The short lives of so many barn cats

Pretty sure we've lost another barn cat. He's been gone for almost a week.  I took this picture of him and his pal, when they were snoozing in the silo the day before he failed to show up for the morning food.
They coyotes have been very bold, right up against the fence lately. Maybe that's what happened, although he was a big tom cat and pretty quick.
Usually the cats get hit on the road (two of ours so far in 3 years, plus a stray that had been hanging around). I cringe to use the word "usually", but it's the story that we hear from other people with farm cats all the time.
One (we think) got poisoned by antifreeze or something over at the farm across the street (they had a huge party, were doing car repairs all weekend, the cat disappeared for one full day and then was found on our driveway the morning after the night of the big fireworks at the party, not a mark on him.)

 
This one sort of had an "idea of a name", but I honestly don't remember what it was.  We didn't really name the kittens that we got last spring. It's harder to name them when you know you'll lose at least one each year...
I didn't get him neutered, which should have been done 6 months ago.  He fathered the kittens that one of our other cats is pregnant with, he was just a big orange and white friendly tom cat.... I just wish I knew for sure what happened to him. 

We do take care of them.  We have them neutered (usually), the livestock vet gives them a yearly rabies shot (not the 3-year shot, because we never know if they'll last that long), we pet them and make sure they're reasonably friendly especially when they are kittens, I feed them to keep them around, and they catch plenty of mice, and eat the pigeons that the boys shoot in the silo, and they are just a fun, welcoming presence on the farm.  Orange tabby, friendly kitties, sunning themselves in the garden or waiting for us at the back door.  

And this one seems to be missing.  :(

We still have Spartan, who came to the farm to live in the barn before we even moved into the house.  His twin brother Charlie was the first one we lost.  Spartan has been here for 3 1/2 years now.  Charlie was just past 1 year old when he lost his life, running back to our house from across the street when he heard the screen door open first thing one morning (the signal that it would soon be feeding time in the barn).

Then there's Aslan, who we took in with his 2 brothers the next spring.  One of Aslan's brothers (the short-haired tabby, with the short-temper and irritating way of relating to the other cats) was hit out on Greenwood Road when he was barely a year old.  The other was beautiful, silky orange and white fur, not terribly friendly but so regal and stunning.  He is the suspected anti-freeze death (or maybe it was heat stroke, if he got shut into a neighbor's shed for that one, very hot summer party-and-fireworks day).

Last spring, we brought in the long-haired orange and white "male" which is pregnant now (yeah, it turned out to be a she), and the brother who made babies with her (the big tom who is missing).  The second photo is of our pregnant kitty, who we never thought to double-check to see if she was really male or not.  Well, now we know....

This spring, next week to be more exact, kittens should be born to that pretty little cat.  People are already asking for them.  I'll gladly give them to anyone who can offer a good home with safer living situations.  Some will stay here, and we'll try to be good farm-cat owners and get them spayed/neutered and feed them just enough to keep them close to the barn.

On the hopeful side for our currently missing male, there are neighborhoods to the north and south of us, just a few corn fields over.  He was friendly enough that maybe he showed up at someone's doorstep and was welcomed inside. We can only hope....

The third photo....both kittens that we brought home a year ago.  Names can't be remembered, but the boys spent hours holding them and taming them and making sure they were friendly.  One will be a mama in the next week.  One (the one in front) has disappeared without a trace.  Maybe his babies will remind us of him.

 

Laura