Boris is our beautiful boneless cat who reached out and grabbed us from a cage at the local shelter. Truly, he has a very relaxed island soul. He has incredible eyes with green starfish in the center. Boris has an auto-purr system that switches on when he is picked up or petted. At night you'll find him prowling around the fruit orchard and chicken coops.

Swimmer is a patient individual, as one would have to be in a world of dogs, yet she allows her desires to be known with a Godzilla-like meow. Originally from Brooklyn, this discerning kitten followed Luca home one evening in 1996 after he dined at a sushi restaurant. Swimmer is an excellent mouser, has an impeccable sense of timing, and she does NOT swim. Diagnosed with Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), a contagious disease she contracted from feral cats in 2009, she is now an indoor cat.

Assorted reptiles: Tiny lizards you'll see all around the yard during the day, called anoles, come in shades of green and brown, and love to eat moths and other small bugs. They're very entertaining to watch. If you're lucky, you might also see a shy little Cuban tree frog hiding in a leaf or behind a window shutter (they make a sound like water squishing in a tennis shoe), and at night you'll hear crapeau (Bufo) toads rustling in the leaves as they hunt insects, or singing in the ponds (a low rattling noise). Antillean frogs make a peeping song and also populate our . These harmless little hunters, among others, are part of a natural food chain and help our yard stay chemical-free!

Lucy Goosey (in white) and her tan-colored companion, have a terrific repertoire of goose noises. Geese are great watchdogs and can live to be over 30 years old. Ours are at least eight years old. We keep them for their excellent, occasional giant goose eggs in the springtime; and for the security and entertainment value. We don't recommend petting them unless one of the farm crew is holding them. The geese can be cantankerous when approached aggressively, and can give a bite like a giant angry paper clip (no teeth). Give them a wide berth, walk (don't run) in a businesslike fashion past them and ignore their hissing sounds, and you'll be just fine.

The Pekin Duck pair were a happy accident... the hen was a stray given to us by a neighbor, the drake (male) was purchased to keep her company and to see if offspring would result. So far they love each other but have not successfully set any eggs, but the hen does lay large, richly flavored eggs that are great for baking and cooking.

Here’s Luca with some chicken eggs by one of our homemade hen houses. The Chickens were raised from little balls of fluff who arrived mailorder at the post office, and now we’re breeding our own varieties. We have a number of breeds, all chosen for a gentle disposition. Some of the girls tolerate being gently held and petted.

Our chickens live in movable chicken “tractors” and we give them new pasture every day. A few of our hens and roosters achieve name status: Junior, Frenchie Junior, & Snowball. Our chickens are let out some afternoons to forage around the yard, so you may see them scampering around until dusk when they go back into their houses to roost for the night.

See more about our Chickens!

Bats are highly beneficial mammals for our ecosystem. We have two types: the lighter brown Jamaican fruit eating bat, and a smaller, dark brown Mollossus insect eating bat. At night you can hear their squeaks and see them against the dusk sky, flying acrobatically overhead, chowing down on flower nectar, mosquitos, moths, soft fruits like ripe papayas, juicy seeds like dog almonds and kenips, and more. A researcher from the University of Scranton visits annually and monitors our bat population at Longford. Please note: our bats are are small, delicate, not harmful to humans, and do not eat flesh or blood.

Missing a beloved mascot from a previous visit to Longford Hideaway? Gone but not forgotten, here is a link to our mascot memorial page.