It’s undeniable the ample amount of benefits pets provide their human friends with. Companionship, stress-relief, increased physical activity, just to name a few. Just like their human counterparts, furry friends don’t have to share the same roof with you to reap the benefits of befriending them. Amber, owner of the non-profit “Spoiled Rotten Ranch”, started earning the trust of felines MooMoo & Kiki. She never expected they’d find comfort in each other.
The Dutiful Murder Preparing for MooMoo & Kiki
Crows are friendly, resourceful, and incredibly smart. They are very keen to remember faces, places, friends, and potential threats. Crows are territorial. They will defend and secure said territory against any potential danger, especially predators. A group of crows are called a murder… How cool is that‽ Some scientific studies show that they have a higher forebrain neuron density than primates, meaning: they are very smart. Unlike most bird species, young crows will stay with their parents for up to five years or longer. They will even feed their mom, should she be sitting on eggs to be hatched, showing a strong sense of community. They will dive-bomb predators to let them know they have trespassed and that they are not welcome. Let that be falcons, hawks, coyotes, raccoons, etc.
A Murder Of Crows
At the Spoiled Rotten Ranch, it started with a few crows free-ranging with their brood of chickens. They noticed that the crows started running off hawks and falcons, so they started putting out snacks for them. They also built them a feeder and a bird bath. In no time, the crows decided this spot’s trustworthy humans (and the perks!) were worth sticking around for.
The Feisty Feral
Kiki
Kiki
Kiki was a stray feral cat who used to hang out at the neighbors, who had been feeding her for years. When the neighbors moved away, they asked Amber to take over feeding her. She started to put food out for her, but Kiki didn’t want come anywhere near, she was scared of humans. She slowly started to show up at the ranch more often. Amber started to try to earn her trust, by sitting next to Kiki while she ate. She sat a bit closer and closer. It took her two years to earn Kiki’s trust, but after all that time, Kiki finally let Amber pet her! She recalls getting emotional when that happened:
“A couple of months ago, I was able to touch her tail for the first time. I know it sounds silly to so many people, but I started to cry! It tears me up now, because just her meowing to me and talking to me, I know she had never had interaction like that before […]”
Even though it took Amber a long time to earn Kiki’s trust, she never gave up. And she was rewarded with a long-lasting friendship. What’s better than that?
The Lonely Tomcat
Moo Moo
MooMoo
The lovely, sneaky ninja predator named Moo was a lonely tomcat that started showing up at the “Spoiled Rotten Ranch”, to the dismay of the overprotecting crow-powered neighbor watch. Gradually, Moo became acquainted with their rescued stray cat, Kiki, who is about 13 years old. The murder of crows started to sound the alarm to Amber of a possible intruder at the ranch:
“I never ignore the crow alarm. They always alert me when predators are near. So this morning I went to check the area that they were directing me to. I couldn’t see anything on the back wall. So I got a closer look and it was Moo Moo. The crows don’t trust him yet like they do Kiki, so he was frozen in place because they were aggressively dive bombing him. This is what they do to coyotes, so thankfully the coyotes try to avoid our area. Otherwise, they might get hit in the head with 40 beaks. I’m so thankful for our crow family. I don’t think Moo feels that way though.”
MooMoo’s visits became more and more frequent, until he decided to stick around for good. Another beautiful feline friendship added to the roster!
The Love Story of MooMoo & Kiki
MooMoo & Kiki
MooMoo & Kiki
And now, MooMoo & Kiki have fallen for each other. Kiki has gone from a scaredy feral to a loving cat. Moo has gone from a heartbreaker to a true romantic. Even though sometimes Moo invades her space and she gets mad and ignores him, she always ends up forgiving him. Even though they have both always been independent, they found a warm, loving, and comfortable place to be together.
Holding Paws
Holding Paws (Awwdorable!)
MooMoo & Kiki have both earned the trust of the crow secret service, always on duty, to serve and protect the ranch, and always looking out for all their friends.