We had never had a cat until we moved to Washington 20 years ago and our son watched "George" be born at a friends house. He begged us to let him have the kitten and we were so glad we did. He was a wonderful addition to our family for 15 years. It was very sad when we lost him, but I did learn to love cats. However, he was an inside cat and I never did learn to like the litter box! :-)
I'm sure your children will enjoy hours of play with Smokey.
I've become a "pets with a purpose" person. I used to care less (maybe hate would be a better word) for cats, but have become rather fond of the couple we have. Little Bekah is a cat person, big time. Her 3rd birthday is next we and her gift was free- a couple little calico girls! We've had them for a few days now and I increasingly find myself sitting on the porch swing with one in my lap. :) I find that allowing the little ones to "torture" the kitten makes for the sweetest cats. Even our toms are super friendly. Your little kitten is adorable!! Even more so your happy children :)
Cute pictures! Especially the children. ;) I'm not a pet lover either but I have learned to accept some cats at the barn because they earn their keep. They're very good mousers.
If she is going to be an outdoor cat, please have her spayed, dewormed, safely and continuously "de-fleaed" and dewormed (revolution applied monthly, get this from your vet), vaccinated (which starts at 8 wks old & protects her as well as YOU) and provide her with shelter (ie., a covered box with straw for warmth or set up something for her in the garage?). Please feed her too...a well fed cat will also still be an excellent mouser; a cat will only eat the prey if she has been taught by her mother to do so, which will not occur until she is about 4 months old, so if this kitten is abandoned, she probably will not know to eat what she catches, or exactly know to quickly kill what she catches. I apologize for sounding preachy, but as a veterinarian who has visited many farms with outdoor cats, it is very frustrating to see these small creatures sickly, parasitized, constantly pregnant and in the elements, etc... Hopefully you have already started the kitten preventative health care as mentioned above. Good luck with her and congratulations on the new family member. Blessings from an animal lover in Maryland, Joy
I know when we bought this abandoned place, all the cats were in dire need. Took a lot of effort to fix them up and fix them so no more babies. Some of us are responsible. Many are not. We even have heated pet mats in the barn in the winter for them in old recycled toy boxes, with two holes cut into them for entry/exit. It is tricky trying to keep the possoms out of the barn sometimes.
I also have an outdoor cat named Smokey, who is a boy and all light grey. I have six outdoor boy cats that are fixed, and they do a great job demousing the area. Such happy children! And yes that is one lovely kitten. Two of mine are half grown kittens and their antics give us great joy. I am never alone doing outside chores, the cats are following us around like dogs would, as we are part of their pack, I guess. Outdoor cats are wonderful.
haha, she's so cute! I have to agree with your pet philosophy (but our pet is a bunny! he lives outside which I like A LOT). Still, G wishes for a kitty.
We had never had a cat until we moved to Washington 20 years ago and our son watched "George" be born at a friends house. He begged us to let him have the kitten and we were so glad we did. He was a wonderful addition to our family for 15 years. It was very sad when we lost him, but I did learn to love cats. However, he was an inside cat and I never did learn to like the litter box! :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm sure your children will enjoy hours of play with Smokey.
Blessings,
Betsy
I've become a "pets with a purpose" person. I used to care less (maybe hate would be a better word) for cats, but have become rather fond of the couple we have. Little Bekah is a cat person, big time. Her 3rd birthday is next we and her gift was free- a couple little calico girls! We've had them for a few days now and I increasingly find myself sitting on the porch swing with one in my lap. :) I find that allowing the little ones to "torture" the kitten makes for the sweetest cats. Even our toms are super friendly. Your little kitten is adorable!! Even more so your happy children :)
ReplyDeleteCute pictures! Especially the children. ;) I'm not a pet lover either but I have learned to accept some cats at the barn because they earn their keep. They're very good mousers.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cute kitty! Your children are precious, too! They are getting so big!
ReplyDeleteIf she is going to be an outdoor cat, please have her spayed, dewormed, safely and continuously "de-fleaed" and dewormed (revolution applied monthly, get this from your vet), vaccinated (which starts at 8 wks old & protects her as well as YOU) and provide her with shelter (ie., a covered box with straw for warmth or set up something for her in the garage?). Please feed her too...a well fed cat will also still be an excellent mouser; a cat will only eat the prey if she has been taught by her mother to do so, which will not occur until she is about 4 months old, so if this kitten is abandoned, she probably will not know to eat what she catches, or exactly know to quickly kill what she catches. I apologize for sounding preachy, but as a veterinarian who has visited many farms with outdoor cats, it is very frustrating to see these small creatures sickly, parasitized, constantly pregnant and in the elements, etc... Hopefully you have already started the kitten preventative health care as mentioned above. Good luck with her and congratulations on the new family member.
ReplyDeleteBlessings from an animal lover in Maryland,
Joy
I know when we bought this abandoned place, all the cats were in dire need. Took a lot of effort to fix them up and fix them so no more babies. Some of us are responsible. Many are not. We even have heated pet mats in the barn in the winter for them in old recycled toy boxes, with two holes cut into them for entry/exit. It is tricky trying to keep the possoms out of the barn sometimes.
DeleteI also have an outdoor cat named Smokey, who is a boy and all light grey. I have six outdoor boy cats that are fixed, and they do a great job demousing the area. Such happy children! And yes that is one lovely kitten. Two of mine are half grown kittens and their antics give us great joy. I am never alone doing outside chores, the cats are following us around like dogs would, as we are part of their pack, I guess. Outdoor cats are wonderful.
ReplyDeletehaha, she's so cute! I have to agree with your pet philosophy (but our pet is a bunny! he lives outside which I like A LOT). Still, G wishes for a kitty.
ReplyDelete