Barn Cats

Several months ago, right after Hubby's accident, I was driving our truck when I noticed it was running really rough. Being a fairly new truck we took it in to be serviced under the warranty. Trouble is the warranty doesn't cover a rat chewing all the wiring under the hood. With the truck sitting for several weeks a rat took up residence in the engine. $600 dollars later we got the truck back and Hubby was determined to not let it happen again. He wanted a cat.

We haven't had a cat here in years. I was tired of losing them to coyotes and the road so decided not to have an outdoor cat anymore. I have two cats at the farm but the llamas seem to keep them safe from the coyotes that roam our streets at night and early morning ridding the neighborhood of their beloved cats and small dogs that are not watched when let out of the house early in the morning.
Hubby set out scouring Craigslist for a cat. Now my idea was to get a couple of feral cats from the rescue group. They come spayed or neutered with shots etc....and don't want in the house.

I didn't move fast enough. My son and his dad found a cat on Craigslist, made an appointment to meet the owner at Safeway, and came home with not one cat but two. The other was "going to the pound" what else could they do.
House cats.
That want to be in the house. Not at all what I had in mind.

We kept those two cats in the old bathroom for 2 weeks and then moved them to the garage when the weather warmed. They weren't out in the garage twenty minutes when they caught the rat and laid him by the door so we could trip over it.
Hubby was pretty happy with his cats.
I too have grown to love his new kitties and they come and go through the house sometimes sleeping on my bed. But they also catch a lot of mice and small rats. We live in the woods and apparently the rodents were close to taking over.
The other day I saw the small black kitty sit quietly by a fresh mole hill. I told her she'd get canned cat food every day for the rest of her life if she caught that mole. Moles have been plaguing me for years. I hoped she would get one. When I got home that afternoon there was no mole.
We have been putting the cats in the garage at night because of the roving coyote pack. Last  night I forgot. Yes I went to bed without putting the cats away.

I felt so guilty.
Then I went outside this morning and saw what they had been doing all night my guilt shifted to joy.
Three dead moles. Just like that.

His house cats are the best barn cats ever.