Leo & Juno

** This post has been sitting in my drafts folder since last summer - 'thought I should finally publish it!

Barn cats are controversial. Most adoption organizations will not let you adopt a cat for your barn, despite the huge population of cats and kitten in the shelters who are waiting for homes. Yes, there are more dangers for cats that live outside: coyotes, cars, fur traps, nasty people with guns. A barn kitty's life expectancy is shorter and that is a hard fact. It is true that to simply set free cats on your property (or worse yet, somebody else's property) is an abomination, but a properly cared for barn cat is the happiest form of feline.

So what constitutes proper care? Absolutely every single thing you would do for your indoor cat.

First, both males and females need to be fixed. It keeps them from roaming as much and - duh - it keeps them from making more cats. We have a neighborhood cat periodically visit our barn and it sprays, so not only is this cat making more cats it is smelling up my barn (yes, smelling up my barn because cat urine odor is extremely offensive, even in a barn). It astounds me how many people have unfixed cats.

Barn cats also need a constant supply of food and water. Well fed cats will still hunt, contrary to the myth that you have to keep them hungry. I guarantee your barn will be rodent free even when you have healthy food available.

Regular worming and vaccinations are also a must. These kitties are exposed to more than any inside cat, and it is our responsibility to keep them safe and healthy. By the way, even the goats are vaccinated against rabies.

A warm bed is also a must. My cats love the hay, but when it gets cold they want their comfy bed to snuggle. Leo likes to snuggle in the stalls with the goats, and some mornings I find Juno in a hay rack :) but most mornings I find them in their beds.

Barn cats need grooming from time to time. Of course their claws need to be intact, but their coats may get burrs or matts, and it is your job to take care of them.

Human affection needs will vary from cat to cat, depending on if the kitten was more feral or more tame. In my experience, my barn cats are friendly but will not go near our house even when we have tried to bring them in on the harshest winter days. They are too stressed and they feel safest in the barn. However, they love their humans, and they love attention.

So now to the fun part of this story: the addition of Leo and Juno.

 

Little Mammas & Receiving Goat Worship

I am happy to say that I believe both Lilly and Annabelle are pregnant as neither have appeared to come into heat since their dates with Lux. I am considering either ultrasound or blood tests to be certain, and so I will be calling the vet this week to inquire about that and see what they think.

I am nuts with excitement! I have been reading as many articles as I can find about caring for pregnant goats, the actual kidding, and then the first several weeks of kid care. I have been watching kidding video after graphic kidding video to try and desensitize myself to the process - and I think it has been working because now I feel less terrified. I have drawn out kidding pen plans, and gone over the plans with my husband (the saint). I have updated the website but I wish I had better photos of my little mammas - that was something I neglected to get last summer. I am hopeful to find homes for the kids, although if each doe only has one kid I may not need any homes other than my own ;)

Behaviorally I think the mammas are more affectionate toward me. I have always said my boys worship me but my girls only appreciate me. Well, I have been feeling worshiped by the girls lately, too. With goats, appreciation looks like this: you sit down on a bench and they come over, curious to see why you are there. You scratch them, they like it, but then they wander back to whatever it was they were doing before you got there (eating, most likely). With goats, worship looks like this: you sit down on a bench and they come up and snuggle, looking for scratches. They nibble gently on your sleeve, and maybe even paw you if you stop scratching. They will hang out with you as long as you sit there. Receiving Goat Worship is better than any drug.

So this leaves me wondering: has the breeding made this change in the does' behavior? Or is it just their age? When they were little kids they loved to hang out with me, but then became more distant - maybe they went through a "teenage" stage where they were too busy to really snuggle, and now they have settled into their mature personalities? They will be two years old in May. I really don't have the answer but I do know I LOVE having my snuggly girls back!

Kid Jammies

I know I'm pathetic, but I have already been shopping for my unborn kids. Goat jammies: I had to! Yeah, I know it'll be summer but the nights could still be chilly in June, right??

While searching online I found very few already-made jammies. Hoegger Supply have some that come only in pink and blue. Eh. So many sites have patterns to make your own jammies but I am not crafty at all. Some easier diy ideas include making little jammies from sweatshirt sleeves or socks, both of which seem doable, but still eh. And then Bingo! I did find a couple of Etsy shops that sold some cute jams:

I almost ordered from Wilkinson Farm - they have really cute knitted sweaters, but they look a little warm for June.

Chicken Scraps Shop have some very reasonably priced and very cute fleece coats that come in adorable patterns. I just ordered six!

The photos are from the shops, but hopefully it's okay 

to use them as I am advertising :)

We are (hopefully) expecting!

So this is a pretty big deal to us as newbies: both Annabelle and Lilly were bred to a buck, and we will hopefully have kids June 23rd/24th-ish! We are super excited and nervous, but this has been in the works for a couple of years so I feel as ready as I'll ever be.

I will mostly use the pronoun "I" as my husband is not nearly as into this as I am -- but he is a willing assistant. Twice he drove a goat an hour and a half in the back seat of his brand new truck to meet a smelly buck. Twice he hoisted in and out of his truck a now-smelly doe. Twice he missed out on things he really wanted to do (football party, quiet night at home) just because I came into the house saying "we have to go now!". Twice he listened to me ramble on in the truck for three hours about plans and what we have to do to prepare. He will also "willingly" build my kidding pens, he will also most certainly be present to assist me when the does actually go into labor, he puts up with the vast amounts of money I spend on my goat obsession, he listens to me go on and on about my dreams and goals ... he supports me, and I could not be more grateful because I know this goat thing isn't his choice. He clearly loves our animals but mostly he loves me. How lucky am I. Seriously. To have a supportive spouse is one of the best things one could ever wish for.

So KIDS - we are going to have babies! Some concerns and thoughts that are racing through my mind include:

-- I have a lot more reading to do so that I feel at least somewhat knowledgeable about the birthing process. I have never assisted in the birth of anything, not even a guinea pig.

-- I have to purchase all the supplies I'll need, but I did make two purchases already: a surveillance camera and a baby monitor.

-- I have already planned the barn layout with the kidding pens, and also the layout outside so all goats can enjoy the fresh air and sunshine safely. Now we just need to construct it (Jim, the saint, is needed here).

-- I think I am going to have "Open Barn" a few times a week after the babies are born so that everyone who wants to visit can, and so that the kids are well socialized with people. I'm thinking evening hours with cocktails and Saturday morning with the orange squeezer set up :)

-- How the heck will I feel confident in giving up my babies to people I don't know?? Applications? References? Gut feelings?

-- How many kids do I keep this year - one doe and one wether? I really don't want a larger herd but how can I NOT keep at least one??

-- Wait - what if neither doe is even pregnant at all, and my hopes will be dashed and I slide into a deep depression?

-- I am not experienced - what the heck am I thinking, that I can successfully handle kidding??

-- I am filled with a roller coaster of feelings including courage, excitement, doubt, fear, joy, panic .... it kind of reminds me of the time I was expecting a baby myself.

Lilly on her way to meet Lux, Sunday, January 31st

Annabelle on her way to meet Lux, February 1st