Outstanding In Their Field
Are you a cat or a dog person? I have started planting, and not only am I hoping to raise a good crop of corn and soybeans, but I am also considering raising cats as livestock. I also have a bone to pick with Elon Musk and electric vehicles.
Last fall while baling my last hay field, my tractor died in the middle of the field. It would not restart; its electrical functions were completely dead. My rudimentary knowledge of diesel engines ruled out the ignition switch and battery. I had to load the tractor on a trailer and haul it to the dealership. I thought the mechanic would fix it easily. I was wrong.
It turned out that the wiring harness had shorted out in multiple places, most, but not all the damage was from rodents chewing on wires. This tractor had run almost flawlessly for 3,500 hours for 16 years. It is now running again and pulling the corn planter. After spending over $5,000 in labor, I have declared war on mice on my farm. Bring on the cats!
When I was a kid, cats were not considered pets. They were mousers with a purpose; they worked for a living. Now 50 years later, cats are like family and have a Christmas stocking and like many of us, overfed and spoiled. 50 years ago, coyotes were scarce, and 20 cars a day came down the road. Cats had the run of the farm, free range.
That won’t work today. Coyotes are plentiful and find cats delicious. My “country” road probably has over 1,000 vehicles a day. It is not uncommon for me to see a dead cat at least once a month within a mile of my house. I have been lucky enough to keep a trio of mousers locked in my one machinery shed all winter.
I quickly found out that when they were fed too much in a pampered home, they never wanted to work. I grumbled when a trip to vet for spaying/neutering, shots, and de-worming was what I thought was a Kings ransom.
Poison is not an answer. I am too aware of the dangers of pass-through and secondary poisoning. My current dogs are no help; they might run the other way if they saw a mouse. I fully understand why one my friends told me years ago he deducted his cat’s food and vet bills as a farm expense.
I see why the Egyptians worshipped cats. I have also learned how to feed the cats the right amount so that they stay close to the barn for safety, but not so much that they still have a desire to hunt vermin. They have one very important job; I do not want another repair bill like the recent one.
This is not an invitation for irresponsible pet owners to drive to the country and dump their unwanted, feral and fertile cats on our doorstep. I have only lost one cat in 5 years. But now my cats have a new danger.
Recently I loaded a customer’s trailer that he pulled with his Ford Lightning electric truck. My cat was working to see to it that any mice hiding in the hay were turned into protein energy for their day’s activities. When the customer pulled away, he almost crushed the cat. Electric vehicles do not start; they do not crank over and make noise to warn you they are about to move. These vehicles should at least go beep, beep, beep when the owners “start” them.
Such a safety feature could save a cat’s life; it might even save mine. In the interest of running my farm, we both are important. Elon, you got connections; get to work on this.
John Kiefner farms in Manhattan, Illinois, as the 3rd generation to earn a living off the land in Will County. He believes you are never too old to learn or laugh.