular poster? The cats that are being destroyed every year have absolutely nothing to do with what happens on her farm . HER cats are not being destroyed. HER cats are being taken care of. Why should what other people do or don't do to animals impact what she does on her own property? I'm just not connecting the dots in the same way, I guess.[/QUOTE]

There are now 6 kittens- males and females I am assuming that will be out there breeding. And so on and so on. it's not just the one cat that had the kittens-
I am thinking that is the point some people are trying to make.

Me - Not my issue- not my cats - not my farm. Enjoy your kittens.

 

[PoppyGirl]

If I post photos are the flamers going to draw ugly faces on them? Oh wait...that's probably reserved for me (the irresponsible cat owner). (I have a goat, a bunny, a dog and about 200 cows too....if it matters). So I won't post my photo. I'll work on posting kitty pics when I get home from work today for those who share my joy.

I'll try to get one that includes my step-son, the boy who graduates from vet school in June, who by the way, grew up on the farm and learned his love of animals here and was inspired to become a vet.

I appreciate the folks who seem to have an understanding of the realities of farm life. Our cats are not feral. They are barn cats. If they were mean, I would not have them around my children. As a general rule, I think people are a tad more important than animals.

You could ask anyone who has ever visited my home and they would remark on how happy, healthy and friendly my cats are. They come out to greet you when you arrive. They follow my kids up to the bus stop every morning and meet them when they get off the bus in the afternoon.

For those who are really angry with me for not fixing my cat, really, what is that all about? Really? You don't even know me.

So, I think I'm done defending my lifestyle and love of kitties for now. I posted something about a joyful event in my life and I have been shocked by the hatred and anger people have posted in response. Judge me if you wish. I love my cats. They bring me joy. They are happy. What kind of farm life would we have if there were never any kittens in the spring?

 

[walkerag]

Yay! Kitten pictures coming!

ETA: I completely agree that cats in the city definately need to be fixed but I can't imagine life without any kittens at all. I love them!!

 

[pyrxtc]

waiting for the pics ....

 

[Robinrs]

Thanks for your response, totally city girl here. I didn't realize you were on a farm.

That's the chance you take on a discussion board, you find lots of people with different points of view. I was raised to keep your pets inside and they live long and happy years as a pet. Two of my cats just turned ten and they've NEVER been outside unless they were in a carrying case. Most of the cats I've owned lived to be almost 20 and they are neutered or spayed by the time they're 3 to 4 pounds. This is what I do, I respect what you do.

 

[PoppyGirl]

Mommy kitty has decided to move her babies to the porch. It was hard to get a really good photo but here they are. There's one close-up of the kitten's little face. It's like a "Where's Waldo" photo.

 

[PoppyGirl]

There are 3 babies. 2 dark ones (one black) and one striped. Mommy kitty is part Maine Coon.

 

[bumbershoot]

I would love to see the pictures.

My brother's cat found us...turns out she was pregnant at the time but we didn't know it. The other cat that came along with her, it turned out, was a male (he disappeared before we could get close to him), and it seemed he was the father of the kittens. She was the loveliest cat...feral in the definition that she had been born to housecats, but then went wild when her owner (owner of probably 50 indoor/outdoor cats) died or moved. She was only ever my brother's cat...he was the cat whisperer for her, until he went away to college and she bonded just a tiny bit with my mom. One kitten went to friends, another kitten we kept (the one that looked just like the father cat), one kitten...I'm assuming went to friends but I can't remember!, and the last became a barn cat at the winery where my mom worked.

We did spay the mom and the kitten we kept, b/c we did NOT live on a farm, just a deadend street. They hunted SO well, it was great! Because of allergies and asthma in the household they were outdoor cats, and were fed and watered and petted and loved...just not inside the house.

They were lovely cats, and sooooooo cute as kittens...so I'd love to see pictures.

 

[Hollywoodhaha]

How cute!

I am a dog person, but I love cats too!

 

[ginna74]

aweeeeeeeeeeee cute kittiesssssss

 

[SaraJayne]

 

[Darsa]

Wow, mom is a beauty! And what sweeet babies!!

 

[Rupert B Puppenstein]

I grew up on a farm and yet we spayed and neutered our cats that were barn cats and even added shelter cats from a few rescues in the area and surprisingly they were better mousers than the ones who grew up on the farm - there are still problems with overpopulation in the country...cats live long lives and you don't need to keep bringing more into the picture. Yes, it is cute to see babies, but a farm is a business it isn't a lets have a million babies operation...and yes, some of those animals do get killed by wolves, or dogs or whatever - but ours were closed up at night in their little barn so we actually were pretty lucky. If all the animals were spayed and neutered there would still be babies...because there are always going to be those few that exempt themselves from contributing to overpopulation and a bigger carbon footprint.

It is worse in the city because of the population growth - but there are plenty of animals out there that need homes - even farms to live on. Heck there are plenty of cats that aren't friendly enough to be in a home but do great on farms.

Maybe you should have thought about the fact that there are many animal lovers that would be upset about you adding to a population since you don't even keep all the animals? It would be one thing if you kept them all - but you pawn them off on people. Responsible? Definitely not a word I would use to describe this situation.

 

[MIGrandma]

Love the pictures, thank you for sharing!!