The feud

We have 2 cats, Juanita and Track.  One we have had since before Vince was born.  We had gotten her and her sister to be barn cats.  One fall her sister disappeared and when winter came I felt bad making Juanita live out in the barn by herself, so I started letting her in the basement.  She became an indoor (basement only)/outdoor cat.  She is a great hunter and definitely keeps the mouse population low!  Juanita is kind of aloof and isn't mean to people, but doesn't enjoy being held.  You can pet her, but beyond that she really isn't interest, which is fine with me.  To other animals she is a little intimidating.  Our dogs eat in the basement and hang out there when we aren't home.  Juanita likes to tease them and will stand at the top of the stairs and not let them pass her.  Well, Maisy walks right past, but Bristol is a chicken.  Juanita has never once hurt them, but Bristol is still scared.  I have also seen Juanita chase stray cats off our property and into the neighbors field.  Not that I am sad about that either.  For the past month Vince has been calling Juanita, Juanita Renee.  I don't know where it came from and we don't even know anyone named Renee, but he now insists that is her name.  He has me convinced and I always call her Juanita Renee now!

Juanita Renee

Last year, there were 2 kittens (about 5 months old) at work that I really liked and I wanted to bring them home, but I also knew it could be dangerous.  I decided if I kept Juanita in house for a couple days and the kittens in the tack room in the barn we would be ok.  Their names were Track and M.T.  Brad named them, I did not!  For awhile it worked.  Juanita figured since there were 2 of them and they were in the barn, she wasn't going to cause too many problems, unless they kittens left the barn.  Unfortunately 1 of the kittens (Track) didn't make it (not because of Juanita).  So I was back to 1 cat in the barn by itself.  Vince was convince the kitten that was still around was Track, so we changed his name to Track.  Track quickly wanted to live in the house.  I didn't want a cat in the house, so I decided if he could share the basement with Juanita that was fine with me.  Before long it became apparent that the two cats couldn't share the basement.  Juanita had Track living under the boiler and wouldn't let him eat.  Around the same time we were having a mouse problem in the house, so I let Track in the house and hoped things would work out.  Very quickly I no longer had a mouse problem and Track figured out the rules of being in the house.  He loved the boys and followed them around and didn't want to cuddle, stays off the couch and always uses his litter box!  Track doesn't love the boys as much anymore because Joel is a little too loving, but they still get along.

Track

The feud between Juanita Renee and Track hasn't gotten a lot better.  They are both indoor/outdoor cats and Track tries to stay away from her in the yard, but she is sneaky and likes to stalk him.  She gets some sort of joy out of tormenting him.  About 1 month ago she chased him across the front yard, into the road and into the corn field.  They both came back the next morning and no one was hurt.  It is getting a little better though, the other day they were both in the yard next to the swing set and Juanita Renee didn't even try to scare Track.

Juanita Renee stalking Track

I am not counting on them being best friends.  As long as they keep our mice population at a minimum and I am not constantly having to sew up their wounds at work I will be happy!