The Cats of Salmon Brook Farm

Left to right – Abby, Nano, Marcus, Hope, Lucio and Willow. The photo was taken back in 2012. Willow, Abby, Lucio, Hope, Nano and Marcus have since passed away. No one in that group above is left.  The Three Sisters did not arrive until 2013. Blynken of the Three Sisters passed away from a heart attack in February 2022.

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.

Marcus cat was named after my father Marcus, the handsome Marine in the middle with his pet monkey. The photo is from WWII. The identities of his companions are unknown.

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.

Curious Nod, spying on outside activities. “You won’t believe what I just saw!” she says.

Blynken the quiet Intellectual and sometimes, gossip, giving Nod an earful!

Lovely long-haired Wynken, a very thoughtful girl. Lead cat of the Three Sisters.

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”

 

 *********************

Cats Emeritus:  These treasured family members have gone on to join the greater Universe.  We miss them!

Marcus lived to 16.5 years. He developed CKD in his later years. A large tumor, probably an adenocarcinoma, was found by the vet to be constricting his intestines. He was put to sleep January 20, 2024. We love and miss you, Marcus.

Nano was a wild tomcat who showed up many years ago. His age was a bit of a guess. We trapped, neutered and vaccinated him, and in spite of all that, he stuck around and moved inside, joining the residents. He developed CKD in his golden years, and was euthanized in early August 2023 when in spite of prescription food, supplements and subcutaneous fluids it became a quality of life issue. We love you and miss you Nano.

Blynken on February 15, 2022. She was euthanized after being taken into emergency on 2/24/22 and being diagnosed with left heart failure and a clot in one of her atria. They clinic tried hard to save her, but in the end, she had to be put to sleep the morning of 2/25/22. She would have been 9 years old on August 1st, 2022

Hope was born to a feral mother under the old doublewide on the same site as the new house. She and her brother Marcus were absorbed into our family, where they have been loved and cherished. Hope passed away from cancer May 21, 2010

Lucio was named for the late Lucio Sorre, a past president of The Society of Wine Educators. A larger than life presence here, our Lucio was 15 years 7 months when he unexpectedly died in his sleep.

Abby, who could also have been named Eleanor of Aquitane. She was an adventurous, happy and determined spirit, a commanding presence who purred right up to the end. She was 18 1/2 when she passed on.

Willow was roughly 22 years old when she passed on. She was an exceptional cat, known for her spirit and opinions on life.

Old Klaatu on his barrel dining station

Mr. Austin, left, and Mr. Beaucastel on the right. Watching the grill on the old porch, waiting for the fish to come off.