Rory Caught a Mouse!

Disclaimer:
If you're partial to mice, please do not continue reading this post.

I mentioned in my previous post about the mini lions pay rent by catching rodents. I also mentioned that rent was due pretty soon or they'd start getting evicted. (We'd never actually do that but I have to use empty threats to get action.)

Well! Rory caught a mouse! I don't usually know which cat caught a mouse but I always have my suspicions as to which one is actually the hunter. This time is was clearly Rory. (Pictured to the left)

It was late at night and my husband and I were chatting with my brother in the living room. Our front door is all window so that Sergeant can see what's happening outside (he can't reach the windows so we adapted our front door to meet his needs). Suddenly, I see Rory prancing back and forth and she starts "meowing" also. She's not a very verbal cat, or easily excitable for the matter so I was immediately alerted to her behavior. I figured she'd been hurt or something. So I go to the door and there she sits, proudly displaying her kill. She looked at me with such happiness in her eyes and I told her immediately what a good kitty she is. I wish I had captured the look on her face but she was pretty camera shy. She continued to ask for attention so I opened the door, stepped out onto the front mat (after demanding Sergeant stay inside - I didn't want to start any fights...Rory is a tough one), and stroked her head telling her I was SO proud of her. She was beaming. I also congratulated her on paying rent for the whole family and suggested she rub it in the other cats' faces. I think she replied that she was never gonna tell them about it so she could eat the whole thing...and I don't blame her - those mooches.

Some people ask me how to make a cat hunt mice. I haven't completely figured that out other than the personality of the cat and something I read in a book. It said that if a cat never learned to hunt as a kitten that it never would. However, we found Rory on the streets as a baby and I never taught her so it might just be instinct.

The only cats I've had that are good hunters are savage, independent, socially awkward but still enjoy minimum human interaction. This is not an end-all-be-all formula for "mousers" but just my personal experience with hunters. If you're wanting to teach your kitten to hunt, I'd suggest getting him/her a toy to play and fight with. Play with her/him by mimicking a running mouse. It's literally a "cat and mouse" routine where the mouse plays dead and then tries to run away. If you've ever seen it in person, you realize how cruel and sad it is but I try not to judge since my house is mouse free. Kittens also enjoy shoe laces, fluff balls, and tiny stuffed animals. Encourage playful behavior with the toy but NOT with your hands. You'll give them the wrong idea and forever being sporting kitty scratches on your hands, wrists, and ankles. Painful and not cute. Good luck with your mini lions and let me know if you have any questions.

What to Feed the Mini Lions

I have a lot of people ask me what the heck I feed my cats. It always throws me a little because I don't think I feed them anything special but I figured I'd enlighten you nonetheless. I guess I'm doing something right because all 6 of my cats are healthy (not fat but they've got some meat on their bones) and have great coats of fur. I don't know if their silky soft fur comes from their gene pool (5 of my 6 cats are related) or if it's from a life of love, food, and happiness but I'd like to believe it's the latter. ;)

So here it is: I feed my cats a multi-cat dry food. It has a special formula that is ideal when feeding a wide range of ages and types of cats. I buy the huge bag from Tractor Supply because we go through it so fast and it's pretty cheap for the size we get. I think it's $20 for a 40 pound bag. At your local grocery store, you might find a 15 pound bag for $12 so you get more bang for your buck with the bigger bag from Tractor Supply...even if you aren't feeding 6 cats.

They also get the fat I cut off our frozen chicken, leftovers that I feel aren't too spicy for them (nothing that will upset their tummies - remember they are carnivores so try to stick with meat), and the leftovers from washing dishes. We have a mesh sink drain thingy so it catches all the stuff from the dishes (which in our house is usually some sort of rice and meat) and we throw it out the back porch. It's really not much but I know they enjoy it because the second they hear the back door open, it's like they've been teleported to the back porch. Man those cats are fast. I also throw my leftover coffee grounds off the back porch and for some reason Martin seems to enjoy a lick or two...but I wouldn't necessarily recommend you feed coffee to your cats.

Lastly, they are all outside cats and thoroughly enjoy eating crickets, grasshoppers, moths, lizards, snakes, and mice. I consider this their rent. They can buy a couple months rent by showing up with a mouse on the rug outside the door. Rory brought a rather large mouse up the other day but just as she set it down, Mustachio zoomed past and swiped it. I was hoping she would bring it back to show me but she's a feisty one and kept it all to herself. If I don't see another one soon, I'll start handing out eviction notices.

To sum it up, I give them lots of love, lots of pets and strokes, feed them one and a half times a day, and charge rent in the form of bugs and rodents. They are pretty inexpensive animals if you can control the population and we love the added benefits of having mini lions guard our property. If you have any questions, please comment below or contact me in the contact form. Thanks for listening and I can't wait for my next adventure to share!

Cats in the Winter

As winter approaches Texas, the temperatures are unpredictable. Actually, who am I kidding? The temperatures are ALWAYS unpredictable in Texas but from October to May, they seem especially so. In one day, the temperature can change 40 degrees from morning to night. We may start at 70 degrees, which makes for a beautiful day, but end up at 30 degrees at night and that makes for an unexpected chilly night for the fur babies.

All of my fur babies are outside animals except for my dog. They never come inside so we have to make sure they have warm places to hide when the crazy weather sets in. Large animals are usually fine and have the right kind of fur to keep them blocked from the freezing weather - or at least they have each other to keep warm. The kitties would probably be okay too but they look into my front door with the saddest eyes and I always break down and make a comfortable spot for them.

Cats really seem to like tight, dark spaces to sleep in. What I use is kind of unattractive but it's what my cats like so it's what they get. I use a large pet taxi (since I have 6 cats) and place a carry-at-the-waist laundry basket inside the taxi with an old towel on our porch under the roof. It keeps them dry, warm, and safe since it's so close to the front door). I take the door off the taxi so they have the freedom to come and go as they want. All 6 cats usually pile up inside and take turns being on the top of the pile. I'll usually even see one or two of them take a break and sleep outside the taxi or on top of the taxi.

I had a dog house my dog wouldn't use that looked a lot like our house so I thought it would be brilliant to use that instead - it's bigger, cuter, and seemed warmer to me. We took the time to move it to the porch, put their laundry basket inside  and showed them their new real estate and they HATED it. I think it ended up being too drafty for them but I'm not quite sure. Suffice it to say the ugly pet taxi is back in action and it stays occupied.



Other things you can use are: rubber food bowls, cat beds, hay, old blankets, horse saddle blankets, tires, baskets, or anything else your fur baby can curl up in. Just make sure that whatever fabric you use is easy to wash or something you don't mind getting a little dirty. Adult cats stay pretty clean but kittens often times leave messes. One of my cats, Rory, is an adult but just decided she didn't want to get up to go to the bathroom because it was too cold so she pottied inside the taxi...that was disgusting. She kind of ruined it for the whole clowder (a group of unrelated cats).

If it's REALLY cold where you live, you can buy a heat lamp for pretty cheap and set that up so that it is directed where your animals sleep. Just make sure it's far enough away from other objects so it doesn't start a fire.

In summary, don't forget the fur babies when the temps drop. Think about what you'd like to sleep in when it's cold and try to replicate that for the animals. They keep our hearts warm so we can keep their bodies warm.

How to Keep Cats on the Farm

I get a lot of flak from having so many cats. I know a lot of people really hate cats but I've grown up with them and have seen the many benefits of keeping cats around the house. Now, I'm allergic to cats so they stay outside but they still get the job done. HOWEVER, it proves tough to keep cats around in the country. Between snakes, coyotes, raccoons, and other varmint, it's almost impossible to keep them safe and from not running away. I've had several people ask me how we keep our cats around so I want to share that with my readers.

I don't always have success in keeping cats around because it's a scary world at night in the country but I've had a pretty good run with the cats we currently have. This is what I've done so far with my cats to keep them home:

1) When they are kittens, put them in a large pet taxi with a litter box and a towel to sleep on. Honestly, this sucks. Cleaning out a litter box first thing in the morning is the worst but if you want to keep your 6-8 week old kittens safe, then it's worth it. We let the kittens grow up naturally with their mommy until they are weaned. At that point, we start feeding them a little hard food in some kitty milk replacer (or warm water if the milk replacer is hard on their tummies) and cage them at night. They usually go in the cage at dark and they can stay in there until you wake up. If they are weaned, they shouldn't need any water in the cage because they just make a HUGE mess. All they need is the litter box and a soft spot to sleep. Use something you can wash regularly because they are getting used to the litter box and can get a little messy. Here's the tricky part - some cats figure out what time you put them up and they start to hide from you. If this happens, feed them a snack around bed time and snatch them up either while they are eating or after they eat. We do this every night until they are about 5 months old. It's a long time but at 5 months they are adults and can use their adult claws to defend themselves.

2) Keeping them in the cage for so long has an added benefit. It teaches them where home base is. We moved several times when my cats were kittens but they were so used to the pet taxi that they considered that their home. It also teaches them to hide at night time. Cats are nocturnal so eventually they will become active at night but for the most part, putting them up at night for so long teaches them to find a safe place at night to hide out in. However, the reason you don't cage them forever is because night time is their prime hunting time. I know as fur mommies we can be tempted to cage them forever to keep them safe but really by doing that we are handicapping them. They have to learn to be real cats and to hunt, hide, pounce, and play. We have to trust that their internal GPS will lead them home no matter what and that their instincts and reflexes keep them safe.

3) Feed them. Some people are of the belief that the less you feed your cat, the more they will hunt. I am not against this method, but I don't do it myself. I feed my cats a hearty breakfast and a light dinner. I have 6 cats so I use a small coffee can of dry food in the morning and half of a small coffee can at about 4 pm. I do 4 pm because I don't want any food on the porch after dark because it calls up unwanted critters. There's noting creepier than four raccoon peeking in your front door trying to turn the door knob. If I get home after dark and they haven't eaten, I usually won't feed them. They're cats - if they are hungry enough, they will find crickets or mice to eat. Which quite frankly is the reason we have them. However, if they are especially convincing of their hunger, I'll fold and give them a tiny bit to hold their tummies until morning. What can I say?? They gang up on me with their pitiful eyes and sweet pleas of desperation.

4) Love them. Cats may be independent creatures but most of them want love of some form. Take time to pet them. If they don't want to be pet, just sit in the same area with them. Let them jump into your lap and nap a little if that's what they want...they usually don't want much in return...you usually don't even have to pet them for them to be happy. If they don't want pets, quality time, or lap time, just give them verbal affirmation. Every cat loves a little "good kitty kitty" at least once a day. Cats get used to your voice and find comfort in it. Let them hear that you appreciate their service at your home.

If your cat is not a hunter, feed him and let him get fat. Fat, lazy cats are awesome to have around and make pretty good companions. ;) Every cat is unique. All it takes is a little patience, understanding, and communication to have a relationship with your cat. Get to know your cat and respect his desires and personality. After all, he probably feels the same way about you as you feel about him.