Animals

Adventures in Farm Cats

2022 has brought us the opportunity to host several barn cats who needed homes. We were happy to oblige, as mice can be a major hazard to farm equipment and tractors. We got our first two kitties in the cold of winter. Pistachio and Hazelnut came to us from the Pennsville Animal Shelter, and we were happy to give them a home where they could have freedom and a good life, while also being fed and kept warm in our barn. The mouse activity noticeably went down after these two very shy kitties became part of the farm.

During the summer, we became aware of a terrible cat hoarding situation that was going on locally, and we wanted to help. With the help of the nonprofit cat rescue organization, Maddie & Friends, we were able to adopt and rehome several cats that were not suitable for living in a home, and who would have been relegated to a shelter, or worse, euthanized. We believe in giving feral cats a chance at a good life, while supporting their needs for food and vaccination, as well as a safe place out of the cold. We are so happy we could take a few of the cats out of an awful situation and give them a chance to hunt, roam, and be cats where they are away from the road and other dangers. We wish they were friendlier, but are glad they are here. We did, however, find one particular "farm" cat who just wasn't fit for being a barn cat. Meet Roo...

Roo came from a feral colony in Quinton and luckily was rescued before he became part of the feral population. We were going to get Roo and one of his siblings, but the night before, the other kitten was unfortunately lost to a predator in the wild. We are so happy we got Roo in time.

We kept this tiny kitten crated and fed for a few weeks so that he could get his vaccinations and be neutered, and be ready for life outdoors. We quickly learned that Roo's personality was much more suited to be an indoor companion, and he now happily snuggles up with us and provides hours of wacky entertainment. We never planned to get another house cat, but you know how that goes....