silver plains project ~ felines gallery silver plains project ~ felines gallery

this site is patrolled by felines |    

olive 09JN07 02 olive 09AU16 emdash tree 09AP24 02 emdash olive 08OC10 02 olive 07JL08 01 emdash 07JL04 emdash 07JN24 emdash 07JN03 emdash goose 07AP18 olive vole 07AP08 02 emdash 07MR25 olive 07MR25 1 olive 07MR25 2 emdash olive 07MR25 02 olive_emdash_07MR13 emdash olive mouse 07MR06 olive emdash 07MR03 coleen emdash olive 07MR03 emdash 07JA01 emdash 06DE24 olive 06OC27 emdash 06OC27 simba 06AU14

 

emdash olive 07MR25 02 emdash and olive ~ 07MR25 olive 09AU16 olive ~ 09AU16 olive 09JN07 02 olive ~ 09JN07-02 emdash tree 09AP24 02 emdash ~ 09AP24-02 emdash olive 08OC10 01 emdash and olive ~ 08OC10-01     |     emdash olive 08OC10 02 emdash and olive ~ 08OC10-02     |     emdash olive 08OC10 03 emdash and olive ~ 08OC10-03     |     emdash olive 08OC10 04 emdash and olive ~ 08OC10-04     |     olive 07JL08 01 olive ~ 07JL08 emdash 07JL04 emdash ~ 07JL04 emdash 07JN24 emdash ~ 07JN24 emdash 07JN03 emdash ~ 07JN03 emdash goose 07AP18 emdash and gander ~ 07AP18 olive vole 07AP08 02 olive and vole ~ 07AP08 emdash 07MR25 emdash ~ 07MR25 olive 07MR25 1 olive ~ 07MR25 olive 07MR25 2 olive ~ 07MR25 olive emdash 07MR13 olive and emdash ~ 07MR13 emdash olive mouse 07MR06 emdash, olive, and mouse ~ 07MR06 the mouse is between the flower pots on the shelf to left coleen emdash olive 07MR03 coleen, olive, emdash ~ 07MR03 olive emdash 07MR03 olive and emdash ~ 07MR03 emdash 07JA01 emdash ~ 07JA01 emdash_06DE24 emdash ~ 06DE24 olive 06OC27 olive ~ 06OC27 emdash 06OC27 emdash ~ 06OC27 simba 06AU14 simba ~ 06AU14 (Simba disappeared soon after this photo was taken.)
 

more than just rodent patrol

When Coleen first arrived at Silver Plains, she brought a cat named Simba with her. She was a lovely cat, who felt out of place at first, then settled into having so much room to roam and an abundance of rodents to occupy her. Unfortunately, she disappeared the following summer. She was outside one night in September 2006 and has not been seen since.

Soon after Simba's disappearance, we went into Winnipeg, to the Humane Society, and brought two year old Olive home with us. The very next day, as we were working in the yard, a kitten appeared out of nowhere. Robert watched from the tractor as a small black blur made a beeline for Coleen.

Olive suffered from the HS blues when she first arrived. She did not like us or here at first. She would sit on the back of a couch in the living room and scowl at us. She growled regularly at the small one. It took her some time — about six months — to thaw. Now, we have never known such a warm and affectionate cat.

We first named the kitten Squeak, as she didn't have much of a meow. Perhaps because she was very sick when she invited herself into our lives. We had to feed her subcutaneously for a couple of weeks and treat her for ear mites and some unknown disorder similar to (if not) distemper. We subsequently decided to call her Emdash; an apt name as it turns out: she rarely walks anywhere, usually dashing out the door when it's opened, whether for her or not.

Olive and Emdash have become very much part of the family here. They are, as one would expect, excellent at catching rodents. Which is good for us, not so good if you're small and furry. As well, they often follow us around the property, keeping an eye out for us, when we go for walks. They have provided many moments of amusement: like when Emdash did the I'm-bigger-than-you-think-I-am thing, arching her back and bushing out her tail, at the tractor or when Olive was growling at us and getting under foot when we went for a walk instead of feeding her supper right away. It took them a while — Olive especially was not impressed with Emdash — but now they are a pair.

Unique in their ways, adepts at what they do, they often delight, sometimes annoy, and frequently amaze us. If only we could get them to weed.

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