Izzy

Izzy came to us as do many of our cats. She was a foundling. Someone dropped her off at our neighbors and she found her way to our farm. She brought love into our family. She fit in right from the start. She preferred to stay indoors but would venture out in good weather. She had personality and spunk. She was our no tail cat. She was born with a form of Spina Bifida. Part of her coccyx had never formed. From the start she had urinary problems. We went through several series of antibiotics, changes in cat food, and many changes of comforters. She would go for months and use the litter box and there were times she just couldn't make it. Lately she was having more of the bad times. Even with an attempt of another bout of antibiotics, which she hated, she just didn't rally. She grew weaker and weaker. As much as we love her, we just couldn't stand to see her suffer. We will miss our girl. I honestly feel that we will see her again. I hope that about all of our animals. They are just too important in our lives to just cease to exist. They were created with a purpose. Izzy more than served her purpose in her sweet short life. She will be greatly missed and always loved.

I haven't been blogging much lately. I have been exhausted. I don't know how else to explain it. To me it sounds lame. Work has been very difficult. I have been on nights for 2 1/2 years and I think I have reached my max. I have applied for a day position. I am praying that I will soon hear good news. Alex will soon follow. The hospital has been very good about scheduling us on the same shifts. This saves gas and allows us to work on the farm. I am trying to get back into the swing of things. We have so much to be thankful for. I feel ashamed of grousing. I'm just tired.
I hope that this post finds everyone healthy and happy. Don't forget get your H1N1 asap! Don't take this flu for granted. It is dangerous.
Much Love and Prayers from Mainely Ewes Farm
Kelly

Prodigal Daughter Returns to the Fold

Before we moved to the farm our barn had 6 pigs being kept in the stalls. It stunk to say the least. The pigs were fed slop. The stalls were horrible and filled with liquefied excrement up to the poor animals belly's. There were a horde of rats inside and out. The flies existed in swarms. We mainly stayed out of the barn. When the pigs were fed the rats would come to eat too. It was horrible. They weren't even afraid of humans. Little did they know but they scared me to death. I kept having this terrible image of falling down and being consumed by rats. Ewww...... Don't get me wrong, I like pet rats, hamsters, gerbils etc. These were far from the sweet fuzzy pets. The pigs were removed but the rats remained. When Alex and I combined homes we also combined pets. I had 6 cats and Alex had 3 for a whopping total of 9 cats. Neither of us had any rodent problems. We were actually afraid for the cats. I had no idea if they would be safe in the barn. Prior to moving we took a trip to Home Depot to check out ways to get rid of the rats. Everything we read would be hazardous to pets if they ate the rats. We were told to take a 5 gallon bucket, fill with water and pour potato flakes on top. The rats would go for the flakes and drown. I just couldn't stand that thought. I didn't like the rats, but I didn't think I could do that. I know. I just couldn't do it. We even thought of getting a 22. and shooting the rats. Ultimately we let the cats take care of the problem. Take care of it they did and very well. At first they ate the rats. Then I guess they got full and left the bodies all over the yard. I would go on rat body patrol each morning and pick up rodents with a stick and bucket. Currently we are rat free. We have 7 cats and they do a great job of keeping the rats away. I guess now that we are rat free there is no challenge. For the past 2 summers we have had Mo (Kizzymoto) leave and go on a 2 month hunting expedition. She just leaves one day and is gone. Last summer she went on 2 such trips. I had given her up both times. We have predators that prey on cats. The Fisher cat is the worst. It belongs to the weasel family and will kill and eat cats. She was in my prayers for a safe return. Then, just out of the blue Mo comes home. She is very verbal, meowing constantly. She stays very close to home after that. Yesterday, I opened the door and there she was. I grabbed her up and started yelling to everyone that "Mo is home!" She was yelling too. We were all excited. The prodigal daughter had returned! She gets her bowl of wet cat food to enjoy all by herself.

Walks on everything. Letting her family know she is HOME. Mine, Mine, Mine.

She meows constantly. I think she is saying, I love you, I missed you. I was out there ridding the woods of rodents, birds and anything I think is fair game. She is our huntress. She may be small but she has tiger instincts.

Oreo was happy to see her but didn't want to show too much excitement.

We are so happy to have Mo home. I hope she will be home with us all winter. I don't like her trips. Cats have such an independent nature. We are here to serve them. We missed you Mo! Celebration Day! Much love and prayers from Mainely Ewes Farm.

Kelly

The Fun Never Ends

It feels good to be home again. We just came off of three nights straight. One afternoon of sleep and we feel rejuvenated. Abbey my foundling diva cat was making weird squeaky noises last night. I got up to check on her and she was throwing up clear liquid. I had no clue but felt that we should wait and see how she was in the morning. She wasn't lethargic and was acting ok. This morning when we got up she seemed fine. Then around 2pm she started throwing up again. She refused wet cat food. Firstly, wet cat food is a big treat in our house. No cat turns it down. Abbey actually growled at the bowl. Ok, telephone call to the vet and away we went. Her blood work came back good, a little on the dehydrated side but ok. She had air in her colon. No blockage that we could see. So, we start conservatively. She got 300ml Ringers Lactate (glucose, electrolytes, etc...) under the skin of her shoulders. She looked like a camel when we left the vet.

Here she looks like she has biceps, we will call her Arnold for now, until the fluid drops again and into her chest, then we will shift to Marylin Monroe. She doesn't look very amused here. We do call her Diva for a reason.

I'm not getting close. She may be declawed (previous owners doing) but she can still pack a punch.

We are still cooking 1/2 cup oats in a big pot of water and adding it to a big scoop of chicken pellets for the girls twice a day. I don't know why they want this but it gets them to eat the pellets. Otherwise, the pellets just sit there. They do not eat them. They will eat the corn and any veggies but refuse to eat layer pellets. They're feathers are getting shinny and their cheeks are filling out. I was really shocked when I picked up a hen the other day and there was just breast bone, no meat.

Here is Izzy, our no tail/coccyx cat (foundling). She is laughing at me for making 2 meals a day for the chickens too. I'm taking a firm stand come spring. No more buffet for the hens. I will be so glad when they can free range again. I know they miss it. I miss the green grass. We purchased several books the other night. One is Storey's Guide to Raising Pigs. I have also been doing alot of reading of blogs about pigs. I wonder if pigs have to have 2 cooked meals a day? Hmmm....... Good night and much love from Mainely Ewes Farm.

Kelly

Whatever Weather

Tuesday evening. It has been hot and sticky all day. Yesterday I drove to NH and back (Yee hah!) and it was really hot and muggy there too. But it evidently stayed overcast with sporadic hard rain through out the day up here in Maine. Kelly and Ted attempted to get our big pile of brush to burn but it just wouldn't stay lit to finish the job. And it was still too wet to burn today. The ride home last evening had steamy roads and fog on the streams. There was the glint of standing water between corn rows and potato hills as I got further north. Still haven't seen much hay cut. I guess no one is willing to take the chance of rain when its been raining at least every other day for weeks now. And they tell us more is on the way. We may get a break the evening of the 4th and the 5th. We'll see. We would like to get started on refinishing the main room floors but we haven't sorted out how to keep the cats, dog and us off them to dry, and how to have access to the bathroom, and how to get to the upstairs to sleep, without crapping up the urethane or doing each floor in pieces. We really don't want overlap marks or paw prints or to have to sleep in the cars. And we won't even discuss how to exist without a bathroom for the number of days it will take to stain and put down 3 coats of urethane. Some of our cats are NOT barn cats and will be most put out at even being confined to the kitchen.i.e. Abby the Diva prefers not to leave Kelly's bed except to eat and hiss at all the other cats. They are after all her underlings. Max and Sara are Maine Coon Cats but both like long naps curled up inside. Beau and Sugar are both ones who prefer to be outside during summer and will not be a problem. Oreo is a big tuxedo cat who like Timba the orange kitten use us simply for cat exchange at the kitchen door. in-out-in-out. all day long. And Lastly Little Mo, our petite grey baby. She Is the mightiest hunter of them all but after having gotten lost in the woods for 4 weeks when we moved here, is not comfortable too far from the house. And then there is Ivy, our silly Pug dog, 8 yrs old deaf and sweet as they come. she sleeps with me or on the sofa 20 out of 24 hrs. What will we do with the critters? What will we do with us? We did pick up the paint for the guest room and I will try to get all the new overhead lighting fixtures installed over the next weekend or so. And we have to finish work on the next section of the barn because the new chicks arrive on the 14th . Their stall/coop still has several year old petrified cow poop on the floor and holes in the outside wall. No rest for the wicked.