Ovid

Bethany trains horses for a family in Ballston Spa. They own a number of Gypsie Cob horses. Housed in the barn with the six horses are a number of barn cats. It's important to note that these barn cats--numbering somewhere in the 20s--are not pets. I would consider them semi-domesticated at best. They are there because they form a symbiotic relationship with the working farm. They get a good place to live, and the farm gets a very effective rodent control team. Still, most of the cats in the barn do not let people approach them. Some do, though very cautiously. All that said, in an attempt to control the population of cats in the barn, many of them have been spayed or neutered. However, because they are not pets, it's difficult to assure that all of them have been taken care of. So, from what I understand, this time of year often yields a litter of kittens in the barn.

People often have a warm and fuzzy mental schema about how cute and cuddly kittens are raised by their mommy cat. They have images in their minds about these cute little fuzzballs hanging from their mothers' teets. While this does happen, there is another side of the situation as well. Sometimes, the mother decides that she cannot effectively care for all of the kittens. In this case, she often takes them out to a field and leaves them to fend for themselves. One of the owners talks about how she will go out for a walk in the field and find dead kittens that have been left by their mothers. Nature's way of controlling the population, I guess.

Apparently, there were two separate litters of kittens in the barn this year. One, the owners have known about for a while. The other litter was discovered just a week or so ago. On Sunday, Bethany was in the barn with Kelly, who owns Farleigh, and they discovered this little kitten:

As of today, it is estimated that he is around 5 weeks old. Apparently, he had been brought down from the upstairs loft in the barn where most of the kittens are born. I don't know if the mother was planning to leave it or if it was just bringing it down to teach it to hunt or something. What I do know is that Bethany and Kelly decided that he needed to be rescued. Of course, Bethany already has two cats at her apartment, and can't have any more. So, basically, it was decided that he would live with me.

So, I have never wanted to own a cat before. In fact, most of my life I've been of the opinion that I would never own a cat. I hate cats! But, alas--and you can actually credit Rachael for planting this seed in me months ago--I am now the owner of a cute little barn kitten. Actually, I consider it to me Bethany's and my kitten. He just lives with me because that's the way it has to be.

Well, for the first couple of days, Bethany had him at her apartment (because I don't live anywhere near the gypsy farm). I think that the experience at Bethany's apartment was very difficult for him. He was constantly being attacked by Bethany's other cats. (It should be noted here that Lois was born in the same barn...either last year or the year before.) Cats are very territorial. Bethany's spent a lot of time hissing and growling at my poor little boy. Eh...it kind of sucks because the last day he was there, at least one of the cats seemed to be warming up to him a bit...progress, you know...Well, he's going to be visiting there often enough, so hopefully they will continue to grow accustomed to him.

So, now I've got him home at my house. So far, he hasn't explored my apartment that much. Last night--his first night here--he stayed in the bathroom the whole night. I don't really see this as a bad thing. I've come to realize that my apartment is a huge, huge world for such a little creature (he pretty much fits into the palm of my hand). So, four rooms is probably a little overwhelming for him. So, I had taken him to the bathroom because that's where I set up the litter box. I am trying to make sure he learns to use the litter box (I think he's actually got it at this point). So, he never even tried to leave the bathroom last night, and actually, that bathroom is probably just the right size to function as a home for an animal that size. In the bathroom, there is a radiator in one corner by the sink. Two walls, the radiator, and the sink make this cozy little nook that is just big enough for him to sneak into and hide. He slept there last night, and is still sleeping there now.

I should say that he did actually venture out and explore the apartment earlier today. He's very curious. But, he still likes that little nook more than any other place. Granted, he's not going to be able to live there very long. As you can see, that's going to be a big enough spot for him for about one or two more weeks! I'm sure he'll find some other place after that.

So, it's very interesting having to teach an animal that until just a few days ago was pretty much wild to do simple basic things. Like I said before, I had to teach him about the litter box. Now, from what I understand, it's actually basic instinct for a cat to bury their waste in order to ward off predators. For the last couple of days, we've needed to show him where the litter box is and show him how to dig in the litter. It's actually funny to watch him dig. He's getting pretty good at it, though not very good at covering up what he's done, which is the whole point to begin with, ha, ha! Anyway, beyond that, I also had to teach him how to eat solid food. He's just transitioning from formula to solids now. I have been soaking hard food in water or formula to make it soft for him, though I think I'm actually going to try to give him just solid food pretty soon (it's better for them--their dental health). Even this morning, I had to show him where his food was. We were sitting right next to the food dish, yet he seemed like he was trying to nurse (trying to grab and suck on my fingers and toes). So, I directed him to the food dish and he was able to eat. I also still have to show him the water dish and make sure he drinks water. I don't think he really understands the concept of drinking water yet.

The other cool thing I'm trying to help him learn about is his natural hunting instincts. Bethany gave me these little mouse toys that are perfect for this. I just chuck the little mouse against a wall near him and watch him go at it. Even though he doesn't really need to know how to hunt anymore, I think it's important to teach him just for the sake of socialization...it's something that he and I can bond over.

So, I've been commissioned to give him a name. People in the know keep asking me what I'm naming him. I came up with a name. Bethany doesn't like it. But, it suits both him and me. I've studied poetry for a number of years now. So, naturally, I wanted to come up with a literary name for him. I actually thought about naming him Homer, but that had way too much of a Simpsons flavor to it, and I didn't want to give off that impression. So, I went with Ovid instead. Ovid was a latin poet who wrote the epic mythological poem, Metamorphoses. But, what about metamorphoses? Well, he was born a barn cat, now he's a house cat. That's quite a metamorphosis. I never thought I'd own a cat in my entire life. Now I do. That's quite a metamorphosis as well. Ten or so years ago, one of my grandparents' friends said I'd never amount to anything more than a factory worker making $10 an hour. Now, I'm well on my way to earning my second terminal degree. Metamorphosis? Yes, I think. So, Ovid is the perfect name.

If that doesn't convince you, I submit that it is a great tradition in this country to create affectionate names for people by changing the end of their names so that they end with a "y" sound. Bob becomes Bobby; Edward becomes Eddie; Jill becomes Jilly. With that in mind, you can take Ovid's name and modify it in the same way. Then it becomes Ovie. Ovie is the nickname of Alexander Ovechkin, who is the star player for the Washington Capitals, my favorite sports team! Yay, Ovie!!!