Kink, Barn Cat Extraordinaire

Having lived in the suburbs my whole life, all of the cats I’ve had were primarily indoor critters. It really is safer for a cat living in the city or suburbs to be an indoor cat—studies show they live longer since they aren’t at risk for fatal events such as being hit by a car whilst out during nocturnal hunts. We have a cat here in the house that belongs to my daughter, but her husband wouldn’t have been able to handle how much hair this big guy sheds out, so the cat stayed here with us and hangs out in our offices. I used to feel incredibly sorry for cats that were “forced” to live outside in the cruel wild world. I, like many other mortals, humanized the outdoor cat’s situation by agonizing that they must suffer so terribly with cold weather, lack of food and comfort, etc. Boy, was I ever WRONG!

One fall afternoon in 2007, my husband called me outside. He had his gun in his hand, which meant some trouble, but he also had a big grin on his face. He had me take a look at where we had fed the chickens. At first, all I could see were my hens and a few young chicks, pecking and scratching at the ground. Then I looked closer…and there was a small kitten that was, surprise surprise, not chasing after my chickens to eat them but munching the grain right along with all the rest! 

Gettin' a drink from the horse water trough while perched precariously on the rim...it is an art form to behold!

It took me about four weeks to tame him down, but I finally did it with patience and dry cat food. Soon he was spending nights in the feed building, snuggling inside a box of straw (which is incredibly warm), greeting us in the morning with loud cries for cat food, and leaving us the occasional mouse gut present. He leaves us mole, vole, and mouse presents on the hay bales; we thank and reward him well. Sometimes he is gone for a few days but he usually shows up again, sometimes a little worse for wear because he’s been fighting, but happy to see us and get some food nevertheless. He earns his keep!

  

We named him Kink because it looks as though his head is cocked a little to the side, like having a kink in his neck. In all likelihood, this is probably the result of him being tossed out of a car on the way by the farm. Many folks wrongly assume that because you have a barn or property, you have the desire <koff koff> and room for critters others don’t want to feed or care for. Kink is probably not like a lot of barn cats around our parts because he is neutered and we maintain a rabies vaccine for him. He has never chased after any of the chickens or even the baby chicks as they scramble around after their moms. He and the dogs get along and he spends a lot of the day laying on a warm hay bale soaking up the sun.

Kink has buddies to keep him company. Three young male kittens came to stay with us: Larry, Curly and Moe (my husband loves the Three Stooges). All the boys are neutered and vaccinated. Many times I will find Kink and Moe curled up together on top of a hay bale, especially as it gets cooler. They can stay surprisingly warm among the hay bales and they have also bedded down with the sheep and hogs in their houses (filled with hay) as well. The Stooges also do not chase the chickens or baby chicks and have become accomplished hunters themselves—we owe it to Kink because he has kept them in line and they seem to regard him as a big brother of sorts.

Kink is my first true 100% outdoor cat and I’m glad he has helped me to feel better about him being outside. I know, having lain in a pile of hay, that he is absolutely warm, comfortable and safe at night. Outside of the dry food he and the Stooges get a.m. and p.m., he is well-fed and healthy. Most of all, he is as friendly and flirty as the boy cat inside…I think he likes it here. We sure like having him around! 

Kink in da hay