Wagging Tails and Happy Trails
(Happy Endings)
Sara Morris, Steadfast Stables, Roanoke
Just a note to thank you so much for all of your help!
The Barn Cat Buddies are doing a great job at my stables!
All three cats have adapted well to life here and, as you said, "They are fabulous Rodent Control Technicians."
I really appreciate all of your advice concerning the adoption process - it all went so smoothly !
Take care and I look forward to talking to you again soon.
Katy Holbrook, Roanoke, VA
Clyde
Yeah, Dodger is just happy to have something new to sniff at and run around the house behind. I think Genevieve likes it because she can taunt him. She seems to have figured out that if she goes racing by him really fast, he'll jump up after her and get hyper. Then, because he is so big, we calm him down before he breaks something in the house, while she gets away with it. I'm pretty sure she does it to get him in trouble-haha.
You know retrievers though, once you are part of the family, it doesn't matter what you do to him. He'll keep coming back. He really does love her. Anyway, I got this pic of Clyde this afternoon with my cell. He was just perched so perfectly like he was guarding the door, I thought it would make a great promo, so here it is :)
Also, we have NO problems in the barn with mice and my kids spill the grain in the floor every time they help feed, so I know it would be mouse heaven if it weren't for the cats. Blair hangs in the barn most days. When I get a great shot of her like that, I'll send it on too. Thanks again!
Katy
Henry & Shirley Fairtrace, Moneta, VA
When my wife, Shirley, first told me we were getting some new friends, Barn Cat Buddies, I wondered how this would end. She said they would stay in the barn,
catch mice, and be virtually unnoticed. I'm a skeptic, but agreed. In the past, I've run a salad bar for animals that included horses, pigs, goats, donkeys, you name it. We have had our buddies for about six months now, and they are a delight.
Alwin and Smokey
Sam, the tom cat, does exactly what he is supposed to do.
I watch him creep about doing his own thing with an occasional
visit to the back porch where we keep a constantly full food
bowl. Alwin and Smokey rarely leave the back porch except
when I forget to fill up the food bowl.
Meka
Meka decided
shortly after we got her that she didn't want to be a barnyard
cat. She separated herself from the rest of the kitties,
sat on the front porch at the door, and ran in the house
every
time the door opened! She now lives in the house, has her
own toys and a bed that she rarely sleeps in (ours is softer),
and waits for you to turn on the kitchen faucet to get a drink.
Would I do it again? Sure would!! And if you are
reading this, I suggest you try it too. You won't be
sorry.
Starsky
Hutch
Photo Credits: Vicki Holt
Michelle Gilbert, Shadow Ridge Stables
I just wanted to extend a thank you to Diane and the Barn Cat Buddies program… We adopted three cats (Cinnamon, Flora and Inka) a few months ago and are loving every minute with them.
Flora(front) Inka(rear)
After not having any cats in the barn for a while, I was definitely glad to hear the pitter patter of paws around again!
Cinnamon
All three are adjusting well and love their new life of running the rafters looking down at all of the horses and spending cat naps curled up in the hay! So far they’ve been great workers and continue to leave ‘presents’ at the office door let me know of a job well done. Cinnamon even helps control the bugs and loves catching flies! Thanks for such a wonderful and pleasant experience…we would definitely adopt again and certainly recommend this program to anyone.
Shane, Tamara and Isabella Evans
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Tinker, Brianna and Jada
Jada and Brianna turned out to be so affectionate and loyal it warms your heart. There nothing like coming home to these guys. As soon as they see me they come running over for their loving time while on guard for critters. Since we've had them, lots of moles and mice have met there demise. If anyone is having any doubts about there effectiveness doubt no more. They are God's perfect little exterminators.
Elizabeth and Ken Bygler, Maryland
Elizabeth, Ken & Panther(Abby)
Velvet and Panther are visited by their new pet parents, Elizabeth and Ken Bygler from Maryland.
The kitties who were being fostered by Diane originally came from theFranklin County Pound and Angels of Assisi. The couple is such a fan of the show NCIS that Velvet's name will be changed to Ziva and Panther's to Abby. The Byglers promise to send us updates and lots of photos!!
Smith Mountain Lake Gardeners Adopt a Barn Cat Buddy
Susan and David Gring
We live at Smith Mountain Lake and are consummate gardeners. The voles, or field mice, were doing considerable damage to our plantings and after unsuccessfully using many methods to eradicate them, our frustration level was mounting. Our neighbors encouraged us to find an outdoor cat. Then in April, we spied a story about Barnyard Cat Buddies in The Roanoke Times, met Diane Novak, and the rest is now history.
Odie, Susan and Diane
Odie, a very affectionate one year old cat, has been living with us for
almost two months now. We had been previous long time dog owners, so
having an outdoor cat was indeed a new experience for us. And, in all
truthfulness, the sole reason we wanted a cat was for rodent control.
Good news---Odie is more than earning his keep. He is very neat and
clean, and perhaps the most important surprise----he is providing us
with a joy we never imagined. We spend hours amused by his antics and
the affection he so freely provides.
I would urge others who are struggling with rodent control to consider
adopting a barnyard cat buddy. A smart, effective and "green" strategy
to be sure, but yet only a small part of the reward you will find in
being a buddy to a barnyard cat.
Katherine Burton, Diamond Hill Garden Center
"Every Garden Center needs a cat. Diamond Hill Garden Center was introduced to this concept the first year they opened. A mama cat with 3 kittens in tow showed up looking for a new home. With reluctance, she was taken in--the kittens quickly found new homes and the mama cat, now named Miss Daisy, took up residence in the Garden Center. It was thought that she could keep the rodent population at bay (which she did) but she developed quite the p.r. skills as she greeted customers and on occasion did some pan handling. The employees all grew to love her and looked forward to her friendly greeting when they came to work. It wasn't until her sudden death this winter that we realized how much the customers had also looked forward to seeing her when they came into the Garden Center. We knew we couldn't re-open in the spring without a cat.
We spent several weeks looking for just the right cat--we wanted the perfect combination of p.r. personality and rodent/quality control. Our search lead us to the Barn Cat Buddies. They specialize in relocating neutered feral and non-feral cats to farm and farm-like settings to help keep down the rodent population. Woody had been abandoned by his family when they moved away, so he already had the people skills we were looking for. Within 24 hours he had won over the employees with his outgoing personality. He is very vocal, and some might think a bit of a complainer, but he has a great personality and we are anxious for our customers to grow to love him as much as they did Miss Daisy.
Thank you Barn Cat Buddies!
Sue Oliver, Botetourt
"I have just adopted two young cats named Cody and Dylan from Barn Cat Buddies; they are now safely living in my barn. They have adjusted well and are happy, playful kittens enjoying life to the full, as it should be. Already I have noticed less rodent droppings. The Barn Cat Buddies is a great program and I hope more people will support it."
Carolyn McQuay, Bedford
"Taking Romeo, Tom and Jerry to my barn was a great success. They are happy and have adjusted well. Tom is a night owl and prowls for mice, lizards, bugs, etc with Jerry who likes being outside the best. Romeo stays in the feed room and keeps watch. All three enjoy getting high on the hay bales and looking over their kingdom. I am pleased they enjoy playing with the mice. They are easy to handle and I am hoping to adopt one more beautiful kitty from Barn Cat Buddies. "
Courtney Day, New Castle
"Everything is going really well. Thunder is no longer really jumpy - he's still shy but not as much as he was in the beginning. Thunder has made friends with Sunny and Boots (2 of the cats Jo brought to us). They follow Thunder around and always eat together, it's adorable. Thunder sits in his favorite spot - on top of the hay bales where he can watch over the corn and out the back of the building. "
A Feral Cat Caretaker Expresses Her Gratitude
Jo Brewer, Catawba
"I have taken four ferals I’ve been caring for to The Day Farm. Sunny, Boots, Elvis and Daisy are HAPPY AND HAVE ADJUSTED WELL to their surroundings. They are no longer mistreated, used for target practice, and otherwise abused. Barn Cat Buddies has allowed them to now live in an environment in which they are appreciated for their natural hurting abilities. They have food, shelter and are productive and valued members of a working team. The Barn Cat Buddies Program forms the perfect alliance between the farmer and these cats that are so often misunderstood. "
Jean Bowles, Centura Equine Center
"Dear Diane - just a short note to let other barns know how great the "barn cat buddies" has been for Centura. We adopted a mother and her two kittens this past summer. They are a joy to have around and are no longer feral. All three of them are very affectionate and show us constantly how appreciative they are of their new home. We also adopted two older cats from Angels of Assisi and RVSPCA who needed homes and they, too, are a delight to have around the barn. Please help save lives for these homeless cats; you'll feel good about it. "
The Dolan Family, Glade Hill
" We contacted Barn Cat Buddies with somewhat of a difficult request.... I wanted a barn kitty that was good with small kids and not afraid of dogs. Diane found us the perfect cat. Stormy makes barn chores much more pleasurable...if that's possible. He is so loving and a real joy to have. He has not only done his job in controlling the mouse population, but he has become an important part of our family. Thanks Diane! "
Freddy The Feral - A Happy Ending
This is the happy-ending story about Freddy the Feral. This past July
a Barn Cat Buddy volunteer trapped a feral cat at a dumpster in Wirtz.
‘Freddy’ as he was quickly dubbed, was brought to Planned Pethood in
Rocky Mount, where he was successfully sterilized and rabies-vaccinated. Barn Cat Buddies Program
During his after-care Freddy managed to escape his containment cage.
We had a feeling he would return ‘home’, and in a week Freddy had
successfully set his Feline GPS back to the dumpster. A second volunteer
(Roxanne Harvey of Freedom shelter) alerted me when he returned.
Since we don’t get calls to The Barn Cat Hotline as often as we’d
like, some cats will remain TNR (trap-neuter-return) cats no matter how
much we’d like to find a home for them. With Roxanne committed to
feeding him indefinitely, we felt this was the best we could offer
Freddy.
However around December Roxanne noticed that Freddy was limping. Not
only was he limping, but she saw what looked like two large puncture
wounds in his hip.
After speaking to Dr. Marybeth Chaconas at Planned Pethood Clinic, it
was determined that Freddy’s injury would need a full service clinic. We
emailed
Dr. Farrell at Angels of Assisi in Roanoke, and she gave us the
thumbs-up to bring Freddy there.
In the meantime, a barn we had been courting took an interest in
Freddy’s plight and offered to take him to her barn in New Castle. We
were thrilled! Freddy’s luck was about to change!
But good old Freddy had other plans. For the next four weeks, Roxanne
and I took turns attempting to trap Freddy. No matter what time of day
or night we set out to get him or what type of bait we put in that trap
(and there was enough variety to tempt Neptune himself) Freddy would not
go in!
Around week three, the first volunteer discovered that a Good
Samaritan was leaving food for Freddy.
Aha! The mystery was solved.
With
a belly full of food, Freddy had no reason to go in that trap!! The only
thing we could do was place a sign at the dumpster telling the Good
Samaritan of our plan and hope for the best!
Roxanne had begun putting food in a regular carrier for him. Freddy
was beginning to trust Roxanne and would often roll over on his belly at
the sight of her. One cold night Roxanne told Freddy there would be no
more fooling around. As he began to get closer to the carrier, she was
able to pop his little body into the carrier and shut the door behind
him. Success!! He could finally say goodbye to freezing temps and
torrential rain storms.
The next morning Freddy and I were on a road trip to Angels of
Assisi. An X-Ray done by Dr. BYRNES told us that the neck of the femur
was broken. She determined Freddy was in pain and that the only solution
was to surgically remove the head of the femur. The feeling was that the
puncture wounds were due to either a dog or wild animal and that the
break was caused when Freddy pulled away from the animal’s jaws.
No one thought Freddy had done that much damage to himself because
cats are so good at hiding their pain. But before putting Freddy through
the surgery we had to make sure he was feline leukemia negative. I
received the happy news that Freddy was FELV free and had come through
his surgery with Dr. Farrell with flying colors.
The following day I met Freddy's new barn 'angel' Toni, when she came
to pick up Freddy at Assisi. Freddy will always have a limp but not the
pain he would have lived with if surgery had not been performed.
He will need to recuperate for several weeks in a large crate in
Toni’s warm, barn but in a few weeks Freddy will be allowed to come out
of the crate into her enclosed tack room. Toni will keep Freddy in until
Spring when the weather is more tolerable. By then we're sure he'll be
Toni's best friend.
This is one of the most dramatic stories we’ve lived through since
embarking on the Barn Cat Buddies Program. However since we have no
funds in Angels of Assisi we must start our relationship with them in
the RED.
Therefore we turn to you, our community to ask your help in paying
off Freddy’s surgery bill. Any dollar amount
would be gratefully appreciated. Should monies be
left over after paying his bill, it will remain in an account with
Assisi to help future barn cat buddies.
We thank you for the million happy stories out there yet to be told!!
Checks can be written to Angels of Assisi with Freddy & BCB in the memo section and kindly mailed to:
C/o Diane Novak
207 Shedd Lane Hardy, Va 24101