Our animals
The cast of characters, continued...
REDFORD
The original barn cat. He showed up in July 2014 around the same time as Emerson, and we think they were dumped together. Redford is a magnificent orange polydactyl cat -- he has extra toes on his front paws! He was probably born sometime in early 2013.
For weeks he wouldn't come anywhere near us. In the end, we managed to shut him in the garage, live-trap him, then take him to the vet for neutering and vaccines. It took a long time to earn Redford's trust, but earn it we did. He is a wonderful cat: handsome, affectionate, and excellent at vermin control. He enjoys regular cuddles and lap time. He also loves to play with his pal Emerson.
BUTTERCUP
One of the Greek triplets. She is the only one who has chosen to remain a barn cat! She is beautiful, smart, confident and loving, not to mention the most devoted ratter/mouser you can imagine. She will often spend an hour perched near a hole in the duck coop floor, waiting for a hapless rodent to emerge. Buttercup has been offered the opportunity to live in the house with her sisters, but has shown no interest. She'd much rather be in the barn assassinating rodents and making her boyfriend Keaton do her bidding.
FINNEY
We adopted Finney along with his friend Esme on November 12, 2014. Finney is a chestnut pony (gelding) born in 2011. He was seized by the OSPCA and put into foster care while he waited for his new home. While in foster care, he bonded with Esme. Originally we were only supposed to adopt Esme (who was seized from the same barn as our pig Ophelia!) but how could we split these two up? So Finney and Esme moved to our farm, and were our very first equines. Talk about a steep learning curve!
Finney used to be nicknamed Ass-Pony (and is still called that sometimes!) because he was so naughty when he arrived. He wasn't gelded until he just before we got him at the age of three. He loved to bite when you least expected it, and he has kicked both of us at least once in the past. But with consistent training and lots of love, he has turned into the most wonderful, well-mannered pony. He just needed to learn what was expected of him. He's super smart, and is now fully broke to ride, and can also pull a sled. His dear friend Grace rode him at the Western events at Avonmore Fair and the Williamstown Fair in 2019. Grace has now moved on to riding horse, but her heart will always belong to Finney. Finney is an enthusiastic barrel racer, and a whiz at keyhole. He needs a little practice at pole-bending, though.
Finney of course still has a mischievious side, and if he thinks he can get away with something, he'll give it a try! We just love this guy.
MYSTIC
One fine day in July 2020, we were in the barn when our cat Louise popped her head around the corner… except Louise is an indoor cat, and this cat was not Louise! Mystic was a shy young guy who turned up at the farm one day and never left. At first he was very timid, but once he was neutered, he really came around, and he does like to be petted. He’s a sweet, mellow boy who enjoys supplementing his diet with rats, and also enjoys leaving their body parts scattered around the barn. His best buddy is Barnabas, and they are inseparable.
During the winter, Mystic enjoys a toasty months-long vacation in our barn, waiting for the kibble to be poured.
BARNABAS
Like his pal Gary, Barnabas came to us through the OSPCA’s “Working Cats” program on December 17, 2020. When he first arrived, he was so terrified he literally climbed the walls of his little room! He took a long time to come out of his shell, but he now realizes people aren’t so bad, and often come bearing gifts of food! He is a sweet, mellow, handsome guy who is best friends with Mystic, but also buddies with the other barn cats. He stays out of trouble and has been known to take out a sizeable number of rodents.
JIM
In March 2021, there was a post on Facebook about a cat in terrible condition who had showed up in a yard in Carlsbad Springs. He almost looked as if he had chemical burns on his face! The woman in whose yard he was found posted online, looking for help. We had space in our foster cat area, so we took Jim in. Thus began Jim’s long journey to healing.
Initially we thought he was an older cat due to his quiet demeanour, but that was just a result of his pain and suffering. He was only about a year old when we took him in. He is also polydactyl!
Our veterinary team set to work. It turned out Jim had severe eosinophilic allergies (food/environmental), a flea infestation, and a horrible underlying staph infection. He was so incredibly itchy, he had scratched his face and ears raw. His paws were also crusty and sore. He was also the nicest cat, still sweet and loving despite his pain
It took some testing, biopsies, and trial-and-error with treatments, but by the summer, Jim had finally healed completely to reveal the beautiful cat underneath. I had intended to adopt him out, but his initial adoption did not work out, so he came back to us, and it became clear that Jim was meant to stay at the farm. He is best buddies with our granary cat Chase, and their daily play sessions rock the building.
Jim is our beautiful ginger wonder-cat. He is still on small daily dose of prednisone, but he is doing great and really enjoys the catio our friend David built for him and Chase!
WILBERT
This spotted hunk of porcine magnificence was born in 2017 and came to us from another sanctuary on December 2, 2021.
Wilbert decided he preferred life as a free-ranging barn pig to being one of the Bee Meadow Herd, so he now has his own bed in the box stall area, and likes to hang out with his cat buddy Steve.
Wilbert LOVES blankets, busting into bags of horse feed, and doing tricks for treats. He also likes to rise up from under the blankets to scare the hell out of our vet Dr. Russ. You go, Wilbert, you go.
He’s just the most delightful piggy addition to our farm!
RIDLEY
Ridley the Ridley Bronze turkey (guess how she got her name?!) came to the farm with her boyfriend Ace in December 2020. Ridley takes crap from no one, including Ace, however she is quiet and peaceful and would never dream of assaulting the barn staff (unlike Ace!) She lays magnificent speckled eggs and in unendingly patient with Ace’s misguided attempts to mate with her (pro tip, Ace: don’t sit backwards on Ridley’s head!) Ridley is as nice a turkey as Ace is an *sshole! :)
STANLEY
This little cutie is a Katahdin/Dorper mix sheep who was born January 7, 2023. He is suffering from polioencephalomalacia (sheep polio, unrelated to human polio, and caused by thiamine deficiency.) He has mobility issues (which the vet hopes will improve with time!) and he is also blind. Stanley arrived here on February 3, 2023 and has been making us smile ever since. Our friend Sophie of PARC is working with him regularly in an effort to get him back on his hooves again.
MISSY
Missy moved into our barn with her buddy Lionel in September 2014. They were both living in the barn of a local couple who were concerned that they could not provide sufficient warmth and shelter for the cats in winter. Sadly, lovely Lionel died two weeks after we got him, despite our vet's valiant efforts to save him (the vet thinks it was toxoplasmosis that killed him.) Missy, however, has done wonderfully well here. She is a darling petite cat who loves to be petted and will meow loudly for attention until she gets it! But forget picking her up; she wriggles like a fish on a hook if you try to hold her. Missy was born sometime in April 2011.
HONEY
The feline personification of love, and one of the Greek triplets. Early on, Honey decided that she preferred to live in the house. I have never know a cat so content just to be carried around and snuggled. She is an absolutely exquisite little feline, and even certified cat-haters have fallen in love with her.
She specializes in inserting herself between your face and whatever tablet/phone/computer screen you may be staring at. She especially enjoys lying across your arms as you are typing.
She is a mighty huntress of dirty socks and old gloves, and delights in parading her "kills" around the house.
DUCKY
In the winter of 2015, we also took in Ducky, our neighbour's sole Muscovy duck. He wasn't being particularly nice to her chickens and she thought he'd have a better home with our ducks. Ducky is slightly deranged, and doesn't quite fit in with the flock, but we love him anyway!
HARRY and DIEGO
On August 17, 2017, we adopted Harry and Diego the Saanen goats. These lovely boys were born around 2009 and are a fabulous addition to our farm. They had been living at a sanctuary that was in the process of closing, so they needed a new home. These two are the biggest goats we have, and perhaps the smartest... Harry figured out how to open the door to the goat supply room soon after he arrived! It took two break-ins before we got smarter than a goat, and put on a locking hook.
These boys are just the sweetest! Harry is the one with the wonky horn.
GARY
This guy has perpetual murder face, but he has the sweetest little meow and a personality to match. That said, when rats see that murder face coming at them, it’s game over. This tabby guy is a top-notch assassin of vermin and he’s not shy about showing you his kills!
Gary came to us on January 6, 2021 through the OSCPA’s “Working Cats” programme, and work he does! Gary is single-handedly (pawedly?) responsible for the decimation of our rat population, so he claims. His fellow murderers Mystic and Barnabas beg to differ. Gary likes to be addressed as “Rat King.”
When not ending the lives of unsuspecting rodents, Gary enjoys napping in the hayloft and lounging about in the garden with his friends Mystic, Larry and Barnabas. His pitiful cries at dinnertime may make you think he is underfed, but his ever-expanding waistline says otherwise.
Gary’s claim to fame is getting snowed in under our deck when he went under it for a nap, the woke up to his exit hole being covered in a foot-and-a-half of snow. Fortunately after 48 hours of me calling him, and finally despairing about his survival, he deigned to answer, and I dug him out.
STEVE
This floofy delight came to us from another rescue. They were unable to adopt him out, and asked if he could be a barn cat here. How could we refuse?
Steve is affectionate and adorable, and possibly a few sardines short of a full can. He is wearing his YoPets tracker in this photo. Why? Because as soon as we released Steve into the barn after his two-weeks introductory confinement, he disappeared for four awful days. He came back thinner and screamier but otherwise intact. We promptly got him a GPS tracker.
Steve is unique in many ways. He eats by plunging his whole face into his food bowl, and often has remnants of his meal encrusted on his nose and face (clean-up in aisle 10!) Sometimes he bites the bowl while he is eating, like he can’t quite distinguish between it and the food.
His litterbox habits are dubious at best, and this is why the previous rescue couldn’t find him an indoor home. Sometimes he is great with the litterbox, and sometimes he just poops or pees wherever he is standing, not unlike a dog. A couch, a chair, a windowsill, a horse blanket, all of these, in Steve’s mind, are excellent places to poop.
Beyond his little quirks and general blank stare, he is just the nicest cat. He gets along well with all cats and dogs, and causes no trouble. He loves to hang out in the chicken coop and rumour has it that he is actually capable of snagging a rat! We are so glad this loveable floofball came to the farm.
UPDATE: Steve has now graduated to granary cat. We found out he had a gastrointestinal issue that needed treatment; once that was done, his litterbox issues resolved. Also, this loveable guy (who might possibly have been dropped on his head as a child!) lacks the common sense to live outdoors in the barn.
DEREK
This charmer came to us from the SD&G OSPCA in October 2021, two weeks after Scott. Like Scott, Derek was channelled into the working cats programme because he was biting every one at the shelter, so much so that they named him White Fang (his official name is now Derek White Fang Rowe-Campbell. Even his microchip is registered to that name!)
Derek didn’t mind barn life at all, but there was one problem. Derek has no sense of dangerous. In his first week loose, he was nearly eaten by our Maremma dog Monty (who guards our goats, sheep and pigs), and nearly stepped on by several horses. Derek is so chill, I think he forgets to move out of the way of danger. So after his second near-death experience with Monty, we decided to try him in the house. Not unlike Scott, he immediately fit in and made several feline friends. Derek and Scott hang out a lot, but Derek can also be seen with one of his collection of girlfriends: Honey, Daisy, Hannah and Mimi. He is the sweetest little guy, and he loves to groom other cats.
Derek’s markings are quite striking too! He is all white except for a black tail and and tiny black spot inside one ear. His toes beans are pink and black.
Derek is as dangerous to your supper as Scott, and they both have to be locked up at human dinner time! We’re so glad the OSPCA conned us into adopting this awesome little “barn cat!”
ACE
This splendid Royal Palm turkey came to the farm with his girlfriend Ridley in December 2020. He was living in Cornwall and his owners had intended to move out to the countryside with their birds, but when that didn’t pan out, Ace and Ridley came here
Ace likes humping Ridley backwards, showing off his feathers, and drop-kicking unsuspecting barn helpers from behind. Joseanne keeps threatening to end him, but so far Ace has kept his head!
He is definitely the showiest bird in the coop!
Pip was born in June 2013. We adopted her along with her friend Mootie in October 2014. Her owner was having health issues and had to move to a place that did not allow cats. We agreed to take in Mootie and Pip, but hilariously said they would have to be barn cats.
Suffice to say, they did not last long as barn cats. The sofa was the place for them! Unfortunately Mootie passed on in 2018, but Pip has found her place in the granary with her pals Taya, Fanny, Artemis and Chase. Pip, Taya and Fanny make up the
“Tabby Trifecta” of Bee Meadow Farm.
Pip is quiet, smart and loves a good cuddle. She also loves treats a little too much, and is on a perpetual diet. She has
gorgeous pointy ears and is laid-back and friendly.
Everybody loves Pip!
THE GREEK TRIPLETS
Buttercup, Daisy and Honey were abandoned at a dump in Syros, Greece. My friend Joan runs a cat rescue on the island, and took these three in. She desperately wanted to find them a home, but after a year there were still no takers. We told her that if she could get the cats to Canada, we would adopt them! Well, she did, and we did.
The girls were born in September 2013, and you can read more about their story on Joan's blog.
DAISY
One of the Greek triplets. Daisy is the triplet who most likes lying around doing nothing. Movement is not her forté. She is soft and plump and loves it if you massage her belly with your foot. Her tail twitches like a rattlesnake's when she's happy. She thought it was ridiculous being a barn cat. She much prefers to lounge around my office, sleeping. Food is her reason for living, which is why she's now on a strict diet.
NELLI, PULMU,ALMA & TILDA
In March 2015, we added four Plymouth Rock hens to our flock, whom Errol Flynn (who sadly died in 2016 at the age of 6) immediately took under his wing. He was probably relieved to find some others of his kind in the flock at last!
Their former owners took WONDERFUL care of them, giving them a special hand-mixed organic grain diet. Their first human mama is Finnish, hence the hens' exotic names. The girls are a delightful addition to the farm. They are great egg-layers, too.
Sadly, Alma died unexpected in 2016 but her sisters are thriving.
GEORGE
In February 2015, we took in Honey and George, a lovely and beloved pair of Saxony ducks whose first family needed to find a new home for them. Unfortunately, Honey passed away in her sleep in the summer of 2016, but George (born, er, hatched on July 15, 2013) lives on. He is the undeniable king of the coop, a bossy little guy who loves to hog the swimming pools, charm the duck girls, and generally proclaim his greatness to all and sundry with very loud, very assertive quacking. George is extremely secure in his masculinity and has a way with the Muscovy ladies in particular.
He loves to be sprayed with the hose while you are filling his swimming pool. On his birthday in July, he gets a bowl of plain popcorn. He's special that way!
CINDY
On March 23, 2017, we welcomed Cindy and her brother Ninja to the goat herd. They were a lovely pair of Pygmy-Nubian crosses, a sister and brother born in 2014. Sadly, we lost Ninja unexpectedly a few months later. Cindy is super-friendly and love to interact with people. She immediately befriended Salt, Pepper and Bert the day she arrived. Cindy has beautiful blue eyes. Cindy and Ninja's owner needed to find them a new forever home, so they came here. Those magnificent horns are used for good, not evil.
SCOTT
This adorable polydactyl boy came to the farm from the SD&G OSPCA in October 2021. He was biting everyone at the shelter, and because this made him hard to adopt out, he came to us through their working cats programme, destined to be a barn cat.
Not.
After two weeks in a large cage, Scott was released into the barn. The next morning, we found him outside, crying like a baby, with meek and milk Gary scaring him off from the barn entrance. It occurred to us that perhaps Scott was not cut out for barn life. He has been in the house ever since.
He is the most sweet, mellow soul. I really feel like he is the second coming of our dear departed cat Millicent. He gets along well with everyone, especially Derek, and he instantly befriend our cranky old tripod boy Alex.
Scott is affectionate and adorable, but trust him near your food. He can and will steal your supper right off your plate! He has been known to drag food bowls away from other cats.
Scott is an excellent barn-cat fail!
MAMA
This beautiful senior girl (born c. 2009) came to the farm in July 2020 after her owner sadly passed away. Her son Harley and friend Bobby also came with her. We sadly lost Bobby to liver disease later in 2020, and Harley was adopted out in 2021, but Mama is here for good. In 2021 she was diagnosed with high blood pressure and kidney disease. Her kidney disease improved after two dental surgeries and the removal of all but one tooth, but she is still on blood pressure pills and renal food, and twice a week she receives subcutaneous fluids. All things considered, she is doing very well and her kidney function improved from stage IV failure to stage II, which is amazing.
Mama is a super-affectionate queen who gets along well with out other cats. She likes to be brushed (until you start working on mats!) and will groom your hair for you anytime you like. She enjoys sitting with us on the couch and catching up on some Netflix.
When Mama is hungry, she’s not afraid to let you know it, and her meows can be heard half a mile away (slight exaggeration.) Although we intended to adopt our Mama, no one ever showed any interest in her, so we now have this gorgeous girl all to ourselves, and are trying to give her the nicest retirement possible!
TAYA
On March 20, 2018 kitten Taya arrived at the farm with her pals Chip, Dale and Julia. Her three friends soon found fur-ever homes, but Taya lingered. It didn’t help that she was untouchable; she was (and is) deeply distrustful of human beings, although she adores other cats. After four years, I still can’t touch or pick-up Taya; catching her for vet visits is always an ordeal! However she will take treats from my hand, and she is just an exquisite little Torbie.
She loves to snooze with her granary buddies Fanny and Pip and can often at the centre of a cat bed full of tabby girls.
I still dream of winning Taya’s trust one day… maybe in another four years! She’s sweet and quiet and loves to look out the window.