Ode to the Barn Cats

Growing up on a ranch, most conversations in our house revolved around animals. Whether about cattle, pets, or wildlife we could talk about animals for hours. So I will embrace my inner crazy animal lady and introduce some of the critters here on our farm. The barn cats have only been here about a month but they made it feel more like a farm.

Skitty kitty is the mama barn cat. She likes people but get a little scared if you try to approach her. She hangs around the house some days but is often gone-I assume out hunting. She is playful and will chase the dog around the yard.

Tatanka is one of her kittens. She is very friendly, loves attention. She is a bit "fluffy" if you know what I mean, maybe from all the mice she's been eating.

There is another grey tabby kitten that is pretty wild. So wild I have no picture of it. It disappeared shortly after it was dropped off here and I thought it either ran away or got eaten by something. Lately however, I was glad to see it showed up again.

I think these cats are probably all good hunters and are relatively good at avoiding predators. Since we got them, there is evidence of a skunk hanging around. I think he comes into the shop at night where their food and beds are and eats their food. Such is the hard knock life of a barn cat; fighting the skunk for your food while trying to not become food for a fox, owl, or eagle. They are happy though and we are grateful for the job they do.