I woke up to more snow and more shoveling this morning. It is yet another chilly day here on the Bluegrass. On the real cold nights I say some extra prayers for all of the homeless people and animals. I know they have it tough living outside. When I visit barns I am just as excited to hunt down the cats as I am the beautiful horses. I think that the barn cats have it best. They have all the shelter and food they could want and interaction with horses, people and other such animals when they choose to allow it. The cats are a benefit to us as well. They provide pesticide free rodent control and companionship to our horses and equestrians.
Sancho, is one of the better known barn cats. He has the honor of being the barn cat for Runhappy . Runhappy is a champion runner but he likes his sleep and he wants Sancho in his stall when he drifts off. Watch Sancho creep into position here: Sancho with Runhappy.
Another well known barn cat is the Twitter sensation, Gator Kitten. He is the resident handicatter (that’s right, this cat can handicap races) at Woodbine Race Track but he is spending the winter with a lot of his favorite Thoroughbreds at a barn near Gulfstream Park. He frequently visits with Juba. Follow him here: Gator Kitten. He posts often and has followers as far as New Zealand.
Do you want to know how can you help the barn cats? When you are packing in the peppermints to see your favorite horse put some cat treats in your pockets too. Mice aren’t the only snacks barn cats enjoy. Also, you can re-home feral cats this way too. Check out these links to animal shelters with specific barn cat programs in many states. My city has Horse Country Barn Cats ran by the Lexington Humane Society. A cat from the program comes vaccinated, microchipped and spayed or neutered. Horse County Barn Cats . See the other states listed here or Google to find a resource near you: Texas , Minnesota , California, Michigan, Illinois, Massachutes, New York
Did you know that cats were domesticated around 7500 BC for the purpose of pest control, not for pets? Cats must keep down the rodent population that are drawn to barns for food and warmth. Rodents like to eat the same grain as the horses but they can spread disease and cause trouble if they aren’t controlled. There are over 70 varieties of domesticated cats ready to do the job. In the United States cats are the second most common pet behind fish. In most barns I have seen have one or more resident felines.
Get creative when searching for cats in a barn. They can hide pretty good and the cat just might be an image on your horse’s face. I’m always looking to learn and share and when I saw the picture of American Pharoah’s half-sister, I discovered something new. American Pharoah’s dam, Littleprincessemma, gave birth to a filly sired by Tapit on 2/13/16. It has a lovely stripe of white chrome on it’s nose that looks like a long tailed cat. This marking is referred to as a Kitty Blaze! See her cute face here: Littleprincessemma/Tapit filly
I hope you have enjoyed these barn cat photos. I have not met Sancho or Gator Kitten so I don’t have their pictures yet but my collection is from Old Friends, Churchill Downs, Taylor Made Farm, Keeneland and The Thoroughbred Center. Please, share pictures of your favorite barn cats and return for next week’s post too. Thank you!
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