My parents have owned their farm from 1983-now. We have had many cats on that farm and only a select few were the alpha males for those years. I’m writing about them to try and better remember them. They were:
- Bear- 1983-1996
- Snowball -1997-97
- Streak – 1998-1999
- Blackie – 1999-2009
- Fred – 2009
Bear was the son of my parents first cat, Bessy. He was born on another farm my parents owned before they moved here and he came with them. He was the lead guy for many years because of his size and toughness. He was bit in the head by a large dog and survived but was blinded in one eye. He was pitch black and was a very large cat. He would let out a constant meow to let you know he was coming up. He was an expert mouse and bird killer and feircely defended his territority from other male cats. He would let the younger male cats we had know he was boss by growling at them. The younger ones would cower and run off the deck. Bear lived off a mix of kibble and food he would catch for himself. He eventually died of cancer at the age of fourteen.
Snowball was a white male kitten we picked up free at a market and brought home. He did not last long. One day he disappeared. Wildlife most likely.
Streak was picked up at a market in Keady. He came after bear. His sister, Spunky, was killed. We had two other female cats, Fluffy and Boots as well. A stray female showed up as well and made herself at home on the deck with the other cats. Streak was hit by a car and was killed. By this time, all three female cats were expecting.
Tiger (the stray) gave birth to 5 kittens, 3 female and 2 male. The one male died at birth, leaving only one male kitten left. The one left would become the Alpha of the farm for ten years. Blackie was Tiger’s son and was a very large cat, like his father Streak. He weighed ten to fifteen pounds easily. He was very territorial and would beat up on the slightly younger male cat we also have. He would always patrol at night and come back the next day scraped up. In April of 2009 he was attacked by an animal. He was beginning to recover but fell to his wounds in June of 2009.
Boots was also pregnant the same time the stray female was and had her litter two weeks after. She had 6, three of each gender. We kept the largest cat, Fred. Fred is a large orange longhair cat. He is shy around new people but loves my parents, sister, and myself. He became the Alpha once Blackie died.
