Barn Cats: Poem

On the Daddykirbs Farm there once live no cats.

The word spread fast, then moved in the rats.

At first a few that were handled by pistol and traps.

Each night was a hunt, but it was like playing craps.

The kids on the farm always wanted new pets.

“No cats in the house” Daddy says, he was afraid they’d forget.

When mama asked if they could get a kitty.

Daddykirbs gave in because she was pretty.

The first arrived as rescues from a home with no owner.

Four in all, but three didn’t stay so one was a loner.

We heard of a kitten that was found in the road.

This tiny bundle came home, he was no bigger than a toad.

It wasn’t long before our search began.

The rats were taking over as fast as they can.

We called around to help us get a clue.

The shelters informed us of something we could do.

Apparently there were cats that couldn’t be adopted.

They could go home for free as barn cats, this is what we opted.

Fixed and Vaccinated was accomplished on each one.

Get the crates and blankets, let’s get this thing done.

Several cats now call Daddykirbs Farm home.

Rats and snakes live in fear with them on the roam.

They live comfortably in the coops and the shed.

The farmer is happy because the cats are well fed.

Barn Cats: Our Story

The poem above is based on our true story. It’s true, I didn’t want cats. I’m allergic and I just couldn’t stand the thought of having cats that might come in the house. In the past my kids haven’t been exactly too careful not to bring animals in the house! I just knew it wouldn’t be long before our “outside cats” would become “Oops, I forgot they were outside cats”.

The pressure was on. I held steady for years that we would not have cats. However it was going to be impossible to keep it up forever. The wife and kids wanted kitty cats. I gave in.

The stipulation was that they COULD NOT come in the house! I think, for the most part, that has been the case.

The rat situation on the farm was getting out of hand. I just couldn’t keep up anymore. Poison is a last resort that I just don’t like. Traps were used and I would even take night hunting trips out to the coops and shed. I would occasionally bag a few.

Barn Cats: Our Cats

The first cat that stayed around is Agatha. She isn’t much help with the rats, but she is beautiful and she just loves being lazy laying around near the house basking in the sunlight flicking her tail.

Pumpkin is the playful cat that you get to see quite often in the Daddykirbs Videos on YouTube. He is very active and loves to be right in the middle of the action. So far he hasn’t learned to go catch rats but we have high hopes for him being a great hunter.

Cowboy is a big cross eyed black and white cat that is very lovable as long as you don’t try to hold him for very long. We know that he is a killer because we’ve already seen his trophies. He’s not much on eating the kill, but he will take care of business.

Alex Tyrone is a small stealthy cat that loves to be petted during the day but prefers to be left alone in a chicken coop at night. There are been remains of rats found in the coops where he sleeps. When the chickens go to bed Alex happily follows them in to take his place as the guard cat.

There are a few other cats that didn’t stick around to be full time residents but they are out there. We’ve seen them in the shed from time to time. They are very good at staying hidden. They don’t have names, but we are happy to have them running the perimeter reducing the number of rodents on the farm.

Barn Cats: The City Programs

We were not aware of the fact that most cities (at least in our area) will give cats away for free. These are the cats that have been deemed at un-adoptable for some reason. Many times they are strays or feral cats that have been captured and brought to the shelters. They all get veterinarian care including vaccinations and spay or neuter.

So far it has been my pleasure to give a few cats a second chance at life.

Here are a few links for some shelters and programs in the San Antonio, TX are.

http://hhsanimals.org/barn-cat-program/

http://www.texasbarncats.org/

http://humanesocietycentraltexas.org/Barn_Cat_Buddies.php

Barn Cats: Do they really help with rats?

I’ve heard and read some really good debate about this question. I can’t say that I can accrately answer it the way that it needs to be answered. The answer I have is from my own experience. Cats have been caught in the act of killing rats. There have been dead rats found in the chicken coops the morning after cats were placed there for the night. That’s good enough for me.

Here is another great blog post about a Gentleman that brought cats to his farm: http://gentlemanhomestead.com/why-you-should-adopt-cats-for-mouse-control/

Would you like to see Pumpkin in action? He’s in quite a few of the videos on my YouTube channel. Here’s a couple to get you going.

Don't Miss A Thing! Subscribe and Follow

Share this: Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Tumblr

Reddit

Print

Email



It would be my honor to have you subscribe to my YouTube channel and to this blog. Check out the subscription box below. [mc4wp_form id="2103"]