My critters are all individuals. They each have their own idiosyncrasies and routines. We all know what to expect from each of them every morning and through out the day. Patches, has always been a little strange. I brought her home from my parents' home back in 2000. She came to their house with her mother, an all white cat. My father said every time Patches, who was a kitten at the time, would try to eat out of the dish of scraps he put out for all the stray cats, her mother would strike at her, and not let her eat. A few times she had gotten in my car. Then one time my mother told me my niece was going to take her home with her the next time she came up. That was all I had to hear! This cat was not going to live stuck in a city apartment with smokers and not being able to go outside. After all, she was a country cat! She is a wonderful cat and does all kinds of strange little things around here. I hate to think of life without Patches!
Callie is the "alpha" cat in our house. She maintains that position by never being afraid of anyone or anything. I don't think it even occurs to her to be afraid of someone, be it human, or beast. Our horse trampled her on purpose. And I still had to watch that she did not go back in there at another time. She was born in a horse barn and has no fear of them or dogs. In fact, she will chase the biggest dog right off our property. The thing is that most cats run when a dog chases it, and she does not. She confuses them. At twelve years of age, she spends most of her time sleeping or eating, inside the house. I guess she decided she'd rather be inside now.
Hobo is our littlest cat, but she is a tough little girl. She hunts in the paddock and the horses don't mess with her. She is a very good hunter and is always bringing her catch back. She came to live with us in 2003 when she showed up on our porch looking for a handout. Nikita chased her into the woods, but she came right back. I fed her and it was dark so I didn't see that she was bleeding and had a big hole in her skull. We believe she was thrown off the bridge. We heard someone stop on the bridge, and it looked like they threw something from the bridge. We never dreamed it was a cat, or I'd have tried to see the car and report them! Anyway, I nursed her back to health with a little Essiac tea.
Spots is our newest cat and the only boy here. He moved in and stayed. He is not an indoor cat, and kind of freaked out when he came in the door and I didn't know he came in. I guess he thought he was trapped. He will sit on your lap outside if you are sitting down, but he doesn't really like to be picked up. We had a man stop and ask about him because he looked like the cat that lived at their house a year and a half ago. Then one day he was just gone. They saw him in our yard driving by and stopped to ask when he came here. Of course, once the man stopped and was talking to my husband, we couldn't find him anywhere! Soon as the guy left, he came out from under the ramp! My son has become very fond of him, so I hope he doesn't just leave us one day like he did that man. But he is free to do what he wants. I won't make a prison for him. He is good, but loves to eat as much as Callie does. He has increased our cat food bill, that's for sure!
Nikita at fourteen years old, is old for a big dog. Every year, I say its her last. If she gets through the summer, I figure she will probably get through the winter. Winter is her season! She loves snow and cold. When she goes outside in the morning, after it has snowed, she rolls and rolls in it. Nikita is extremely intelligent and even other people notice that once they get to know her. Way too smart for an animal! For me, she has been the only dog I ever owned since I grew up. I was always a "cat person" and would not even consider a dog. I am glad I did as she is more like a sister than a pet. I love her dearly, and she will be the only dog I will ever own.
Our horses, Tawny, Georgie Girl and Dark Shadow, like to lay down in the paddock. They will lay down for hours. I have written so much about them, some of my readers seem to know these little girls. Georgie Girl was a race horse and was banned from the track because she was super fast on the "breezes" (test runs) but on race day, she said "no way!" Anyway, she is mine, and I love her and Dark Shadow and Tawny. They all came from the same horse farm, which Callie came from also.
Jeff and Spots
That is all the critters we have and will not get anymore, even though I said that before Spots moved in. I mean it this time!
Copyright © 2012 Kathleen G. Lupole
All Photographs Copyright © 2012 Kathleen G. Lupole
