Thursday, September 20, 2012

Willie and Baxter Find a Home - Rural Thursday

I need to start off with a confession.  Remember that sweet little cat we tried to adopt last spring as a barn kitty?  Well, after her 3 week transition, we let her loose outside, and she ran away.  We never saw her again.  I felt really badly about this.  So after some time, we decided to try adopting from Barn Cat Buddies again, only this time we wanted to look for friendly cats, who could be enjoyed by the whole family and might become attached to us.  I emailed Diane from Barn Cat Buddies to let her know we were interested in trying again, so she could be on the lookout for some cats that might fit well with us.  Last week she took me to visit some, and the boys and I found two that we loved. 

The trip home proved to be quite interesting.  One of the cats, who we renamed Willie, completely freaked out in the carrier on the drive home.  He actually tore apart the carrier and busted out.  The boys were all "MOM!!!  Mom, he's getting out!!!"  I had to pull over and reassemble the carrier, and I moved Willie to the front seat so I could hold the carrier together, as it was now busted on one side.  Well he pushed and clawed and yowled.  Fur was flying out of the carrier, and claws were flying around too.  He was panting rapidly and then all the sudden he rolled onto his back, put all four feet up in the air, and closed his eyes.  I was all, "OMG, he's having a heart attack!"  I pulled over again, but then he jumped up and started clawing to get out again.  He tricked me!  I have never seen a cat act like this before!  We went through this routine one more time before getting home forty-five days minutes later.  My front seat was covered in claw sheddings and fur, and poor Willie had bloodied up several of his claws thoroughly.

Thankfully, Willie was just fine once he was out of the carrier and happily installed in the master bathroom.  And Baxter did just fine the whole way - he seems very laid back and has even been sleeping with me at night.  This is Pierce with Baxter.  He seems to love all three boys already, and relishes the attention they give him.

And this is the crazy Willie, who is also very affectionate with the boys, and extra playful - he loves when the boys toss his ball and enjoys giving chase.  Word is that he is a very efficient mouser, so after his transition I'll be eagerly awaiting my first gift of death on my doormat.  Better Willie catch the mice before they climb into my minivan, right?
We're already attached to these two cats and they already seem to be a great fit for our family.  I'm so excited that we found such sweet kitties!  If you're in the Roanoke region and are looking for a cat, definitely check out Barn Cat Buddies - they are a great resource for rehoming cats and kittens in this area. 

It's Rural Thursday, so time to link up with Nancy from A Rural Journal and myself with your blog posts relating to the rural life!  Just grab the code below the button and paste it into your post.  Then come back and add your url to the linky.  Please be sure to visit and comment on the blogs of at least 5 other participants!  Looking forward to reading your posts today! 





48 comments:

renae said...

Oh nice kitty! I'm glad things worked out. :D

w said...

i totally laughed when i envisioned the cat and the fur and the front seat and 45 days. i'm sorry for being insensitive.

Mary said...

Poor Will made his transition. That was a major event. That's so nice to hear of good fit and happy pet family.

Unknown said...

Oh no! Poor kitty. Although, I do admit, I laughed a bit at the scenario playing out in my head.


Jessica recently posted, My Very Stupid Thing.

The Cranky said...

Oh my, Willie was playing possum with you!

Sunnybrook Farm said...

Our barn cats seem to hang around the house waiting for food but they are nice cats except they don't seem to like cats which creates problems in cat world. Your cats are nice looking kitties.

andy said...

Well im in the club now! !! As you know we have a New kitten! Have a great day

Unknown said...

What cuties! They both look cuddly.

Anonymous said...

Your 2 new cats are adorable and I am happy for all of you! Great to see that they have found a forever home!

Buttons Thoughts said...

Willie and Baxter are going to have a great loving home hopefully Willie will not have to go on any more road trips:) B

Janet said...

Ah, Willie needs plenty of space. He sounds severely claustrophobic! Glad you found a couple of entertaining cats.

carol l mckenna said...

Wonderful post and photos ~ your children are beautiful and do hope these cats work out well for the family ~ (A Creative Harbor)

Heather said...

That's so nice! I am more of a dog person than a cat person, but when we were thinking about building a yurt we realized we would probably need a cat to keep mice out. Unfortunately, most of my family is allergic to cats, so we won't be getting one anytime soon :-)

Andrea said...

SO much sweetness!!! I'm in love, too. :) Congrats on the new additions to the family.

tiarastantrums said...

Oh my goodness - that was freaky - we had a dog that freaked out in the car and she gave me a heart attack eery time! Hopefully this all works out this time!

Tiggeriffic said...

I love cats and always have.. So glad you found two cats to adopt.. Two cats are great, it keeps them company when the family is gone. My cats would always sleep with me, which I enjoyed..great feet warmers.
Ta ta for now from Iowa:)

Tina Fariss Barbour said...

Oh, they're beautiful! Baxter looks like our Sam, and Willie is gray like our Chase. Willie sounds like a strong (and headstrong) kitty! I'm glad the they and the boys are getting along.

TexWisGirl said...

yay for finding these two beauties (crazy as one may be!)

i miss my barn kitty. wish i could get a few more, but can't risk it with my varmint hunting dogs.

An Apel a Day said...

It looks so soft!

I love cats, I'm allergic to anything furry. My parents did everything to prevent this. I was breastfed and we had 2 big dogs. In the end genetics won.

My husband would LOVE to have a cat! I would to. I just wouldn't be able to breathe if I did.

Anonymous said...

What a funny cat!
I need a barn cat buddy--even a rental--to help me out with the mice this year.

GardenOfDaisies said...

Oh, Willie and Baxter are so sweet! Glad you are providing a loving home for these two. Poor Willie, he had quite the car trip, didn't he? He must have been really frightened.

renae said...

Thank you Lisa! I will be away for a few days (til Tues). I am glad I was realizing the importance of sharing him after all. I am so glad you appreciated it. It means a bunch to me. Have a great weekend and the beginning a of new a fun- filled week. :D

Anonymous said...

We had a cat who didn't like riding in the carrier either. She seemed to have seizures while in there, and I had the distinct pleasure of moving her from CA to MT (a two day drive) some years back. At one point she seized and then was still for a long time. I thought she's dead, but by that time was over all the stopping to check on her and figured if she was dead there wasn't much I was going to do to change that. In fact she was fine, and lived to enjoy our home in Montana just fine.

Thistle Cove Farm said...

That was amusing, although not at the time, I bet -smile-. My post today is about Tippy, one of the barn cats I brought to the house.

Anonymous said...

Lisa,

Thanks for coming by. Poor Willie. I'm glad he seems to be settling in though not that he is home. We have a rescue kitty that has Very loud reactions to the carrier, but nothing as bad as yours. We got him as a 6 mo kitten from the pound, and he had been fostered two or three times before that. We believe that the moving back and forth may have been traumatic for him, hence such a loud reaction. I hope yours settles down for when you have to do vet visits and the like.

Yael from Home Garden Diggers

Sandy said...

I wish I could have outside barn cats. But the darn coyotes keep eating them. I have spent a ton of money adopting cats only to have them eaten. I finally gave up as coming to live at my house was a death sentence for a cat.

Anonymous said...

Willie & Baxter are cute! Glad they are fitting in nicely with your family. I'm partial to Baxter already because he reminds me of our Tuxedo girl Luna. (Sorry Willie, it really has nothing to do with the fit you threw in the car ride home)
:)

Lexie Loo, Lily, Liam & Dylan Too said...

They are so cute!
I have to admit, I laughed at your story about the drive home. I would have freaked out, thinking the cat was dead! Wow!

Marie said...

Those are cute kitties! Hope it all works out. :)

Golden Woofs! SUGAR said...

Woof! Woof! Sending Lots of Golden MEOWsss. Happy Rural Thursday. Lots of Golden Woofs, Sugar

Chatty Crone said...

Those cats are a great addition for the kidlets.

Leovi said...

I like to express delicate beauty and sublime happiness of children and cats, pretty pictures.

Anonymous said...

What a car trip that must have been!
I'm glad Baxter and Willie have found a good home.

J.Rhoades said...

So cute! I'm glad they are working out for you. Our cat hates her carrier as well.

Unknown said...

Hi Lisa, I'm not linking up, but I wanted you to know how much I enjoyed reading your post...it was really funny and cute too! I can't see Baxter's face but he looks like a Tux. They are the best...look at my Miss Kitty on my post today and see if they are alike! Great Post... Loretta

Nancy said...

Good grief -- what a ride home! A cat that plays possum. That's original.

Anonymous said...

Awwww! =)

Debbie said...

i laughed also....

a great entry with adorable pictures!!

Gail Dixon said...

Crazy cat! How scary that must've been bringing Willie home. I guess he has a thing about being confined in a crate, in a car. Glad they settled in and the boys will now get to enjoy their sweetness. Whew!

Michelle said...

Wonderful that you found some feline companions!

Jill said...

I was laughing right out loud when you told of Willie lying on his back like that! I can just picture you on that drive home. I'm sure glad it was worth it! They are both darling!

EG CameraGirl said...

I love the names Willie and Baxter.!

I hope Willie has calmed down now that he feels safe. Perhaps he will learn from Baxter.

Barbara said...

I had to start giggling when he pulled the fake heart attack on you. Luckily Willie ended up being a softy! I'm such a cat person so this post just made my heart happy.

Kim said...

WE had mice in our old van and let me tell you it was no fun getting rid of them. Thankfully we got to them before they could chew any important wiring. Baxter looks a lot like our cat that recently passed.

Lmkazmierczak said...

Sounds like you got intelligent cats♫

jp@A Green Ridge said...

I'm loving Willie already...always partial to tigers!!! And a mouser no less...you need that...I might even put his bed right near the van!...:)JP

Debby@Just Breathe said...

They are so cute and I am glad they are working out so well.
What a trip home your had. I've never heard of a kitten doing that!
I thought for sure he had died on you :)

Lin said...

So....what are you gonna do if you have to take him to the vet someday down the road??? I don't want to think. ;)