Psychic Cats and Cotton Candy

[Jcran]

This morning I slept in (y'all know this is a sad story now, don't you)after banishing my 7-year old to the cartoons in the back room at 6:00 a.m. Got up at a lazy 7 a.m. only 'cause the geriatric cat kept climbing on me and talking; she finally walked into my bathroom and PEE'D on the shower mat, even though there's a catbox for her ancient bones!! ----ed me off too...tossed her out the back door, planning to go back to sleep, but heard a crying baby! HOLY BUCKETS! Literally screamed for my 7-year old to grab towels, I raced for the pasture. Saw a big healthy and dead buck kid stretched out in the 38 degree pouring rain and mud (over 4 inches of rain since Monday) but heard something under the shelter. Buttercup, a fullblood boer first freshener, had kidded. I grabbed the live kid, a doe, wrapped her up, ran her to the barn and handed her off to my daughter. Grabbed Buttercup and switched out the goats in the barn. She hadn't even cleaned off babies though she'd passed afterbirth and everything. Just knuckleheaded first freshener. Anyhow, got kid, shivering, to nurse both sides, then dipped her navel and packed her into a well bedded kidding pen with mom. When I left an hour later, mom was FINALLY starting to lick her. Now the self flagellation. I had down a March 20th kidding date, but KNEW she would go sooner. I even counted back 21 days, thinking she might go on an earlier cycle, but that still put her at March 1stish. I will NEVER make this mistake again. STUPID, STUPID me. Loosey goosey kidding dates make for dead kids. I am going to put does in pen NEXT to buck next time(she'd spent 3 months with him). Then I will see for sure WHEN they come into heat. Anyhow, doe kid is named Cotton Candy (we're the "fair food" theme this year). And I will never ignore the cat again. I am SURE she was trying to tell me...she hangs out in the barn all summer. Good kitty! I will keep a close eye on baby since she was cold and wet for a good long time. Anything I should do for her proactively?

[Sweet Goats]

WOW Joan. Arn't those cats smart? Thank goodness you got up.
I am sorry about the lost buck,hope Cotton Candy hang in there.

[BlueHeronFarm]

My girls aren't due for another six weeks and my geriatric cat has been peeing the bath mat for months. Weird. I guess it's an old cat thing? I think it's like dementia.

Sorry about your buckling, but congrats on cotton candy.

[cayenne47]

Hiya Joan
while youre getting the rain, we have almost 6 inches of snow with no end in sight
All my pretty white goats look positively dirty in this, lol.
Blackberry and Ida B are doing wonderfully, still bottom of the pecking order but moving up fast. They dont take any guff from anyone.

I'm sorry about your baby. Always listen to your cats, lol.

[KayJay]

Congrats on Cotton Candy! Sorry to hear about the buck kid, but glad you were able to get out in time to save the one you did.
On another note, I got up this morning to a whole load of chilly rain down here southeastish of ya and of course my Brigid was just starting to push.

[Blossomgapfarm]

I am sorry about the buck kid. I know it is so hard to loose one like that. Don't beat yourself up too bad. Just be careful putting the buck in the pen next to your girls next year - you don't want him to breed them through the fence! Congrats on the doe. I love the name Cotton Candy.