Barn Cats and animal welfare

    Generally speaking about Six PM every night it's my job to feed our cats.  Officially we have three.  Unofficially we have seven or eight.  

    Even though we don't have a barn...we have barn cats.  Our neighbor has horses and he encourages the barn cats because they do a great job of preventing mice and other rodents from getting into the feed.  

    When we moved into this home some two odd years ago, we were frankly asked if we wanted the previous owners two cats trapped.   "No," my Susan said, "they were there before us."   

    Since then we had one of the original two outdoor cats pass, while the other one is a semi permanent fixture on our back porch.  She sneaks in sometimes and once I woke up from a nap only to find her at my feet purring away contently.  Our youngest cat, Bobble (so named because his head was bigger than his body when he was a kitten), was meant to be leashed trained because of future plans of traveling the country in an RV, got off the leash.    Now he pretty much comes and goes when he wants; and will disappear into the woods surrounding our home for hours. 

    We started feeding two outdoor cats.  Now we feed four or five barn cats on a regular basis.  One of them had kittens recently (A slinky pure black lady I've named "Sidney").  Out of either pride or desperation she brought two of her kittens to us.   They were just born that day as the umbilical cords were still attached, unfortunately one passed while the other simply cried on our porch.   

      Sidney did little to fight us as we picked up her kitten.  We have her now, bundled in warm towels and are trying to nurse her back.   She's a little fighter however, eating some store bought kitten milk and with little kicks. 

    That's when we decided to get a live trap to try and capture a few of them, getting them spayed and nurtured - we discussed this already with our next door neighbor and he's on board with it; as long as we are paying for the medical care.

    The thing is...neither Sue or I want any more cats.  We are in our mid 50's, and the life of an average cat is roughly 15 years, 20 or 25 years on the far side.  As I mentioned to my wife, there was a good chance that I would die in the house or outdoors and the cats would eat me.  For the record, this is not a real fear of mine.

    It's important for me however that this small kitten survive, although we will NOT have another cat in our family.   Nor do I think Sue and I will ever be without a pet.

   While I may not agree with the old and horrible method of putting kittens into a sack and letting them drown, I certainly understand why the farmers of yore would resort to such barbarous methods.  It is possible to become overrun with cats.   

    That's why we have the live trap.  That's why we are paying to have them fixed.   That's why we support the local cat rescue as well as other animal welfare organizations.

    Living in the country the way we do, I have a new perceptive on animals that is much deeper and richer than I had before.  I know logically that the meat and cheese I eat comes from cows, that predators eat prey animals.  Knowing that and seeing it play out in real time however are two different things.   I've always advocated for animal welfare, but they are still animals. 

    Our domesticated animals have a such a rich history and connection with humans that the idea of being "outside" the natural world in same way seems to to be an almost foreign concept.   At one time the connection between man and nature was so that that the laws protecting them were more harsh than the laws to protect your average human.  In some cases animals were tried and even executed for some perceived crime.

    I also know, and this is where a group like PETA or some vegans go so wrong, is how we should treat animals ethically.  While I certainly agree we should, we can only go so far.  Shutting down zoos and circus's may be the only chance for someone to get "up close and personal" with an elephant or chimp or penguin.  

    In most cases it's the zoo's that are fighting for the conservation of these animals...and sometimes the last refuge of a species.  Frankly there is simply no wild left.  No place where man has stepped and no place where pollution can not reach.

    Like it or not, humans have created breeds that can not survive in the wild.  

    Humans and animals need each other.   Nor can man simply give up eating them.  CUT BACK on eating animals certainly.   Evidence shows it's better for the planet and your health.   

    So what does this have to do with barn cats?   Everything really.  Humans started to grow and store grain several thousands of years ago creating such wonderful things as bread and beer.  Small wild cats were attracted to these storage bins because that's were the mice were.  Slowly over time they learned to trust the hairless apes.   The relationship between cats and humans has only deepened over time.   

    In wanting this young little kitten to survive...I can't help but feel like I'm a bit of that unbroken chain.  

    Sadly...this wasn't going to be.  After a few days this little kitten died.  We never did name it.