Ouch!! That hurts!!

Oh my goodness!  Look at the poor little Tipster lying upside down beside a rock.
And that's his mother sitting there with one paw off the ground.  Is she trying to help Tipster up?.....or is she to blame for the kitten's accident?
Well the answer is......

 neither!!

We saw that clumsy little kitten tumble right off that rock all on his own. :) And he got up on his own, too!

Don't do it, Casper!!

Bumble chose a position on the post beside the gate that opens into the stack yard.  Casper the Friendly Ghost Kitty contemplated the consequences of asking him to move, and decided against it.

Smart move, Casper.

His next choice is to perch his "not so slender" body on that little upright pipe at the end of the gate.  Its only two inches wide.   If he gets up there, and loses his balance, the ground is only four and a half feet away.

Go for it, Casper!!

Is it supper time yet?

There she was,  wondering if someone would feed her.  Orangey Tail had recently weaned the three kittens from nursing.  That's not to say she didn't still feed them, but the new source of nutrition was mice or gophers.
This warm September day was supposed to be "gopher day', but OT came in from the field empty mouthed.
When it was horse feeding time,

little Jovi

was right there at the gate, asking if we could find some food for her.  And we did.  That was the day a new bag of  "little cat" food found its way to the barn and if you looked real hard, you could see the kittens smiling.

Where's Pinkerton?

Hide and seek is a great game if everyone knows, and follows the rules.  In this game, Pinkerton is supposed to be the Seeker, but he climbed the tallest tree in the yard and is waiting for someone to find him.  What he doesn't realize is that no one is looking for him.

He may be in that tree for a

long, long time......

Tree climbing

There's nothing like

going out on a limb

to show everyone the double tip on the "pretty kitty" tail. 

We also may have gone out on a limb when we called Tipster a "her".   Sometimes we have trouble telling the boys from the girls.  Even Bumble was a girl for the first six months of his life.....hahahaha!

Bumble Butt hangs on

It was a year ago on February 12 that Homer "Chelsea" Simpson decided she could sit on any post she fancied around the Mansion.   And, like Pinkerton, she got a little bit pushy.
Perhaps her biggest mistake wasn't the fact that she sat on a tall post, but the fact that she dared to push

Bumble Bee Lion King Orangey Butt

off.  His "leg pit" caught on the gate hinge so he didn't crash to the ground, but you can bet he wasn't very happy.

That was the last straw!  H"C"S was grounded and not allowed to sit on a tall post for months.

Make a wish

One fine day in September, we stopped in the shop to feed Suckee's kittens.  Low and behold we found a magic jar.  After lightly rubbing the outside with a rag, this little

genie cat

appeared.   He explained how his mother abandoned him and his sisters, and asked if we would grant him one wish.  We agreed, even though this was contrary to genie protocol.  His only wish was to get out of the jar.......so we picked him up and set him on the floor.  The End

Prince Pinkerton

Wow!!!  Pinkerton won that battle, but the fight is far from over.  Casper made room for H"C"S on the gate and she's fine with that.....for now.   Being stubborn may be a good "cat trait" when it comes to catching mice or running fast enough to outrun Cat Wolf, but its not so good when a cat uses it for personal gain in the order of Post Sitting.

Look at that smug little Pinkerton, sitting on the tall post and

gloating

in the sun.  He may be "Prince for a Day" but he's a long way from being King.

Casper intervenes

H"C"S was clinging to the post by her pawtips.  Pinkerton refused to back down and relinquish
his position on the post.  This fight had gone on way too long, when Casper finally piped up and said

"THAT'S ENOUGH!!"

"You two have been fighting for three days now.  Pinkerton has a black eye!  Homer "Chelsea" Simpson has hit the ground at least twice and this is giving me a headache!!"

"Let's call a truce and see if we can sort this out later.  Right now, we could just enjoy a perfectly sunny day.....".

The fight continues..

Our "Post Sitting" fight became serious after Pinkerton pushed H"C"S with his dirty foot.  She reached right up and slapped his face!!  By now, the

 frantic meowing

attracted the attention of Casper the Friendly Ghost Kitty.  He watched in horror as H"C"S clung precariously to the side of the post.  Pinkerton the Hillside Warrior refused to back down and gave her another push for good measure.

This little pink cat is really getting out of hand.  One day soon, he will go just a little too
far.......

Pushy Pinkerton

In the barnyard, there's a "Code of Ethics" when it comes to "post sitting".  The high posts are the most coveted and reserved for cats who have earned the right to be there.  It took a year for Homer "Chelsea" Simpson to be promoted to

High Post Sitting,

so you can imagine her disgust when she saw Pinkerton on a tall post.  Pinkerton had the audacity to push H"C"S with his stinky foot.  She almost fell to the ground.  Casper didn't seem to care about any of this.  You'll never believe what happened next....

Not a good idea...

It seemed like a good idea......hiding treats inside the outside wall.....but in reality? it wasn't.  Look at Pinkerton now.  He's trying hard to reach the last morsel of Party Mix by "squeezing" himself upward and onward.  In the process, his leg has gone

wonky!!

"Come out, Pinkerton!!  Its just not worth it.
We all know what you did and we can forgive you.  Just don't do it again!!" 

If they had just stayed at the party, relaxed for a couple minutes, and eaten dessert as a family, none of this would have happened.

Finding a clue

Pinkerton launched an investigation.  What happened to the bag of Party Mix that was left over when everyone ran out to sit on posts?  There were four bags.  Three were consumed by ten cats on Valentine's Day and one was left for dessert.  The Hillside Warrior has followed a

clue

and wound up inside the outside wall of a grain bin. 

Wait!!  Maybe Pinkerton stashed the treats up there in the wall and he's gobbling them up right now.  If that's the case, with a belly full of treats, he may be stuck for a while......right there in the wall!!

Cutie Cat

Remember the story about Orangey Tail having and hiding her kittens in the bales?
Well, this was the first one to show its face and wow, was it ever a

sweetheart!!

As it turned out, the family consisted of two little gingers and this tabby.  Peyton, the official cat namer, called this one Jovi.  I'm not sure if her full name is Jon Bon Jovi or if its just Jovi, but when I find out, you'll be the first to know. 

She's gone

Its official.  We knew that one day it would happen and February 12th was the day.  Some boys from town were looking for a new kitty to live with them and they picked

Pokey.

She's in for a few surprises:
 - no more farm chores, like feeding the horses and cows.
- no more jumping in the pick-up and going for a ride
 - no more brother and two sisters to share the food and litter box with
 - four young boys to lavish attention on her and tend to her every wish and whim.....

 She'll be in her glory!!  

Valentine's Day 2012

It was another one of those days......no one wanted to sit still for photos.  Four inches of new snow and a warm February sun made "inside" partying almost impossible.  After breakfast, the best dessert bag of Party Mix couldn't keep the cats from running out to sit on fence posts in the sun.  Tipster was the only young one who stuck around.  She just loved Orangey Tail's

Faux Fur

 heart decorations.  In fact, she's asked for a whole outfit made of Faux Fur for next year's Valentine celebration.

From the Archives

Valentines Day, February 14th, 2010.

This was the second celebration after Barn Cat Mansion went "public" on Facebook, and that year was full of parties.  We had Easter, St Paddy's Day, Baby Showers, Weaning Parties, and more.  It was a continuous string of cat

parties

filled with fun and treats to no end.  Later today, we'll post the 2012 Valentine's Day party as long as Pinkerton and Casper don't get out of control.       

                                                             

That tickles

One morning, Pinkerton started tickling Casper the Friendly Ghost Kitty.   Casper laughed and laughed and laughed.  Pinkerton just kept on

tickling!!

Orangey Tail, from way in the background, was meowling,  "Casper!!  Move away from Pinkerton."  But Casper just stayed there laughing.......and laughing.....

Busy Kids

Barn Cat Mansion kids have been busy cleaning up the Cat Carrier that will take Bumble Butt on his Secret Mission.  Pinkerton is scrubbing the inside while

Tipster and Jet

(you haven't formally met Jet yet) work on the door that never seems to close properly.
Inside, they've placed a luxurious burgundy towel to serve as a bed so the Big Kitty can relax and rest his weary bones.  A small bowl for water and another for food were located and will be placed inside momentarily.

The Hunter

Pinkerton watches the unsuspecting sparrow with the intensity of a mountain lion.  He isn't really hungry because there's plenty of food in the Mansion, but believes that anything smaller than him, if it isn't a cat, is edible.  No one is more brave when it comes to

hunting

than Pinkerton, Hillside Warrior and Defender of all Cats that are Pink. 
This time, the unsuspecting bird flew off, narrowly escaping  with its life.  Next time?........Who knows!  Let's hope he gets tough enough to tackle the marauding magpies, and at least scares them out of the Mansion.

Hillside Warrior

Here's someone you haven't met yet.  We stole this one from the barn at Fox Farm, because old Ghost Kitty got sick of feeding him.  Actually, she found it difficult to pack enough gophers into the barn to keep him fed.  Again, we hoped it was a female, but again, we were wrong!!  This is

Pinkerton.............Hillside Warrior and Defender of All Cats that are Pink.........

Don't mess with Pinkerton.  He attacks, tackles, tickles and bites cats that mess with him.  I'd hate to see what would happen to a human he didn't like.  Never touch him..........if you want to keep all your fingers!!



Standing her ground...

Homer "Chelsea" Simpson couldn't protect four kittens from the magpies, but she sure could protect one!!  Meet

The Tipster,

a sweet little ginger female with two tips on her tail.  Beyond the white tip, is an orange tip.  Of course, the smallest cat in the Mansion is by far the cutest.  That's just how it is.

Maybe this year, Homer "Chelsea" Simpson will find a much safer place for kittens.  A stack of fresh hay bales with space in the middle might be available....that is, if OT doesn't get there first!!

Chinook Country

So....we showed you a view of BCM from the top of our hill and that was looking south.  Here is a view from the top of our hill and we're looking west.  This part of Alberta is called

Chinook Country.

In the dead of winter, temperatures of -30 C
can change to +3 C in a matter of minutes.  Warm wind from the west comes over the Rocky Mountains, touches down on the foothills, and this weather phenomenon is called a Chinook.  How do you like the view?

The Life of a Queen

If a Queen was having kittens in the Mansion, she really should have them in the "queening" box we built specially for that purpose.  Do you suppose

Orangey Tail

did that?  Nope!!!  She had them in the stack of horse hay where she found a perfect little space for 3 babies.
It was back on August 18th, 2011, when she finally showed her face and let us know where they were.  We left them alone because OT will move the family if anyone interferes.  The babies were at least 8 weeks old by the time we had a look at their shining little faces.

Suckee's kittens

This is Suckee's family, long after she left them , and their last family portrait with all five survivors.  This little family of

stripes

turned out to be the nicest kittens we have ever raised.  If the one sitting up looks a little funny, its because the other four sucked the hair off her neck.  For a while we called her the Pencil Necked Geek, but that's not a real good name for a kitty.
The only one with a real name so far, is Pokey, on the far left.  We are hoping to give some away, so its best not to name all of them.

Characters, BCM

This is the second of two mature females living at Barn Cat Mansion.  She had kittens last year.  Unfortunately, only one survived the magpie attack.  Those bad birds came into the Mansion and stole 3 new kittens.  It seems  the cat namer, that little girl called Peyton who saved Bumble Butt, and her dad, both picked names for this cat.  It was either Homer Simpson or Chelsea, so we compromised and called her

Homer "Chelsea" Simpson

She has the same sad face that her father, Old Orange Tom (OOT) had, but really, she is a happy cat.

Temptation(s)

You may not believe this, but Casper the Friendly Ghost Kitty actually stuck his nose under a rock, lifted it up and grabbed a

Temptation (special cat treat)

that had slid underneath it.  The Barn Cat Mansion cats loooooovvvve their treats.  Every day, we find a spot to have a "treat" picnic.  Some days we stay in the Mansion and other days, we go out.  Some days we use Temptations and other days, we use Party Mix.  Once in a while a little bag of Luv is thrown in, but that's only on a "very special" occasion.

Strays

You might recognize this color pattern.   Casper the Friendly Ghost Kitty and two of Suckee's kittens carry exactly the same stripes.  That's because this is their dad and his name is

Stripe.

He turned up at the Fox Farm late in 2010, and hung around, off and on, for a whole year.  He battled Black Jack Meanioni (you haven't met him yet) for the right to sire kittens, and by the look of it, won more fights than he lost.  Sometime last fall, Stripe disappeared and hasn't been heard from since.....that doesn't mean he won't be back......

Fox Farm Foxes

In case you were wondering, we call one farm Fox Farm for two reasons.  First of all, the guy who owns it is

Mr. Fox.

Secondly, we sometimes have a vixen, or female fox who brings her kits to live under an old grain bin.  In 2010 she raised her 4

baby foxes

right in the yard and not one cat was consumed in the process.....Foxes like smaller, less intimidating meals such as mice and gophers.  Good thing for the cat population!!!

Secret Mission

Now you can see why we call him the

King......

Proud, alert and ready to embark on the mission of a lifetime.   A call could come
in before the end of the week.  The cat carrier is ready and waiting.  All he has to do is summon the chauffeur, say goodbye to cats at Barn Cat Mansion and carry on down the road.  Wish him luck.......he may need it.

Danger waits around every corner if he doesn't follow orders and the key to success will be to stay inside and only speak when spoken to.  Will the King stay "on track" or follow his own "code of conduct"?