Bear the Barn Cat

Writer Jon Katz is fond of saying that they last thing many small creatures see are the gorgeous green eyes of his Bedlam Farm barn cat, Mother.

Similarly, many critters have met their end while staring into the lovely visage of Bear, the Sweetgrass Ranch barn kitty.  Ten this year, Bear is the sole survivor from a group of three kittens that I took home from Missy Pfeiffer's barn many moons ago.  Her brother, HooDoo, disappeared at ten months and last year, Bear's lifelong companion and sister, Shadow, was euthanized due to kidney failure.

True to her sunny nature, Bear has soldiered on.  Her pattern has changed, though. She used to spend long hours in the horse pastures, stalking moles and voles and unsuspecting mice.  Nowdays, Bear is hanging close to the barn and house.  She's lonely in a way that only cats can be -- she finds me more often and I'm mindful of her need to visit.

My encounters with Bear often take me back to the Pfeiffer barn.  The largest of her litter, Bear was the first kitten to come out of the hay bales, the first to greet me.  I remember a time when her two siblings seemed to be eating all the food and Bear had become scrawny.  Sensing the need for some supplemental feeding, I brought Bear into the house.  After each meal, the curious kitten would dart off and if, by chance, the toilet seat lid was up, I would find her splashing in the water.

It seems fitting that Bear remains.  Jon Katz says that animals come into your life when you need them and they leave when their work is done.  I believe he is right.  Bear has a bit more work to do here at Sweetgrass and I'm thankful for her presence.

Bear the Sweetgrass Ranch Barn Cat

Spring Is Nature's Way of Saying, "Let's Party!"

The title line for this post is a quote from actor and comedian Robin Williams.

Yesterday, I asked my husband, Don, to help me roll away the rocks that cover the girls' graves.  Sounds kind of hinky, doesn't it?

The girls refer to Mighty, Jane, Shadow and Mimi -- four kitties that we loved and eventually lost.  Last fall, as a tribute to the girls and a nod to this great big engine we call life, I planted bulbs over each of the graves in the Sweetgrass Ranch pet cemetary.

Lorenzo helped me plant bulbs other places, too, and when I saw the first shoots emerging, I knew it was time to check on the girls.  Here's how it looked after we moved the rocks away.

If you believe in science, the second law of thermodynamics says that energy is neither created nor destroyed -- it just changes form.  I know the girls have gone on to become something else and I like to think I see them in the newly emerged plants, the beautiful blossoms to come.  For me, this transformation is symbolic of new life and eternal spring.

Robin Williams is right.  Life is short and meant to be lived boldly with lots of parties.  I'm thinking we'll have one with music, lots of good food, and dancing.

As for cats, just one of the original five remain.  Bear, our barn kitty, is having a hard time keeping up with Sweetgrass's expanding mole population.  We may need to add a kitten or two.

Recovery

One early April morning in 2010, Lorenzo and I stood shoulder to shoulder outside Drifty's stall here at Sweetgrass Ranch and watched the mare deliver a beautiful blue roan filly.  For us, it will always be a miraculous day.

The following day, after a visit from Dr. Jennifer Posey to make sure all was well, we turned Jetblue and her mama out to the paddock.  Amazingly, our blue roan filly jetted around the run and jumped the water bucket, earning her the name Jetblue.

From the start, Jetblue was a home grown collaborative project between Lorenzo and me and I have copious notes and photos about every step, from haltering to clipping to Jetblue's very first show.

So you can imagine how we felt when Jetblue suffered a life threatening right dorsal displacement of her colon on the snowy morning of January 18.  We did everything in our power to save Jetblue and so did a lot of other folks:  my husband, Don,  Dr. Barb Crabbe and Nikki James of Pacific Crest Sporthorse, my daughter (Rosie), and the amazing staff at Oregon State University's Veterinary Teaching Hospital, particularly Dr. Jill Parker and Dr. John Schlipf.

Last Saturday was Jetblue's first full day at home and the beginning of her recovery process here at the ranch.  The first task -- disolving a monster aspirin in warm water, applesauce, and molasses and syringing it down Jetblue -- took some teamwork, but Lorenzo and I managed nicely.  We hotpacked the area of Jetblue's neck where the catheter had been and carefully openned up a small scab there to ensure drainage.

There were some wonderful, almost magic moments Saturday like this interaction between Jetblue and Lorenzo.

 Thanks to Lorenzo and Rosie, Jetblue had a fair amount of hand walking...

And even some hand grazing...

Since I'm in the process of trying to mend three ribs myself, Lorenzo graciously volunteered his time to help out and what a blessing it was to have him here.  The talented horseman also helped aid yet another recovery by saddling, walking, and trotting Whisper.

As of this point in time, I feel very blessed and I'm thankful, relieved, and happy that Lorenzo and I get to continue our adventure with Jetblue.

“A single day is enough to make us a little larger or, another time, a little smaller.” ~Paul Klee

Homecoming

Jetblue came home from OSU today, one week and two days after major life saving surgery.  Lorenzo backed her out of the trailer and walked her down toward Drifty's paddock, calling the mare.

Drifty loped up to the gate and reached over to sniff her baby.  She and Jetblue touched noses -- it was a very sweet moment.

No one can say for sure what was going through Drifty's mind this past week, but Lorenzo and I both noticed that she seemed disheartened and a little depressed.  Her former life as a broodmare probably lead her to believe that she would never again see Jetblue.  So there was definitely a sense of relief and joy in the encounter at the gate.

Jetblue has lost a lot of weight, so we'll be carefully adjusting her diet to add a few pounds and then maintain her during her two-month stall rest.  Her care will involve hot-packing the catheter site to encourage drainage from a bit of swelling there, and administering aspirin to avoid any blot clots.  We'll be aggressive with the use of the cribbing collar, too, since cribbing can definitely lead to things like a right dorsal colon displacement.

This night, our barn once again seems complete.  Jetblue is home and there's a sense of renewed hope and purpose.

Thank you for your prayers!

Jetblue, Back at Home

Jetblue Comes Home Tomorrow

Jetblue's surgeon, Dr. Jill Parker, cleared the filly to come home today.  So tomorrow, Lorenzo and I will work to knock off our chores as early as possible before taking the truck and trailer south to Corvallis.  There, will pick up Jetblue and head home.  The filly is scheduled for two months of stall rest before graduating to a small paddock.  Her incision will be totally healed at three months.  Thanks for your prayers and well wishes!

A Single Conversation With a Wise Man Is Better Than Ten Years of Study

The title line for this post is a Chinese proverb.

In my case, the most illuminating conversation of the day was with a wise woman.  Terri at Outwest Saddlery in Pagosa Springs, Colorado really knows her bosals, and mecates, and fiadors.  About now, you're probably wondering what I'm talking about...

A bosal is a braided rawhide noseband, a vaquero hackamore.  Bosals come in thick and narrow widths and are rated by the size of the braid, a PLAIT number.  The higher the number, the tinier the braid and typically, the softer the action of the bosal.  There's more to it.  Terri taught me that the bite of the bosal also depends on how the edges of the rawhide strands are finished.  If they are smoothed down, the bosal has a much more mild action.  If they are left square, it's a sharper sensation for the horse.

Yesterday, I posted a photo of Lorenzo riding Whisper in the rain and you can see that he's using a bosal with a mecate, the long horse mane hair rope that doubles as both reins and an extra length of rope to either tie or lunge a horse.  Here's a snapshot of my bosal, mecate, and the leather hanger that goes up over the horse poll, behind his or her ears.

Terri taught me that it's important to have a mecate that is a similar thickness to the bosal for proper balance.  So, I snapped this photo and shot it off to her via e-mail today.

If the bosal knot and mecate are not properly balanced, a fiador or throatlatch can be added to achieve this.  If a fiador is used, a browband is generally added to the hanger.  For more information, check out these links:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosal or http://www.outwestsaddlery.com/html/mecates___bosals.html.

The advantage of starting a young horse in a bosal is that you don't have to use a bit during a period when the horse is actively replacing baby teeth with adult teeth.  A bosal is also very useful for teaching flexion, although it has a limitation in that it isn't as good as a snaffle bit for obtaining lateral flexion in the horse.

Here at the ranch, we've taken to using a bosal, mecate, and hanger when a horse seems to be having trouble working well in the bit.  Every horse here is up to date on dentals and we're constantly evaluating saddle fit, but occasionally, we run into some resistance that we just can't explain.

Our bosal been very useful for riding both Irish and Whisper and we're really considering starting Jetblue with this set-up in lieu of a snaffle bit.  Over the next few days, Terri will help me understand the pluses and minuses of various bosals and I'll do a little more research so I can make an informed decision.

Gosh, I love learning.  The following quote from freelance writer Robert Brault is one of my favorites.

"Each day learn something new, and just as important, relearn something old."  ~Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com

Shooting for Friday

It's looking like Jetblue will be able to come home this coming Friday.  She's eating, drinking, and pooping just fine and the infection near her former catheter spot does not appear to have made it into the filly's blood.  The swelling along her ventral line is going down, too.  All good news.

Jetblue's surgeon, Dr. Parker, advises keeping the filly on stall rest for a full two months when she comes home.  This means lots of hand walking and hand grazing and stall toys or activites that engage Jetblue, but will not get her too hyped up.  Ideas or suggestions?

Keeping Jetblue occupied is going to be important as she tends to crib when she's bored.  Since cribbing is a key factor which can lead to colic, we'll be doing everything we can, including the as needs use of a cribbing collar or a grazing muzzle.