I love this old photo! The featured image above was taken just after moving back into the new manufactured home on the farm in December of 2012. The old 1974 doublewide (nicknamed “The Mouse Hotel”) was taken down and replaced with a new manufactured home. Everyone was hungry, and I was able to get this photo of all the cats in their dishes at the same time, tails pointed out. We use glass bowls set inside three-cornered pans to help contain spilled food. Left to right – Abby, Nano, Marcus, Hope, Lucio and Willow. All are rescues or refugees. Willow passed away on December 20, 2018. She was 22 years old. Abby passed away on September 10, 2020. She was 18 1/2 years old. Lucio passed away on January 23, 2021. He was 15 years 7 months. Hope passed away from cancer on May 21, 2021. She was 13 years 10 months. Nano passed away from CKD complications on August 4, 2023. He was 17 years old, as best we can reckon. Marcus passed away on January 20, 2024 after a large tumor, probably an adenocarcinoma, was found to be constricting his intestine. He was 16.5 years old, and suffered from CKD as well. This page will continue to be a record of Oregon cats past and present. As the humans are aging too, we are not intentionally taking on more animals.
Marcus and his sister Hope were from the first set of mother-kitten refugees to show up here on the farm. Marcus was the most congenial, Hope the most skittish, with not much of a chance of finding a good home anywhere. They were hard to tell apart unless I saw their tails. Hope had a shorter tail with a kink at the end, something she had from birth. She was wary, but came a long way over the years, and was known for her “barking meow” call, like a small dog. Hope passed away from cancer on May 21, 2021. Marcus cat was named after my father, pictured below with two of his Marine buddies during WWII. Dad is the handsome Marine in the middle with the monkey companion. Dad was quite also quite fond of cats.
Nano the Great White Hunter, now a Cat Emeritus, pictured with Marcus in the second photo. Nano showed up from nowhere, and used to hunt gophers and mice out back. He and the now departed Klaatu (probably a relative of his) cleared the property of gophers. Nano stuck around, even after trapping him to vaccinate and neuter. He got into too much trouble with other critters out there who beat him up too many times, requiring veterinary care. So he moved inside, where he became my caretaker. After my two surgeries in 2010, he never left my side, and fretted if I had been up too late. We called him “Dr. Nano”, for his white coat. He tried to herd me back to bed if I was past curfew…
The latest residents, left to right: Wynken, Blynken and Nod (see the February 2014 Newsletter). This photo is the best one I have of them so far as a trio, as they had so much energy and didn’t hold still well for the camera. Very loving and sweet girls, all of them. Wynken the longhair is by far the largest and strongest. Blynken had a heart murmur as a kitten, which she had outgrown. On February 25, 2022, she was put to sleep after being taken to emergency the day before and being diagnosed with left heart failure. A clot discovered in one of her atria had also moved, and she was in severe pain and was not able to be outside the oxygen cage. I called her the quiet intellectual, as she studied people and was a good lap cat. Little Nod, with her stunning Paul Newman blue eye, is the commentator of the group, and quite talkative. Her nickname is “Sister Bertrille, The Flying Nod” for her tendency to take a flying leap and ride about on my shoulders while I am working. One has to be prepared for that. She is entering her senior years now and does not take so many flying leaps these days.
The sisters as young adults. They still sported their grey stripes on their heads back then. All are now solid white.
Below are some photos from their early days when they first appeared. When they first showed up, we put fencing in front of the shed to protect them at night.
And then they moved in to safer quarters…
The little orange guy is Tio Pepe, the only male in the litter. Tio Pepe and mama Silvie found a home with a friend. (see the February 2014 Newsletter). The Three Sisters, now The Two Sisters have been with us for over 8 years now, and remain with us. Blynken will remain forever in our hearts.
Silkie is the latest resident, a brown and grey tabby who showed up in 2021. Our neighbor was familiar with him and a few others like him from his feral colony. Initially a foster, he became a resident. A few ongoing medical issues, but is relatively healthy and stable at this time. The vet thinks he may have been hit by a car or suffered some kind of trauma in his murky unknown past. An ultrasound revealed multiple liver nodules, hypertrophy of one kidney, and an irregular spleen that appeared “folded”. His name comes from Celtic mythology. Silkies were the Seal people, who could take human form on land. There is an old folk song I learned off of a Joan Baez record when I was very young called “The Silkie”
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Cats Emeritus: These treasured family members have gone on to join the greater Universe. We miss them!
What a cute clutch of cats. They look like they keep you busy. Our old calico is the alpha cat around our place as far as she’s concerned.
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Thanks, Timothy! They are a wonderful bunch of cats, and they sure do keep us busy. I love the photos of your kitties too, especially Rosencrantz with those fangs!
I think it is in the Calico genome to consider themselves Alpha cats.
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I’m really impressed by this family of beautiful cats! They sure look all very happy… I wonder if Mr. Bowie would be welcome to share some of his fresh catnip…
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Thanks, Herman and Mr. Bowie! We do our best to keep everybody healthy and happy here. Mr. Bowie is always welcome to share fresh catnip with the Salmon Brook cat crew. They are growing some too! And we have plenty of dark chocolate for Herman…
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How lovely to meet your cat family, present and past. Adorable, all of them.
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Thank you! All different little personalities, and all so adorable. Cats are great companions.
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What a lovely place this must be. 🙂
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Thank you! We love it here, and every season has its own particular beauty. Australia, your home, is also quite lovely. I’ve never been there, but the photos of the countryside I’ve seen on various blogs paint a beautiful picture.
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Very nice, expressive photos.
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Thanks for stopping by, Cynthia! They are all wonderful companions.
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Wonderful to see all your fur friends and hear their stories. You’re very kind and generous to have so many. My brother has four, I suffice with two. They came as a pair for a birthday gift from my brother. I’ve had many cats over the years but this is the first time I’ve had more than one. Even though they go at it sometimes, they still love to snuggle together which is so cute. Thanks for visiting my blog, much appreciated. Happy New Year!
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Hi Boomdee! I haven’t gone looking for them, but they do find their way here. I love all of them. 🙂
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Love it! Now that is an honorable amount of cats to have. 😉
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Hi Tom, and Happy New Year! Thanks for stopping by and visiting the cat page! They are a good crew of cats, every last one of them. The Three Sisters have a potential adopter, another friend whose two old kitties (who were in their 20s) passed on this past year. She can’t take them right now, so I am still fostering them and they are officially part of the crew. Nod is still The Commentator, Blynken the Quiet Intellectual, and our lovely long-haired Wynken, the biggest of the three, is the Lead Singer of their group. A friend back east sent me this for my birthday…
http://www.bitsandpieces.com/product/cat_serenade_statue
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I’ve seen the statue before. Very cute. The problem with fostering is they are so hard to give up. (probably why I have 21 at the moment) 😀 I’m glad i found your blog. I look forward to exploring it. 😉
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Thank you, Tom. I post once a month within the first 2 weeks. And yes, those little foster cats grow on one, don’t they? 🙂
21 cats is a lot of food and loving to dispense! 🙂
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Always wanted to run a restaurant. 😉
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Hi Lavinia, I tried to comment, but WordPress sometimes gets quirky and tries to get me to sign in as Greg even when I try to tell it it’s me… So, I’ll just say here: I love your cat photos! I love calicos and silver tabbies myself, and every calico photo reminds me of the most powerful childhood contentment and love. But the three white cats! So beautiful. Thanks for posting them! Warmly, Jean Eisenhower gregrenfro.com
Music: a non-addictive, mood-altering non-substance. Common side effects include: dancing, leg rhythms, head-bobbing, finger-snapping, and song melodies stuck in your head. Ask your doctor if music is right for you.
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Thank you. I’ll have to make a point of putting on one of the silver tabbies for you. I have several. Music is one of my favorite addictions. 😉
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Tom – here are Jean and Greg’s WordPress sites. These musicians are out of Silver City, New Mexico.
http://jeaneisenhower.com/
http://gregrenfro.com/
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Thanks for the links. 🙂
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Hi Jean! Thanks so much for stopping by! WordPress does keep us all on our toes.
The Three Sisters cats are just like the mountains! Snow white and streaks of grey on their rocky tops. Hopefully someday I will see you and Greg perform in person. A good festival to check out is the Spokane Fall Folk Festival. It is an indoor folk fest in November at the community college, multiple stages and lots of attendees. I hope to get back there eventually. I’m a caregiver right now, and my travel is limited.
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Thanks and appreciation goes out to you and your brother for getting your father’s photo into this page!!
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Thanks for stopping by! This is my favorite picture of him. I often wonder what became of his monkey friend. Perhaps another soldier took him on? Dad was also very fond of cats, and I think would be proud to have one named after him. I have childhood memories of him, under a car changing the oil. Usually one of the cats was under the car talking to him. They would have a conversation going along the lines of “Really? You don’t say! Well then, I’ll have to do something about that!” I think he preferred their company over most people.
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He sounds like someone I could relate to!
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🙂 The older I get, the more I understand him.
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Pingback: The Great Grey Hunter « Hands on Bowie
Readers, please visit Mr. Bowie’s site to learn more about this beautiful and talented British Shorthair!
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Thank you for this nice comment, Lavinia. Mr. Bowie says “Meow!”
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Wynken, Blynken, and Nod – I love this! P.S. Came through Mr Bowie’s website! Ellie, Bo, and Kobi
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Mad Hooligans, thanks for stopping by! Welcome to Salmon Brook Farms!
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Thanks for visiting my blog, Lavinia. I must tell you that the banner photo of this page makes me smile. It is such a great photo! Best to you and Rick and the entire menagerie.
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Thanks for stopping by the cat page, Cynthia! That photo was taken right after the move into the new house, and all the cats were hungry and happy to have the food bowls out and loaded up with chow.
We just got back from visiting friends and family back east we hadn’t seen in a long, long time, and it will take me a little while to catch up with all of you. All the best to you and your family!
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Thank you!
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OMG… They’re all so gorgeous! 😀
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Thank you, Kevin! They are all beautiful little souls, every one of them.
If you like cats, another WordPress site you might enjoy is Katzenworld
https://katzenworld.co.uk/
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Thanks Laviniia. I’m already familiar with Katzenworld 😊
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Pingback: Guitar Mancer — Episode 19: Head-on | Teagan's Books
Readers, please visit Teagan’s Books at the link above. Always a good story in progress!
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Cats are very nice! I think it’s a lot of work with so many, but they give so much love again, and cure and understand you. I cannot have here any pets because paintings and paints are everywhere, but your place must be very safe.
Happy, rich, healthy and creative 2017 for you and for all the extended family!
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The cats do provide so much love! They give us far more than we humans realize. We work at keeping the place safe for them. They continually find new ways to challenge us in that department. I used to do pen & ink drawings long, long ago, and also worked in acrylic paints. I could not do paints in here now, although I keep thinking about doing artwork again.
The same wishes for you for 2017! Have a wonderful year ahead!
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Pingback: Post 1476: Willow of Salmon Brook Farms | weggieboy's blog
What beautiful cats! I also have six cats!
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Thank you for stopping by, Luanne! Our head count is 9 cats now. 🙂
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Oops, I have some catching up to do!
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Having previously met some of the cats in their roles as feline correspondents, It was nice to get their bios in this piece. Lovely family.
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Thanks for stopping by the cats’ page, Pat! They are a lovely family. 🙂
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What a full loving life you have with your furry friends! They reflect what I see in the wild and that is every animal has its own unique personality!
Nano has a wild streak in him.To grab Gophers would require great skill and strength!
I bet nobody messes with him!
Abby was rescued from a cat show and she had a bad eye. She must of gotten the bad eye after being a show cat. CBC just had a great show on cats in shows. “Catwalk”.
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Good to see you, and thanks for stopping by, Toffino Photography! Yes, every animal, just like the human animal, has their own unique personality.
All our cats have backstories. Mr. Nano was an outside cat, a feral, long ago. I brought him in about 9 years ago, when he was tame enough. I don’t let any of the cats outside to due to predators, traffic, parasites and various human activities in the area. When he was an outside feral, I watched him hunt, as well as other neighborhood cats. He would watch a gopher hole for hours. When one appeared, he did a vertical lift-off, coming down and landing right on top of the gopher. A miss can mean serious injury, and I have seen gophers turn and lunge at a cat. The Camas pocket gopher is one of the most vicious animals for its size known.
All the best to you. You have some amazing wildlife photography posted!
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He’s my favourite! I’ve never heard of a cat taking down Gophers before.
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Stronger, more adept cats can take down pocket gophers. They must taste good compared to mice and shrews. He used to eat those after throwing them against the sliding glass door of the old house and leave the smaller prey for us. 🙂
Here is a link to Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife’s pocket gopher page.
https://myodfw.com/wildlife-viewing/species/pocket-gophers
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out of the five they list we only have the Northern. I don’t think we have any on Vancouver island.
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Your babies are beautiful.
I love their crochet blanket! I crochet too for home and animal organisations.
I have 3 at home, all come with stories and loveable personalities.
I have more than 3 in the office car park.
Kind regards
Kavita
Sunshiny South Africa
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Thank you for stopping by, Kavita, and for the kind comments! Welcome aboard to Salmon Brook Farms. The crocheted blanket was a gift from a friend many years ago. I never took up crocheting, but it is on my list of things to learn.
Wishing you and your cats all the best. 🙂
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Thank you Lavinia. I love my kitties. I just bought a mountain of cat food, so treats ahead. Thank you for the warm welcome. Your home is beautiful.
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They are all such beauties… You have your hands full there! I have enough going on with just two cats. 😀
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Hi Kevin! Yes we sure do have our hands full here with all the kitties. Five of them are in their senior years now. It’s a lot of cat care. 🙂
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The most we ever had at one time was four cats. We’re quite content with two these days. 😀
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And here is the delightful crew! That’s a winning shot up top. I like your clever food bowl idea, too.
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Thank you! Yes, the cat crew was ready to sit down together and eat after a hard day of moving and being in carriers all day! The three-corned pans work well for helping to contain spilled food. 🙂
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Nice!
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Good to see you, Alys! Thanks for stopping by from Gardening Nirvana and visiting our kitties! They thank you for the kind comment. 🙂
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Thank you!
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Hi Lavinia. I realize there might be far too much going on for you to reply. I don’t have good access to news, so I wanted to let you know that I’m sending every good vibe for the health and safety, and wellbeing of you, Rick, and all the kitties. Particularly Abby Cat. Hugs on the wing.
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Hi Teagan, I will be going offline for a bit after I let a few people know.
Abby cat was euthanized yesterday morning amid all the chaos. She had been losing muscle mass and weight over the summer, and was staying very close to me. Although her kidneys were doing very well, and the rest of her blood work they did last Friday was very good for an 18 1/2 yer old cat, diabetes was discovered. She was put on insulin, and monitored carefully, but there was something else going on as well. She collapsed yesterday morning, and I rushed her in. A large mass was discovered in her abdomen, which was quite likely cancer of some sort. She was dying on the table, and we gave authorization to let her pass on peacefully. We buried her yesterdsay in the garden under my office window, where I can watch over her. She was a dear old kitty.
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I’m so sorry, Lavinia. I know too well how it hurts. I’m glad it was peaceful for her.
Praying for your safety. Hugs.
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Thank you, Teagan. Hugs to you and Crystal, too. ❤
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My goodness…you have quite the pack of felines! And all so pretty/handsome. And love living…you must be quite the cat whisperer to have had many for so long. Good on you! And thank you for swinging by the Ranch and for the follow. We 💙 fellow pet lovers.
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Thank you, Tails Around the Ranch! A good veterinary team is crucial to longevity, too, and I have have been blessed there.
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Well clearly you have a great and dedicated team. Kudos!
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Pingback: Rick & Lavinia Ross, Salmon Brook Farms – Summer 2021 | Salmon Brook Farms
Pingback: The Final Post – Salmon Brook Farms, Winter 2023 | Salmon Brook Farms
Don’t know when or if you’ll see this but I am very sorry about Marcus. Doug kindly shared the news.
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Thank you for your condolences, Angela. They are much appreciated. You and I both know how hard it is to lose one of our furry companions. Yes, Doug kindly offered to do post the news. During this last year Marcus stuck very close to us, especially the last 2 weeks. He was letting us know. That tumor was fairly large and must have been growing for a while before hitting a tipping point.
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Thanks for responding. I have been through it myself and it never gets easier, I just wanted you t know my prayers and thoughts are with you all
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💙🌈🐾😿
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