cats

Belka came as part of a three pack from the shelter. Free barn cats. We were just starting our homestead and we had a problem with field mice, cotton rats and voles because of the 34 acres of habitat surrounding our one acre.

Her name means squirrel in Russian. Just because.

As much as orange cats get mocked for their single brain cell Belka is here to prove that there are less intelligent cats. She spent the first year on our screened in porch because she could not figure out how the cat door works.

But once she did understand the cat door she proved to be the best mouser ever. In the seven years since she figured out the cat door she has never failed to bring home a rodent a day. She is the all time champ for confirmed kills.

Which also means that despite her extremely accepting nature and general brainlessness she has learned to recognize a syringe full of panacur and try to run if she sees it. She is not a fan of it but is constantly in need of it because the tapeworms love her.

She is old. We got her seven years ago. We don't know how old she is now but she is missing an eye tooth so she is probably at least 9 years old. We are making efforts to bring her inside so she can enjoy retirement. She gets wet food almost every day. But she still wants to go out. She craves the rats. She would have been a god in ancient Egypt.

When not out hunting she can be spotted sleeping above our dishwasher.