Farming Friends

Cat Definitions

• Carnivore - An animal that eats other animals.
• Cat - A small carnivorous mammal.
• Deworm - To treat a cat to remove and prevent worms.
• Feline - A cat or another animal in the cat family.
• Grooming - To comb and clean the fur a cat.
• Kitten - A young cat.
• Litter Box or Litter Tray - A box or tray where cats are trained to go to the toilet.
• Neutered - The removal of the sexual organs from a cat.
• Tomcat - A male cat.
• Vaccinate - To be given injections or tablets to provide immunity to certain diseases.
• Weaning - To start feeding a cat food other than it’s mother’s milk.

I was asked by Tim @ Field Day if farm cats are healthy or prone to illness.

Everyone at work tells me off for talking about my cats so much - but it sounds like you’re every bit as much a cat lover as me! I always thought that farm cats tended to be healthy because they were tough - someone recently said they can be more prone to ills, however, because they’re often exposed to all sorts of viruses at a very young age. Any thoughts?
Tim Relf

Tim poses an interesting question which needs some research but my initial thoughts are that farm cats may have weakened immune systems if their parents and themselves have not been properly vaccinated. Farm cats may also be more exposed to a range of illnesses as they are free to roam and therefore may come across more germs and bacteria.

However from my experiences I have found my farm cats to be quite resilient and if they are poorly a bowl of milk or the even more popular, bowl of tuna fish tends to sort them out.

What are your experiences with farm cats?

Snowy is limping this evening.

There are many different causes of leg injuries in cats.

• Traffic accidents.
• A fall from a high location.
• An infected bite wound.
• A deep cut on the paw.
• A burn on the paw.
• A fractured claw.
• A damaged or infected nailbed.
• Arthritis.
• Hip dysplasia.
• Thrombosis.

I am not sure why Snowy is limping, there isn’t any outward evidence of injury and she is still wandering about the farm, or should I say limping about the farm! Her limp has not put her off moving about or eating for that matter.

Sometimes leg injuries will stop after a short time and the cat’s leg appears to be ok again.

I will keep a close eye on Snowy’s leg and if her limp doesn’t disappear in the next day or two then I will take her to the vets.

Come on Snowy get well soon.

Welcome to the Cat Gallery. Here you can meet the Cats in our farmyard.

Meet Snowy, Fluffy and Snowball.

Snowy, Fluffy & Snowball.

Also meet,

Gocat, Stripe and Spot.

Cats At Play

Snowball & Fluffy Playing With String

Go-cat Playing With Silage, Stripe Up A Tree and Hide & Seek With Spot.

Stripe Playing With The Hay, The 3 Kittens Larking Around

Cat Napping!

Snowy Trying To Get Some Shut Eye! Spot Having 40 Winks!

Snowball Cat Napping! Snowball Caught Napping Again!!

Stripe Trying To Get To Sleep and Fluffy Has Just Been Woken Up!

Snowy The Cat

Snowy the cat is our lovely natured female cat who is mother to Fluffy, Snowball, Stripe and Spot. When we moved to the farm in 2004, I inherited Snowy the cat. I am unsure how old she is, possibly about 6 years old. She is a lovely gentle farm cat with a wily sense of survival which she has instilled into her kittens.

Snowy The Cat Strikes A Pose……..!

Poses from 2004-early 2007.

Fluffy The Cat

Fluffy is a male tom cat who is now 3 years old. He is a beautiful fluffy white and ginger cat whose mum is Snowy. He was born in April 2004 and he is very special to me as Fluffy was from the first litter of kittens that I adopted on my move to the farm in 2004.

Fluffy Strikes A Pose…….!

Poses from 2007.

Snowball The Cat

Snowball is a male tom cat who is nearly 3 years old. He is a beautiful fluffy white and ginger cat whose mum is Snowy and he was therefore aptly named Snowball. He was born in September 2004 and he is very special to me as Snowball was from the second litter of kittens that I adopted on my move to the farm in 2004.

Snowball Strikes A Pose…….!

Poses from 2007.

Spot The Cat

Spot is a male tom cat who is nearly 2 years old. He is a lovely, friendly white and ginger cat whose mum is Snowy. He was born in July 2005 and he is very special to me as Spot is from Snowy’s last litter of kittens.

Spot Strikes A Pose…….!

Poses from 2007.

I thought this was a great set of photos of spot the cat at play with the car aerial.

I hope you enjoyed watching Spot play.

Stripe The Cat

Stripe is a male tom cat who is nearly 2 years old. He is a lovely, friendly gingery striped cat whose mum is Snowy. He was born in July 2005 and he is very special to me as Stripe is from Snowy’s last litter of kittens. He has a brother called Spot.

Stripe Strikes A Pose…….!

Poses from 2007.

Read The 4am Caterwaul story.

Here are some of the amazing random animal facts I have observed and learnt whilst living on the farm;

• Cats don’t like to get their feet wet.
• When cats are poorly they prefer tuna fish to milk.
• Saddleback pigs love having their bodies rubbed.
• Guinea pigs squeak if they want something.
• Cattle love eating crushed barley.
• Guinea fowl like to lay their eggs in the undergrowth and particularly in nettles.
• Cats greet each other by rubbing faces and noses.
• Guinea fowl are social creatures that like to go about as a group.
• Cattle have a pecking order.
• Owls regurgitate the food that they cannot digest in the form of an owl pellet.
• Guinea fowl and chickens love eating lettuce.
• Magpies eat other birds eggs.
• Chickens and guinea fowl like to lay down in dry mud and have a mud bath.
• Guinea fowl hate snow.
• Cats are scared of guinea fowl.
• Cattle hate birds.
• Poultry and cats recognise voices.
• Guinea fowl prefer to run than fly.

If you have any amazing random animal facts then please let me know.

Farm animals can sometimes get frightened but what is it that frightens them?

Farm animals need to be managed and handled with care at all times.

Cats need to be regularly treated for worms. Parasitic worms are easily picked up by cats because cats instinctively hunt and eat infected prey. Although pet cats are fed daily, they may still like to supplement their diet with small rodents or birds which may be infected with parasites.

Worms live in the cat’s gut and other parts of their bodies. If not treated these parasites can cause;

• Diarrhoea.
• Vomiting.
• Weight loss.
• Abdominal pain.
• Adbominal swelling.
• Anaemia.
• Coughing.
• Blood in faeces.

A regular deworming routine is important, particularly with outdoor cats.

Deworming

1. Deworming should begin when kittens are 4 weeks (when they start to eat solid food).
2. From 4 weeks kittens should be dewormed every 2/3 weeks until they are 3 months old.
3. From 3 months kittens can be dewormed once every month until 3/6 months old.
4. After your cat is 6 months old they can be dewormed at least once or twice a year for indoor cats and from 2 to 4 times a year for outdoor cats.

A veterinary surgery is a good place to ask advice about deworming cats.