Tom and Eva
Been a while since I paid a visit to the barn to see Tom and Eva. Three-legged Tom, so named because he has a bum front leg, has been our resident barn tomcat for the last few years.
Eva has lived in the barn for years and years, and raises a litter of kittens every summer.
Eva is named after Eva Braun (Hitler’s wife) due to her resemblence to Hitler with her little mustache.
Eva is not tame and gets rather growly if we get too close.
Tom though is very friendly and loves to be petted, but is kinda nervous at the same time. If I walk up to him he runs away, but if I crouch down and sidle up to him slowly, he’ll let me pet him. When he sees me he rolls about on the ground making little plaintive meow sounds, which is his way of asking for attention.
So I pet him, and oh, how loves it. He purrs like a freight train, like it’s the best thing to happen to him all day. What a flirt he is.
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Precious! xx
Look how sweet they are together!!
I’m sorry to be negative, but Eva needs to be spayed, and Tom needs to see a vet if he hasn’t already.
Thanks,
J.
Awwwww. I love Tom, he is so sweet. We have an office stray cat named Oscar, that we have fed for 2 years now. He acts the same way. He is not quite sure of anyone and is ready to run but is so sweet when he purrs. Gotta love them. By the way, what do you do with all thoe kittens that Eva has?
Not to get too detailed, but this being the remote countryside filled with coyotes, we have no fears of cat overpopulation. It’s a marvel that tom and eva have lasted this long, but they stay close to home and that helps.
Very well said, Suzanne.
I should also add that all of Eva’s kittens are as wild as can be. She hides them well, so we never see them until they are half grown, at which point we can’t get anywhere near them.
Would love to see these two beautiful cats more often! Enjoyed the post!!!
He’s a charmer!
Sweet kitties!
Tom is so precious!! I love the last photo of him…makes me want to scratch his belly. You have to put food out for them right?? I’m sure they eat mice…I think you mentioned before that you put food out for them.
Yep, Harland feeds them every morning. In fact Tom is looking a little round these days.
Love cats.
Great photos! Love the cats.
They are pretty cats but, barn cats are not animals that you get close to and call your pet like Kitty Kitty. We had cats on the farm when I was a kid, lots of barn cats but, I had only one pet. I’m writing this because I see Julie up towards the top here is worried about Tom and Eva. Nice that Harland feeds them everyday. We always fed the cats too. They were always strays.
This is true Doe. I agree with Julie that animals should be spayed/neutered, but Eva is as wild as can be and there’s no way we could get her to the vet. Barn cats come and go too, different ones from month to month, with the exception of Tom and Eva, so the expense of spaying/neutering would be prohibitive.
Your readers who are not farm people probably have difficulty really understanding the difference between barn cats and domesticated cats. It would take an Act of Congress to capture a barn cat, and even if you did, there would be a lot of blood……..and it wouldn’t be the cat’s.
Hi all,
Although I’m a city slicker, I am familiar with the term “Barn Cat.” Essentially, they are feral cats. I have a friend who lives in a large metropolitan area in California, and she has a cat who lives in her backyard. After the cat had birthed about 3 litters in her yard, she got a trap from the Humane Society, trapped her, and had her fixed for a very small amount. She then returned her to her yard, where she lives and is fed by my friend with no more pregnancies, and no more unwanted kittens that might end up euthanized regardless.
Here is a list of organizations that can help you care for feral cats.
http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/feral_cats/tips/feral_cat_organizations.html
Call me a bleeding heart, but they are living, breathing animals, with personalities and feelings, and they get hurt, and they suffer. And just because they are “barn cats,” doesn’t mean we should ignore them when they hurt. And that includes pregnancy after pregnancy. There’s no reason for it. It’s 2012–we have options. And we can choose to be kind.
Thanks,
Jules
tom and eva look really innocent and cute