BerryKrazy: Our Backyard Animals

Okay, so I know a lot of people don't consider cats to be a 'backyard' animal, and to be honest ours aren't really. Anyway, lets start with how we first got our cats.

We used to go to dog training at a veterinary surgery in town, I think it was with Wilson as a puppy. (All of our dogs have been at some point!) The dog trainer who runs the classes is also a family friend and she said we could peek at some young kittens they had, who had been handed in to be put to sleep. (This happens so often in Ireland, it's unreal) They were two blacks and a black and white. They also had another litter, which also had three kittens - a tabby, a ginger and a black & white. These kittens were actually born in the vets - the Mum was brought in to be spayed, but the next morning they found she had given birth to these kittens overnight. The owner of the cat was unable to take on the kittens so the Vets were trying to find them homes. We had a quick cuddle with the kittens, they were adorable.

We had actually been trying to persuade my parents that it would be a great idea to get a cat/s. We had mice problems, so that would be the reason behind getting one, we told them - even though really it was for the cuddles and fun. Later that week, we had to pop into the vets for something and whilst we were there we asked if we could see the kittens again. By this stage they only had three left, in the less popular colours - two blacks, one black and white. We thought they were so cute and we couldn't bear to had them back for an uncertain future. So we managed to somehow convince Mom & Dad to bring them home!!

We named them Tilly, Tara & Toby. Tilly and Tara were from the litter brought in to be PTS, they were black sisters and around six weeks old. Toby was from the other litter, the ones who were born at the vet and he was slightly younger at just five weeks. We have several people in our family who are allergic to cats, so we setup the kittens an area in our garage. Our garage is fully insulated like a house, but we also gave them a heat lamp as they were so tiny (they also get a heat lamp in the winter, spoiled kitties :) They had toys, beds, food, water, litter tray and lots of cuddles and attention from us. The two girls were very nervous of humans initially, but they soon learnt that we weren't going to hurt them, and enjoyed our attention.

Toby was the total opposite to the girls - he adored being petted, cuddled and carried around by us. To this day, he is a super friendly cat. As they got bigger, they were allowed free in the garage and started to explore outdoors, and meet the other animals.

They are now 1 year old (plus a few months) and love hunting in the farmers fields that our house is surrounded by. They sunbathe with the chickens in the Summer and when we're doing the animal jobs outside they're always sure to be nearby.

Just over a month ago, the Vets had 10 day old kittens handed in (usual story, unwanted and to be put down). As these kittens were so much younger they needed bottle feeding every hour, including through the night. We said we'd take one, a little boy who was tabby and white, we named him Humbug. Sadly a few hours after bringing him home, he got too weak and didn't make it. We fed him, gave him a warm, cosy bed and lots of love for his last few hours.

We knew that at some point, we'd love another kitten, and started to keep an eye out for any that may be suitable. A few weeks later, we heard about another tabby and white kitten a local rescue had up for adoption. We rang up to ask about them, there was a boy that sounded perfect and he was 8 weeks old. That weekend we brought him home. He was very small for his age - at ten days old he and his siblings had been found crying under a shed with no Mum to be seen. They had been out for 24 hours and were very lucky to have survived. We called him Simba.

I think we have had Simba about six weeks now - he's doing awesome! Such a confident, adventurous happy-go-lucky boy. He is unfazed by the dogs, and even plays with Holly. He will sleep beside the Bernese. He and the other cats rub along okay, although Tara likes him best.

When we first got the cats they were 100% going to stay outside at all times. Although they do spend the majority of their time out and about, Simba & Toby have beds in the house by the fire!

Anna xoxo