Roofer

The two farm dogs, Jackson and Butler, don’t necessarily get along with the semi-feral barn cats but they usually tolerate them. That is not always the case, one or both dogs have been known to sneak out to the show barn where we feed the skittery cats and steal any left-over cat food that has been abandoned or chase them around for no good reason.

We don’t like leaving cat kibble out because it just invites trouble. Not only the farm dogs want to get a few morsels but also coyotes, birds, skunks and raccoons are attracted. I try to set out only enough food for the feeding and leaving only the barest of crumbs left to entice unwanted scroungers.

The cats are great for scouting the fence line and small pastures around the barn. They are good hunters and augment their meager kibble meals with bugs and rodents of all sizes. I have seen them drag bodies of squirrels nearly as big as they are across the field to share with the rest of the group.

When the cats are outside of the barn area, they seldom wander wherever the dogs are treading in an effort to avoid confrontation. Butler is more likely than Jackson to decide that the cats need to go and chase them up a tree, into the woodshed or under the shop. It is a hard habit to break. Butler gets chastised for chasing the cats, but he just can’t always resist the urge to make them scatter.

This morning it was one of The Striped Ones that fell prey to Butler’s chasing and ended up on the roof of the smoke house. He would peek out over to edge to see if I was a threat or if Butler was still around. The roofer stayed up there for nearly an hour before deciding that the dog threat was over and it was safe to come down.

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