Welcoming Rover
Right around the same time we added Kitty to the homestead, a new friend came to live. I never thought I’d utter these words but we got a cat and I’m okay with it.
If you know me in real life, you know my distaste for the feline species runs deep. But I like vegetables more than I loathe cats and when our garden was getting nibbled to the brink of death by rats and mice and bunnies, it was time to take action. I also just really don’t like rats and mice.
So when our neighbor asked if we were interested in a cat, we said yes. Abram chose the name of Rover and it was settled… until we thought maybe Rover was actually Rose. So for a few days the cat was Rose… until our neighbor confirmed he may, indeed, be Rover after all. So Rover it is.
The children are pretty smitten with this new addition and I am pretty impressed with how quickly the rodent population has decreased – and just in time for the fall garden.
So welcome, Rover. I may never dote on you like Annie does, but I sure do appreciate your efforts in the garden.
Ha! I’d been wondering about the absence of a cat… it seems like a homesteading essential!
(I am a bigtime European lurker and your coconut flour pancakes are my sons favorite food :).)
A good cat is essential to a fully functional homestead. Rodents love all the things homesteaders have! Orange tabbies are the BEST cats-affectionate and really good at hunting. Congratulations!
He or she is adorable, but then I love cats. Glad its working out.
He looks really sweet and friendly. I’ve loved cats since I was little and we now have two boys I wouldn’t want to miss again. What I love most about cats is their empathy. Just yesterday I felt a bit sad and when I lay on our sofa, Louie just came over, licked over my face (which he never does!) as if he wanted to say “it’s gonna be alright, human mama” and then just snuggled next to my face. They somehow always know what’s going on in your head and heart.
May Rover be as big a blessing as Kitty was back to Laura Ingalls and her family in their day! Love the name–wasn’t expecting a cat from that one–which makes it all the more fun.
My bet is that you will grow to love Rover as part of the family. But then I love cats and two of them own me!
Well if you must have one, have an orange tabby! <3 😉 We have no cat's but plan to adopt a couple when we get space, if God ever see's fit to bless us with it. <3 No rats have been seen since our red heeler pup has been here, so "woohoo" for us. They use live all over our place, and give me the shivers…
What a sweet addition to your little family. I’m sure he’ll earn his keep.
I chuckled when I saw the picture of Rover – he fits right into your family with his blue eyes and red hair. lol
As a retired veterinary technician I can tell you it’s hard to beat an orange tabby male. I have two new kittens both males and one is a orange tabby. He will do his job well and be an enjoyment to your family!
He will work hard for you and maybe even win your heart 😉 welcome Rover!
I will be very curious to read if he helps keep those nibbling pest away. I have been seriously considering for next year getting a cat to keep just in our main garden space to help keep the rodents down. They destroyed our beets this year, nibbled the tomatoes and made a disaster of our corn. Last year I had our corn with no fence around it and a couple days before we were going to harvest some raccoons came in the night and had themselves a very nice feast, leaving basically nothing for us. Bad raccoons. This year I thought I was being smart… ha. ha. ha. 🙂 Sooo, I put the corn in the main fenced in garden. Coons weren’t a problem, but the mice and chipmunks were equally destructive. Who knew how much such small animals could eat. I can deal with not having corn for now, since it’s more of an experiment on growing a flour corn for sustainability in MN, but destroying my wonderful beets. Those are a stable food item for us all winter. I would give our kitty a nice little house in the garden, a wonderful place to call home. I just wonder how well it would actually work. Good luck!
We have purchased a Rat Terrier for this purpose! I am not a cat person either. Altho a year ago I did break down and buy my teen girls a hairless house cat that they adore. I am o.k. with her ;o) But then my friends told me about Rat Terriers and I am a dog person, but not so much terriers. Mostly herding breeds. But they say Rat Terriers are supposed to be less hyper/stubborn. So our puppy was born 9/5 and comes home in November. Hopefully by Spring he (the litter was all boys!) will chase those Red Squirrels, Mice, and Voles far away! The Rat Terriers do actually kill them, but he’ll be closely supervised (our dogs don’t run free) so hopefully it will be mostly chasing! The rodents here are destroying our home!!
Rover is beautiful! I do appreciate cats, just not in my home! ;o)