heat wave

We went from gentle spring weather -- as of June 6, we still hadn't turned on our AC yet -- to the absolute armpit of hell. Just when I think it can't get any hotter, the next day turns it up a notch. The sheep and chickens seem to be coping OK, just drinking copious amounts of water. It takes extra vigilance to make sure they have a constant supply. The bunny has been in the basement the past few days. We just can't give him enough cold tiles (we keep them in the freezer for him) and frozen water bottles. He seems to like hanging out on the cool concrete.

Speaking of heat waves... I managed to get two barn cats into the vet to be fixed today. One of them, a male called Thing One (because he has a patch of black over one eye) was easy to catch, as he is very friendly. I also managed to get his mom, Mama Cat, who was much harder, but I knew time was of the essence. She had kittens about eight weeks ago and was already making overtures to a stray black tomcat that has been hanging around. I had visions of that chart from the vet's office dancing through my head:

... except it was happening for real, in my barn. (Coincidentally, all the kittens are black and white.) Both of them came through with flying colors and are recuperating in the basement, in separate crates.

Now, catching Thing One's sister, Thing Two (because she has black patches over both eyes), and Mama Cat's litter of two, are going to be much harder as they are very wild. I am going to try and net the little ones if I can get close enough to them. I think I am going to have to use a Havahart trap for Thing Two and the black tomcat, but if anyone has any better suggestions, I am all ears.