We are the type of family that tends to go all in when we
want to try something new. This can be exciting and nerve wrecking at the same
time. I mentioned in my previous blog entry that we had decided to get barn
cats. My wife (Liz) came up with this idea shortly after we moved into the new
place. Not a fan of small critters like mice and rats, she saw this as a great
solution to keep them at bay in the area where we would eventually like to have
chickens. Also, my kids had expressed that they might like to have a cat but I
am allergic so we definitely would never have indoor cats. Perfect solution,
right? It seemed like the local humane society had a window into Liz’s mind
because shortly after this idea sprang up, they advertised a need for someone
to adopt two barn cats. They have a great program where they will spay/neuter
and vaccinate these feral cats and give them a chance at life with those that
need barn cats. This time, it was us! More excitement in our house as we were
about to venture into unknown territory. We prepared by researching how to get
your barn cats to become familiar with their surroundings and once it was time
to let them roam, how to get them to stick around. We also purchased some cat
food, kitty litter, food/water bowls and used an old storage bin we had for a
makeshift litter box. Liz brought them home and we released them into an
outbuilding that has a garage door that closes onto loose gravel. Things seemed
to be going great. The two cats were using the litter box, eating their food and
were getting along. They were both very shy and would not let us come near
them. After only a couple of days, we noticed that a door to the outbuilding
had been left open. This was from our 4 year old son being curious and checked
on the cats but forgot to close the door behind him. It happens…One cat gone,
one cat stayed. We hoped the other would return but after a week, we knew that
would not be the case. Of course, our kids named the cats. It was Rocky who
busted out, and Midnight decided to stay. We thought retaining one out of two
wasn’t bad and after a couple of weeks, it felt like Midnight was going to
stay. We were getting close to the point where our research had told us it was
time to let the cat roam and see if it would come back. One morning, I noticed
under the garage door, there was a hole that had been dug out just large enough
for a cat to squeeze under. Uh oh! Did we lose another one?! I went and
inspected, sure enough, Midnight had run out of food and decided to take
matters into his own hands digging a small pathway in the gravel, under the
garage door. He was gone but not for long. Two days later, he returned! The
kids were so happy. We decided to not fill the hole. Midnight could come and go
as he pleased. I continued to fill the water and the food and changed the
litter. After a while, there was no longer any reason to clean the litter
box…this had me a little curious. The food was being eaten…Had Midnight decided
to do his business outside now that he had free range? We couldn’t catch a
glimpse of him for a couple of weeks and I noticed that the hole under the
garage door had gotten a little bigger. I was becoming more suspicious until
one night on our return home I received my answer. Close to the pathway that Midnight
had created was a possum! Yes, I had been feeding a possum for weeks. It is
still unknown where Midnight ran off to. We can only hope that he has found a
better life and maybe someday will return. I know that possums are great for
eating ticks and are considered nature’s pest control but he can do that
outside of my building and eat ticks instead of cat food. The hole is now
filled, the food and water dishes put away. Things don’t always turn out as you
expect them to but you have to at least give it a try. We will try again when
the weather is a bit warmer and we will continue to go all in. It might not
turn out as we think but the experience will help us along the way.
