a bit depressed.....

[movie zombie]

on the way to the vet with one of the cats who was getting follow up tests to see how he's doing with his cancer treatment when hubby calls to say that three of the 10 goats that have been here since 12/30 on loan from a co-op we belong to were killed over night and it turns out another two are injured.....not a great way to start the day. called the people who run the co-op and the goats are now gone. i'm threatening to go out tonight and wait to see if anything shows up.....armed, of course. probably not mountain lion. more likely coyotes or dogs. belly's tore open along with the throat. not eaten. a real waste. could be worse.....and there are worse things happening in the world. just venting........

 

[Imdanny]

Oh no. I'm so sorry. I hope your cat will be ok. Dust.

I happen to live next to a goat farm. There's four of them on an acre outside my studio's window where we have the bed. To be honest, I can't figure out why they call themselves a goat farm (there's a sign) because apparently the goats don't go anywhere and just eat the grass. I went over to the fence and three of them came from some distance right up to me. So gentle and nice. Again, I'm so sorry.

 

[canuk-gal]

Hope you feel better soon.

 

[iLander]

Sorry to hear this, Mozo. Hugs to you.

I know they have sheep dogs for protection, do they have "goat dogs"?

Otherwise, go camp out with a gun. This is one of the few things for which a gun is actually useful, IMHO.

Dust for you and your poor kitty.

All will be better soon.

 

[baby nurse]

Ahh, sorry to hear this Mozo. A waste is right! I hope you get good news about kitty.

 

[JewelFreak]

Aww, how tragic for you, MoZo. What a crummy day! So sorry about the goats, would break my heart too -- and you must have a big one to take care of them & love your kitty so much. Wishes & dust that he's all fixed up very soon.

--- Laurie

 

[AGBF]

on the way to the vet with one of the cats who was getting follow up tests to see how he's doing with his cancer treatment when hubby calls to say that three of the 10 goats that have been here since 12/30 on loan from a co-op we belong to were killed over night and it turns out another two are injured.....not a great way to start the day. called the people who run the co-op and the goats are now gone. i'm threatening to go out tonight and wait to see if anything shows up.....armed, of course. probably not mountain lion. more likely coyotes or dogs. belly's tore open along with the throat. not eaten. a real waste. could be worse.....and there are worse things happening in the world. just venting........

I'm really sorry, MZ. I hate nature.

Hugs,
Deb

 

[Prana]

I'm so sorry! That is really horrible.

Last month there was a horrible story from a town near me where somebody was murdering alpacas. The poor people found some of their alpacas brutally stabbed multiple times, while others were severely injured. Nothing was taken from the alpacas, they were just murdered in cold blood. So while it could have been nature, it could also have been an act of brutality. I find it odd that this could have been an animal, because IMO an animal or pack of animals would have eaten them, or at least part of them, and likely not have killed more than they were going to eat. And I doubt that the goats would have been killed by another animal that perceived the goats as a threat. I sincerely hope that I'm wrong about that, and I'm really sorry that this happened to you.

 

[PinkTower]

I am so sorry to read this. Here is a link you may enjoy; I have always been intrigued by these dogs, growing up on a farm, but we just had the garden variety Border Collie.http://www.maremmano.com/temp.htm

 

[Pandora II]

I'm so sorry... I love goats. My parents kept Anglo Nubians when I was a child and there are 20 of them at the farm at the bottom of the road where I live - my daughter adores them.

Hope the Puddy tat is okay.

 

[Enerchi]

So sad to hear of this story. I hope you can discover the culprit and out an end to these losses.

Dust for your kitty too.

Hang in there moviezombie

 

[PintoBean]

I'm so sorry MoZo.


Sending lots of healing and protecting energy to Mozo+family (kitty, goats included!)

 

[Skippy123]

I hope your cat is okay, hugs.

 

[Amys Bling]

sorry to hear this.

 

[junebug17]

I'm really sorry Mozo, what an upsetting thing - I don't blame you for being upset and depressed, I would be too. So sad.

I hope your kitty is doing ok.

 

[TristanC]

Lots of PS Dust for your Kitty, and so so sorry about the poor goats.

Why would anything harm goats and not eat them? So weird.

I would ask about how the co op worked if that took your mind off things and was a happy topic.

I do hope everything turns out for the better

 

[tyty333]

I'm so sorry.

 

[Dandi]

Oh MoZo that is so, so terrible, I'm so sorry all this is happening. Big hugs to your kitty too.

 

[tuffyluvr]

Oh, how awful!!! So sad that they were seemingly killed for sport! My dad lives in major coyote country and one actually managed to scale an 8 ft retaining wall to get into the yard with his shih-tzu. Luckily my dad was in the kitchen and heard the 'thud' when the thing landed and was able to chase it off. People are always losing pets in his neighborhood. Very sad, but I suppose it comes with the territory of impinging on wild animal's territory (he lives in a new housing development in the hills).

Anyways, so sorry you're going through this. I'm sure with the worries you are having for your kitty, this is the last thing you need.

 

[smitcompton]

Hi MZ,

I am sorry for your troubles. I know how much you love animals. I am curious though. Why were the goats on loan to you. I'm afraid i have always been a city person so I don't quite understand. I hope your kitty will improve. You are so interesting!

Annette

Sometimes I read these stories and don't post. I have this need to know the outcomes or more. For example, I want to know what happened to the "Orange Cat. I think of it in terms of a short story, called The Orange Cat. Or a mystery, "Why the Goats Were killed"

 

[movie zombie]

well, the goats were here because we live on 20 acres on hilly terrain in the santa cruz mountains here in california. we belong to a co-op from which we receive goat milk and cheese. another benefit is that we can have the goats here to eat brush...they love fir, BTW. they were enclosed within an electric fence....which thus far had provided sufficient protection in other locations. from the get go i was cautious about having them here. but the people that run the co-op had not encountered problems prior.....but the loss of 3 out of 10 goats and another 2 injured was a severe setback. while they were here, the goats did a great job of eating the forest so that we can clear back some more as a fire break.......they were here for 2.5 weeks.

there are mountain lions in the area....as well as bobcat and coyotes. the research i've done indicates this was not coyotes....the wounds are different and not as numerous.

what is, well, is..... what is hard is that the animals were killed by not consumed. but nature is what it is.......

kitty appears to be doing ok with test results but not re anticipated weight gain. going to hold off on upping the cancer treatment for a few weeks to see if he gains weight.....really don't want to go to the next level as his mood and attitude are so very good...an actual improvement. he is not in pain.

i'm also thinking of ways to construct a portable structure to house the goats in at night. i think it is a reasonable expectation that wherever the goats are they are put into a protected shelter at night.

the one good thing out of all this is that my husband finally believes me that we live 'in the wild" and that there are dangers in this here forest.

no longer depressed but resigned to the fact that these cute and loveable creatures are gone......anyone have a good llama to donate? they are incredible as protectors of goats!

while technically i'm not responsible for the loss to the herd, i feel a responsiblity to the co-op and will be making a donation to purchase 3 replacements......

 

[diamondseeker2006]

That is very sad, MZ. I am really sorry. We moved a year and a half ago to an area that was woods before, and we had our two outdoor cats disappear a few weeks apart. We thought the first one just found another home with better food, but when the other disappeared, my husband suspected coyotes. Obviously I didn't even know there were coyotes out there. The cats were several years old (adopted strays) and had been with us since they were kittens. I am just very thankful we didn't find them like you found the goats.

 

[TristanC]

This is too sad! But cats should be indoor animals as pets, or they should just be wild cats free to roam. I wouldn't be able to take it if my cat was killed by a wild predator! Also, cats kill lots of wild species that are vulnerable to predation from cats, so I think if they are pets it is best that those two elements don't mix altogether.

The loss of the goats is bothering me... I don't even know why. Just, so sad. llamas protect goats? I need to read up on this. Why doesn't the coop get some illamas then (is there an i?)

 

[movie zombie]

the co-op is on a wing and a prayer so to speak. it is not a high profit adventure and because it is raw milk products, the co-op could become a target for the feds as have other dairies, co-ops, etc. getting a llama...or a donkey which is more of a warning system....requires a larger vehicle for transporting the animals.....a cost that would not be recouped. and llamas are not inexpensive..... the co-op is in its infancy and some of the "members" do not seem to realize that and expect this to operate as industrialized dairy-agriculture.

i agree that all cats should be kept indoors. we do not have a feral cat problem in this area because cats are kept indoors due to the predator issue.....a cat outdoors will not survive. we keep ours in at all times. also, the devastation that "domestic" cats and have on wildlife is really bad re birds, lizards, snakes, etc....all beneficial animals in gardens. cats do not limit themselves to rats and/or gophers.

additionally, dogs are not allowed to roam by county law. however, that does not mean they don't get out at night w/o an owner knowing about it. while i was at the vet's a woman there told me about a jack russell terrior she had that she would never have believed capable of killing. he was getting out at night w/o her knowing about it and running with a pack.....if it had not all been caught on an infrared camera she said she never would have believed it. in this instance all the dogs were caught...... this was also in our general area although not close to here.

nature is what it is. all things have to eat. it is the wanton killing just to kill that in all species is disturbing.......

 

[smitcompton]

Hi.

Thanks for explaining MZ. I'm with Tristan, Its is sad to hear about the goats and its a wonderful idea to have a protected area for them. I expect you do feel really bad, but if there was no trouble before you couldn't know. Damm!

Annette

 

[Sky56]

Very sorry to hear of your loss! Best wishes. There are coyotes and cougar where I live too & they definitely go on the prowl.

 

[minousbijoux]

Mozo: One of the things I have loved for a long time is the use of goats as natural lawnmowers. I live in the East Bay and there are a few herds that people can rent to take care of their hillside property (not an issue for me as I live on a postage stamp). They always make me happy. I am truly sorry for the loss. The poor goats must have been terrified. I hate that for them. Question for you: if they were surrounded by an electrical fence, how did the killer(s) get to them? Does that mean it/they are within the area, or somehow breached the fence?

Is the coop a nonprofit that we Northern Californians - or any PSers for that matter - can contribute to?

 

[minousbijoux]

You know, one more thing. If it were me, I would be way more than a little depressed, I'd be mourning the loss. A total waste. I hope you feel better soon and catch the culprit.

 

[movie zombie]

more bad news Re: a bit depressed.....

further bad news: one of the injured had to be put down....and the 2nd injured one is going to be as well....sigh. i did not ask but i'm hoping at least the meat was useable from the one put down and i'm sure the 2nd one will be utilized.

yes, the fence was breached. it was windy that night and the redwoods were dropping branches and smaller bits as well. also, the fence was set up in an area that had a small ravine so a dog could jump into it very easily...and out again. the thought now is that a mountain lion generally bites from the top of the neck and not under......and that since these injuries were underneath the neck in the throat that its more likely a dog. no one here has seen a dog or dogs out and about. night in a forest, though, provides great cover......

re the co-op: its mostly set up for locals. during the year we get goat products in exchange for a $10/week fee. not a lot of product but very high quality and delicious...and raw. wouldn't be practical from your location, i'm afraid.

i spoke with them this a.m.: i have a lot of ideas re a portable structure that i think i can convince my husband to help them with the construction. i'm also donating $300 to the cause. we are not obligated to do this. my husband is surprised i feel the need. but i look at this as something we're in together. there is no way that amount of $ is going to replace 5 goats and the two unborn ones. but its a start and it seems is greatly appreciated.


eta: http://milkmamagoatfarm.com/?p=204

in checking i see they accept donations.....