Meet our new barn cat, Dice

By now, some of you have met our new little friend, Dice.  

He's friendly and very talkative. 

He's become acquainted with the horses, which seems to be going okay.  He and Moe are tolerating each other.  I suspect Moe is a little put out by the attention the new kid is getting, but so far has only expressed his discontent with a few little hisses and half-hearted growls.  I figure by winter they'll have discovered that it's nice to have a friend to cuddle up with and stay warm.  

Dice was a stray cat who was cared for by the New Hamburg Veterinary Clinic.  Let's hear it for our wonderful vets!

Dice has been making himself at home here, and I hope he sticks around.  I like the little fella.  Won't it be great if Moe ends up liking him too?

More Farm Day Fun

Three kids and two horses???  

It can work!  It takes a lot of stirrup adjusting and keeping track, but everybody got to ride each horse a couple times.  This little group of outlaws consists of brother, sister and cousin.  Maybe all good outlaws are family, eh?  

Getting ready to ride off into the sunshine. (Check out the cowgirl with one hand on the reins!)

Hey, it was very dusty that day.  The bandannas are functional!

Aw yeah, nailed the ol' stick-in-the-barrel!

Second ride for the this young fella, first time over the poles!

Butch, Rawhide, and Roadrash, all gussied up!!

They're each wearing a few of my own clothes, which makes me realize... wow, I really do get to play cowboy dress up everyday!  

My little ranch dog is in on it too.  Don't they all look ready to hit the trail?

But since it was hot, and the horses had already put in a couple hours work (these two have no idea how hard some other horses work!) we hit the trail by taking a walk around the pasture, to check the fence, see how the ducks and turkeys and chickens are doing, and of course, stop by for a quick visit.  

Dang fun way to spend a day.

kids, horses, and a box of sidewalk chalk

It just makes riding that little bit more fun.

Sad news: Larry the Cat is no longer with us

Guard cat Larry.  Trespassers will be caught and purred at.  

It's very hard to break bad news like this.  I'm sorry to tell you that our little buddy Larry has died.  He was badly hurt yesterday.  I usually can take care of injuries at home, but this looked like more than I could handle. The problem wasn't just severe wounds to his hind legs though.  His left hind leg was broken in several places as well as dislocated.  He was in a lot of pain and unable to walk.

We love our animals and don't want them to suffer.  The decision was made to euthanize him.  He very quietly died and was no longer in pain.

There are many people who believe that cats should not be allowed to wander outside.  They have a point; it's a dangerous world out there.  Bigger animals can hurt them, which is probably what happened to Larry.  Cats can be hit by cars.  They can pick up diseases.

BUT.  Our barn cats have such a great life.  They are free to go where they please, and do what comes naturally to them.  They get to be cats.  They have a warm place to curl up in winter, sunshine in summer.  Trees to climb, rodents to catch.

Larry the kitten, 2008

Larry and Moe have had an exceptionally happy life because they get all the benefits of being free cats, but also healthy human contact.  We make sure they have something to eat, rabies shots, and medical attention.  The cats have repaid us over and over with purring and companionship.  Very few barn cats can have a life like this.  My father couldn't afford to send cats to the vet back in the day, not when there were so many.

Soaking up the winter sun in some nice warm hay

I wish Larry hadn't come to the end of his life because he was hurt so badly, but in my opinion, it's the chance we take in exchange for everything he enjoyed.  And I'm just so grateful that we found him in time to give him a break from his pain and end his suffering.

Haven't we been lucky to have such wonderful cats to share our barn with?  They're not "JUST" barn cats.  They're our rodent control team, greeting committee, and good little friends.

The Brothers

Moe is okay.  Who knows whether he realizes his brother is gone.  So far he's hanging around in his usual napping spot, insisting on being petted whenever I'm in the barn.  He will have to soak up all the attention now!

Most recent picture of Larry and Moe, this summer.  

I will miss Larry very much.  We all will.

I'm sure next time you're here for a ride, Moe will make sure you get your cat time.  As long as we have Moe, we will be smothered with friendly affection and loud purring.  I'm sure he would appreciate  any affection you have to give!