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Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Help!

How are you my friend? So glad you came by for a visit. 
Can you believe how fast June has flown by! At this rate summer will be over before I know it.
Every day I keep wanting to write a post and tell you what's going on out here on the North Forty but by night fall I am too tired to get on the computer.

Tonight I am needing your advice again. You are probably thinking when do I not ask for advice.

Living out here in the country I have two outside precious calico cats and no where to keep them at night.
The ole farm house I live in does not have a garage or building near it to let them stay in at night. Last winter I bought the neatest insulated cat house from Amazon and put it on my front porch. They loved it but to hot for them during the summer.

Browsing a magazine I found  neat chicken coops and I wondered would they work for cats.

Who knew chicken coops were so popular. I goggled chicken coops and found some really cool ones. These I am sharing with you are plain Jane's compared to most of them. 

When I get an idea in my head  I over think it and research it. I also pick the brain of everyone that comes near me while I am trying to make a decision. 

Like me most are worried that building a cage for cats is possibly building them a death trap. 

We have coyotes out here and so far I have been fortunate enough not to have seen them real close to the house but then I am not outside during the night.

If you build something for them I do know from research you must use hardware cloth and a way for them not to dig under. I have heard though from some ranchers that if a coyote wants in they will find a way.

So what do you think? Would I be putting them more at risk putting them in something like this or would they be safer on their on. I know my Momma Kitty has managed to survive for over five years. 




Aren't these
neat coops?



Since I started this post a few days ago I had both of my out side cats fixed and kept them in my back bathroom while they recuperated. They were anxious to get back out side so after a week I let them out.

The first night Momma Kitty wondered off and as far as I know was gone most of the night. When I woke the next morning I see her playing with something small and grey. I freak out thinking OMG she is playing with a rat. Well I take a closer look and she is licking a kitten. Yep just had her fixed and then I find her with a kitten. I go outside and not only was there the grey one but a white one too.

I wish you could of seen the look on my face because for the last month I have been finding homes for five kittens and did a happy dance when I found prefect homes for all of them. So finding two just days after the mother was fixed was almost too much for this ole grandma. haha

The kittens looked to be about two weeks old so I called the pound to see if they had a cat there that could nurse them. They did and much to my regret I took them there. I knew Momma Kitty did not have the milk to nurse them and I knew I probably couldn't save them. I pray they find good homes.

Anyway I know you think when does this story end. Well I get home from the pound and find that Momma Kitty want let the other outside cat near her. She hisses really loud and bares her teeth. This started yesterday and the bad situation has not changed.

Now the little one scared to death stays on the front porch hiding from Momma Kitty who is now staying in the back yard. Guarding her territory I suppose.

What would make a cat turn on another cat she has been with for a little over a year plus this is her daughter. I now am feeling lost on what to do about them. I called the vet and ask if having her fixed would of done this. They said usually a cat won't act like this unless their hurting. She doesn't seem to be in pain.
Her surgery area looks okay so I think she recovered okay. The days they were recovering they were the loving two cats that I now miss. This all happened after I put them back outside.

I am begging all of you cat lovers to tell me what to do? I hope I don't have to give the little one away but I am afraid this might lead into more than hissing and showing the teeth.

You always give me such great advice and I appreciate any help you can throw my way.

Hope you are well and enjoying these summer days. It is raining here this week. We could use the rain so can not complain. It is keeping me from finishing the paint job on my front porch. I will share some photos when I ever finish it. haha



Thanks for coming by I love it when you take the time to visit with me.

Love to all
Maggie


 




19 comments:

Libbie said...

OKay....I totally am laughing Maggie!!! That is hilarious! One busy kitty you have there ;)

And I LOVED getting your message tonight ...I was TOTALLY thinking of you today too! I was thinking I needed to vosot you & see what YOU are up to...but I see you are up to...your neck in kittens! Oh my how fun it must be to see the little kittens even though it'll be a pain to find some loving homes :) But they sound so stinkin' cute!!!

Hope all is doing good there...you are right summer is just flying by. I love summer a little too much since we are up to our necks in snow most of the year :) But thanks for saying hi! I still love ya to pieces even though I never get on here anymore. I put up my first post tonight since middle MAy...I'm so busy chasing that baby Kit that you would laugh so hard! He's a crazy one! The week he turned one he was opening doors & I can' tell you how many times he has snuck out a door & I find him out in the front yard alone...If he's quiet for 3 minutes we all start searching...& the rascal hides :) You'd like him. :) In fact you'd love 'em :) & he'd love you too!!!

From the Kitchen said...

Oh dear! I can be of no help as we don't have cats and the one's I've known were/are indoor kitties. Those are some really fancy chicken coops!!

Best,
Bonnie

La Petite Gallery said...

When a cat hisses at you I would be afraid of it.
I only had one cat a Siamese,
he was beautiful. I was in my 20's.
Wish I had some advise.
This June has just flown by so fast
I can't believe it. Those are great chicken coops. I like the second one.
yvonne

acorn hollow said...

Summer goes away much to quickly for sure but I intend to enjoy each and every day.
MY aunt had her cat fixed and it changed her personality to be very mean so not sure if it was a something that happened or what.
We are without kitties or any pets right not the first time in our married life.
Cathy

Just Mags said...

Sweet Maggie I really have no idea why the cat is acting that way unless it has something to do with taking away the little kittens. Maybe her mothering instinct had kicked in with them...I really don't know. I have never had a situation like this. I would just give her some time and maybe she will get better.

As for the chicken coop I myself would not put cats in one if they did not have a way to get out in case something got to them. Animals can dig under them and the cats would be free meal for one who did dig under and get in to them.

Sorry I could not be much help.

Love and hugs!
Maggie

Julia said...

So nice hearing from you Maggie girl and thanks for coming by my blog.

I think that the best solution would be to find a good home for each of your outdoor cats. Then you would not have to worry so much for their welfare.

I'm glad that you got the cats all fixed though as you could have an overpopulation of cats in no time at all.

Sorry, I'm not much help either.

Please don't wait until you need help to post. We all want to know how you and your family are doing...

My cold is much better, it seamed to have fizzled out with all the vitamin C I was taking but it left me drained of energy. I've been weeding a lot and cutting grass and keeping busy but we're having rain and it's an indoor day today.

Big hugs,
JB

Olga said...

Well, I will add to the non-helpful bunch of replies here. I wonder if the Momma things the little cat took away the kittens and she is mad about it? Who knows what goes on in the mind of a cat? I hope that it is a temporary problem.
Last summer our community center's fund raiser was a chicken coop tour around town. It was the the most successful fund raiser ever. Chickens and their homes are of great interest to many, it seems. I really don't know about keeping cats in them though--especially if they don't get along.

Just Mags said...

I am back again Maggie. I was interrupted and did not tell you something. Cats are really good at hiding pain and if they are sick. So if this keeps up you may want to have the vet check her just in case something is going on with her that is not visible.

I think it is so cool that we have the same name and our cats look alike....love it!!!

Thanks for stopping by my blog.

Hugs,

Maggie

Arkansas Patti said...

So good to hear from you but sorry it is only problem solving time. We need to hear about Maggie and Pearl also. You have been missed.
Don't you have trees that maybe a cat house could be built high enough above ground where coyotes couldn't reach them?? That would be a good job for your son. Feed the cats there and they will come.
As for a solution to the scrapping cats, I think Maggie M is on the right track. Momma may be blaming her daughter for the loss of her "adopted" kittens. BTW, at first I thought you might need to see your vet about a warranty on the spaying:))
The pain thing is also a possibility. Maybe something internal relating to the spaying??
Good luck gal and don't be such a stranger.

Shirley said...

Good Morning, I don't really know the solution to your problem, but I almost think it is a combination of being fixed and losing the two baby kittens. She could be blaming the other cat. Outside cats can survive really well. If you use a chicken coop leave it so they can come and go. They aren't going to like being where they have to stay in one area. You just love your animals and worry about them. Take care of yourself. Hugs and Prayers from Your Missouri Friend.

Debby said...

Hi there Miss Maggie. I tend to agree with the comments that say the kitty may not e feeling well. When I had our kitty declawed and fixed, she almost died. She would have but the vet that gave her to me took her home and did all kinds of things and she survived. I would guess that first. But also as someone else said, she may be mad at the other kitty because her babies are missing. Where in the world did Mama kitty find those babies. That's almost funny.
Not sure about the chicken coop for the cats. I hate how coyotes kill pets.
We have our house listed and having the first showing in a few hours. And what am I doing but blogging. Oh my. I will be sorry later. I am also having surgery next week. Lots of stress her.
xo

Shawkl said...

I have to agree with Shirley, and think that she associates the loss of these kittens to the other cat. Most likely she thinks that she has carried them off somewhere. Only time will tell if she moves on.

Out side cats need their freedom, and putting them up will most likely just make them hard to deal with or even find once they do get out.

Why not build them some type of a "roost" with padded pillows on the porch? They can run up and get away from dogs like climbing a tree...and still can rest up in a cool spot.

Hope you find a solution.

Hugs,

Kathy

Dr. Kathy McCoy said...

Hi, Maggie: It's hard to know what is going on with cats. As some others have noted, a cat in pain will hiss and act unpredictably and yet they're really good at hiding injury and illness. Maybe a trip to the vet to make sure all is well will help.

Also, unless Mama Cat gets violently aggressive, it might be wise to just let them work out their territorial issues on their own. I love the idea of the chicken coop for outdoor cats, though it's hard to say if it would keep them safe from coyotes. I really don't know the answer to that.

But with conflict, cats seem to go through phases in their relationships -- I had two loving brother cats who went through a phase when they were middle-aged when they started to fight and wrestle a lot. Then they calmed down and loved each other again. Who knows what was going on?

Recently, my oldest cat Gus, 16, the survivor of the above brothers, experienced a steep decline in health and, although the other cats had previously shown a lot of affection for him, they started to ignore him as his distress grew. Those three stuck together and left him totally alone. He died a week ago and only one of the surviving cats seems sad. The others are happy to get more attention now. So cat relationships are hard to figure....

So happy to be reading your news. I've missed you online!

Love,
Kathy

Susan Anderson said...

Yikes! Wish I could help as far as the cat fighting goes, but I am no expert.

Having said that, I do think they should be free and not cooped up. I actually feel that cats are pretty resourceful. After all, they do have nine lives, right?

;)

My name WAS Female, I shit you not! said...

I'm thinking like Shirley.
Upset cause she can find her babies and hurting to boot, so she is lashing out.
(((hugs)))

Terra said...

Poor momma kitty, is she angry about the loss of her kittens, and blaming the other cat, and maybe you too? Those chicken coops are pretty, and I don't know if they would work for cats. If they are for protection from coyotes or neighbor dog packs they would need to be locked in, for safety.

Rocky Mountain Woman said...

I don't have a clue about cats! They always seem mysterious to me...

Horses, I can tell you about. Cats, not so much.

Glad to see you're keeping busy!!

Jennifer Richardson said...

Wish I knew, Maggie; I'm a dog person myself. Maybe she is feeling as if she had her kittens stolen away and insecure about how that happened and maybe blames the other cat? Or am I just reading too much into it. At least they're loved....sounds like you care for them a lot
and that makes them lucky cats, for sure:)
Peace to you in the puzzle,
Jennifer

La Petite Gallery said...

Just popped in to see what's new. Hope you had a restful 4th.
yvonne