Tinker

Barn cats in the Bluegrass region include more than just the cats working on our horse farms. With such an enormous horse industry, there are numerous equine hospitals with a number of barns and barn cats of their own. Hagyard Equine Medical Institute is one such hospital. Hagyard is the oldest equine veterinary practice in the world. Over 135 years old in fact. Among the many departments of the practice is the Medicine department, where inpatient horses are treated for anything from a skin or eye infection to colic surgery recovery, to the most infectious diseases. Hagyard staff work 24 hours a day to ensure the best care for patients.

What many people do not know is that Hagyard is staffed by more than just doctors, technicians, and office workers.

This is Tinker. Do not be deceived by his laid-back look. He is quite the hunter.

According to one of the current Medicine interns, Tinker catches up to 5-6 critters per day, be they mice, moles, or birds. Birds and mice are particularly bothersome in an equine hospital environment where infectious diseases are a big concern. The hospital takes great care to prevent the spread of anything contaminated from one stall or barn to the next. Mice and birds to do not follow the rules and can spread things like salmonella from one patient to another.

At the end of a long day, Tinker finds one of his many favorite spots like the fluids room for a well-deserved nap time.

Horses Love Cats

Horses and cats go so well together. Even the most skittish horse breeds have cats in their barns. Maybe they just have an understanding that the cats are there for a good reason. Enjoy this video from dogwork.com.