Animal Husbandry

I'm thinking about animal husbandry this morning because - once again - we have too many cats. I have a rule for feeding the cats: they get four cups of cat food in the morning. If they're still hungry, they need to hunt. So I know there are too many because when I get home from work they crowd around my feet, and the only time they get that close is for food.

What does this have to do with animal husbandry? Well, part of being a responsible pet (using the term loosely) owner is making sure these animals are neutered so we control the population. Total fail in that area here. But, I do not claim full responsibility in this matter (here begins the blaming of the oldest daughter for the cat dilemma).

Years ago, oldest daughter brought home a stray cat found at her friend's parents' house. She insisted it would be her cat; however, not in the literal sense, since she was in college and couldn't have a cat there and had every intention of leaving the cat at the farm. So, I guess the beagle wasn't the first grand-animal - Corker was.

Corker lived outside because we thought it would be too traumatic for Pokey to introduce another house cat. That is, until Corker got in the family way. It seemed like a good idea to bring that pretty orange cat inside for the birth and raising of her litter, which was delivered behind the couch and made for some unique photo ops.

At this point, any responsible pet owner would have immediately taken the new momma to the vet to prevent another reproductive cycle. How sad that this never occurred to me. In the meantime, when the kittens were old enough to be weaned, the little family moved outside. There may have been six kittens, but I only remember two - India (Indy) and Stewart (Stu). Stu was a long-haired pink cat (yes, I know they are not pink, but they also are not orange and what else would you call that color?). He went to live with the out-laws where he was loved and pampered and living large until he escaped to the great outdoors and met the business end of a blue heeler.


Indy is still with us today, and is the reason for this story. She is a long-haired orange cat with a fairly pleasant disposition (for a cat) and enjoys a little human attention now and then. She is also the matriarch of a dynasty of cats that knows no end.

I firmly believe that every farm needs a few good barn cats to control the rodent population, but we have exceeded our limit time and again due to the fierce fertility of Indy. Again, this could have been prevented because she is catch-able and after proving her femaleness a trip to the vet was in order. Obviously that didn't happen or this blog post would be about something else.

Indy's first husband was the most striking tomcat I've ever seen - large, stately, and white with large orange shapes (patches? splotches? spots?) covering his body. They created several beautiful families together. Her second and current husband is also large, but not quite so regal and a dark grey tiger stripe. They, too, have created many families together. These two fine gentlemen also created other families with their offspring (I'm not qualified to discuss the issue of inbreeding in cats, but apparently it's not significant). So, at various times over the years, we have had as many as 20 cats roaming the farmstead, scrabbling for a place at the food pan in the morning, and occasionally bringing us proof of their hunting prowess.

Anyway, what was my point? Oh, yes, animal husbandry. Responsible pet ownership. Neutering. NEVER MISS THE OPPORTUNITY TO NEUTER THE ANIMAL THAT IS STILL TAME! Because other than Indy, the rest of the cats have all been wild as, well, barn cats, and there is no stopping them now. I worry sometimes about becoming that really old crazy woman who is found dead and nibbled at by her 100s of cats.

Post Script - I do remember another from the original litter - Canadiana. I think all but Stu were named after countries. We must have been in a geographical mindset back then.


Post Post Script - Apparently tomcats can sense a randy female cat from miles away and have no problem making the journey. Both of Indy's husbands were never seen in the neighborhood until they showed up for their weddings. The first husband must have worked on the road because we only saw him when he was in a romantic mood. The second husband apparently is somewhat of a slacker - he is content to stay on the farm most days.

DISCLAIMER: This is how I remember it. I rarely remember things the way everyone else does. My blog, my perception, my reality. If you want to tell a different version, use your own blog :-)