Sunday, November 7, 2010

Jerry the Barn Cat

Jerry, the outside cat, still will not let us pet him, will not come near us, will not come into the house.  We feed him every day.  He only will come within about five feet of us when he's getting fed.  He was here when we moved here two and a half years ago.  He's a stubborn tomcat.  He must have been abused to hate people so much. 

Shadow, who's currently our indoor black cat, used to be outside with Jerry, but she was tamable.  But she truly hated it outside during the cold winter.  She fell in love with Jack, the indoor orange cat, through the screen door and windows, and finally one cold morning she entered into our house on her own free will.  And she never looks back, she loves being inside.  And she still loves Jack. 
(Shad loved Jerry, too - she loves all cats, she's not picky.  She's still learning to trust humans. 
Luckily she was fixed already or she would have had several litters of kittens - she was always snuggling with Jerry out in the bushes!  Jerry thought she was an annoying needy female who interrupted his hunting and followed him everywhere!  He was glad she left him for Jack.)   

Jerry with breakfast this morning

I sometimes give Jerry his favorite treat, milk.  Some cats like milk, some don't.  Jerry loves it.  Jack will not touch it.  Shadow likes it.  Now that it's getting so cold outside, I warm Jerry's milk in the microwave.  Randy thinks I'm crazy.  I just like to make Jerry a little warm inside on these bitter cold mornings.  I always wait till he eats most of his dry food before giving Jerry the warm milk, otherwise he'll fill up on the milk and will not eat the dry food.  Randy seriously thinks I'm nuts for spoiling the barn cat!  Most days I'm already gone to work when Jerry comes up for food, so I don't get the opportunity to spoil him much.


Jerry gets some warm milk

Shad and Jack watch Jerry thru the window

Jerry sometimes brings us gifts.  Sometimes his gifts are birds or mice, sometimes small snakes, whatever he catches.  This morning we found a dead sparrow out on the front porch where Jerry eats.  He thinks we appreciate his gifts.  Ummm, Thank you, Jerry!

Dead sparrow

10 comments:

Verde Farm said...

I think it's wonderful that you spoil barn cat Jerry. WE have a barn cat named Jerry too :) I know he appreciates your human kindness and warm milk--even if he won't let himself show it by getting the ultimate human kindness of belly rubbing :)
Amy

Farm Girl said...

I always worry about the poor cats that no body wants. That is why I have 5 who live in my house. We only have one who is our original cat. I love the pictures of the cats snuggled up looking out the window. Jerry is a really beautiful cat. At least you can get close enough to feed him. I would warm the milk in the microwave too. :) I think that is really cute. So glad you shared you cat photos.

Danni said...

Jerry has the most awesome big, round face - he looks like he has quite the tom-cat personality.
I loved reading about your cats' personality traits; I tend to personify all animals and I feel like I know your feline sweetie-pies personally now. :-)

Lisa said...

We have two barn cats. One was a stray that J. our 9 year old son tamed with cat treats. It took a while. Now he's the tamest of the bunch.

The stray Duke, loves goats milk, so he waits patiently for the stripped milk twice a day. No he's not spoiled.

Have patience.

Dog Trot Farm said...

I wish there were more people like you in this world, a big "thank you" from all of us at Dog Trot Farm. I have a feeling we will be reading in a future post Jerry has made it to the other side of the door!

Terry said...

You are good to Jerry. I hope that someday he decides to come in. Our "barn cat" Tishia decided to be a house cat, and we are so glad because the coyotes here are bold.

CaliforniaGrammy said...

I agree with Dog Trot Farm in that I think Jerry will eventually succumb and enjoy coming into the warm cozy house.

Razzberry Corner said...

Amy - I know Jerry appreciates us. He just wont let us near him. Now, my boy Jack, on the other hand, used to be a stray, too - we picked him up before we moved here. He was tamed in about 2 months, and now he LOVES belly rubs! Shadow doesn't allow her belly to be touched yet, she's a little shy still.

Farm Girl - Jack & Shad always cuddle up. Shadow is most comfortable touching another cat. She's a cat lover. If only she'd be that friendly to humans!

Danni - Jerry's face is big and round from fighting. He's the ultimate fighting tomcat.

Lisa - I've been patient, but every winter I wonder if Jerry will survive another year. I feel bad for him out in the cold.

Julie - I don't know if he'll make it inside. We even named him Jerry because the name went well with Jackie, the inside cat. But Jerry never joined Jackie inside.

Terry - Im glad Tishia came in to your home!

Califirnia Grammy - I don't know, Jerry is pretty stubborn!

~Lynn

Carla said...

What about putting the warm milk on the food? Nothing wrong with spoiling the creatures that bring us happiness. :)

Razzberry Corner said...

CeeCee - I agree, we all need some spoiling sometimes! :)