31 December

Second Chance Cat: Minnie, Bedlam Farm Animal Of The Year

by Jon Katz
Bedlam Farm Animal Of The Year
Bedlam Farm Animal Of The Year

Minnie the barn cat is my Bedlam Farm Animal Of The Year. A once-feral kitten I adopted six years ago who hid in the barn at Bedlam Farm for months, even years, she emerged as a gentle, friendly and sometimes incautious cat. She loved to be with Winston the rooster, she hung out with chickens, she tried to rub against Simon once too often and nearly got stomped.

I was struck by Minnie’s friendship with Winston, she sat by him for days as he lay dying. I never connected with Minnie, she always seemed hapless and needy to me, overshadowed by the ferocious and independent Mother, a barn cat I did connect with who vanished after a few days at our new farm. Minnie adapted well to the new farm, I didn’t see too much of her, Maria had more of a connection to her than I did.

A few months ago, Minnie was attacked by an animal outside the farmhouse in the middle of the night – we were awakened by the noise – and later in the day we found Minnie (she was named after my grandmother) hiding by the hay bales, one of her rear legs mangled. The vet said she could be euthanized or have surgery or have the leg amputated. It didn’t seem to me to be Minnie’s time, Maria agreed and we chose the amputation. Minnie spends cold days and evenings in the farmhouse now, she has had a long tough road to mobility and recovery, it is hard to see her hobbling around, I’m not sure we made the right decision to amputate rather than put her down. Barn cats usually don’t get expensive operations.

I love barn cats and respect their way of life, I cherish their independence and savvy ways. I was never inclined to bring them inside. Now Minnie spends half of her life inside, Flo too.

I admire her determination, she gets around, she is quite  vocal when she is hungry or wants to go somewhere. I thought of Red as the animal of the year – he is now a therapy dog – but Red gets plenty of attention and Minnie, until recently, has gotten little.  I thought of Frieda too, but she just got a book and Simon is getting his. Minnie will not be a book. She does deserve some recognition for hanging in there. She is a second chance cat, the vet said three-legged cats are inspirational, and Minnie is surely that. When I see her dozing on the couch, finding the warm spot in the sun, it lifts my heart and speaks to me of compassion.

Minnie has never had an easy life, and the irony is her lost leg has brought her inside, where I think she always wanted to be.

30 December

Arctic Beauty, Arctic Light

by Jon Katz
The Arctic Ligh
The Arctic Light

The temperature plunged so sharply this afternoon, it sometimes hurt to breathe, the arctic light is a special light, it is piercing and ruthless and soft, it touches color like no other light, even in late afternoon, the photographer’s time. As I was driving past these two yellow barns I saw the sun rushing off of one to the other, I pulled over ran across the street and caught the light as it hit the second barn. This is the kind of night where I pity my animals, they are under shelter but in the cold.

But I was driving back from the supermarket getting supplies for the two pizza’s I’m making for some friends New Year’s Eve dinner and I was humbled by the beauty of the arctic light and kept stopping – it was eight degrees in unforgiving wind. I’ll put a photo album up on Facebook and some here.

30 December

Cats On A Sofa

by Jon Katz
Cats On A Sofa
Cats On A Sofa

We’ve never had any cats in our farmhouse now we have two. When the temperature hit 4 degrees, both cats were at the door, even the usually cautious Flo came shooting in. The sun hits our sofa in mid-afternoon and when I looked up, Minnie was on the cushion, Flo in her perch on the top. Minnie and Flo have not always gotten along, Flo often chases Minnie away, especially when there is food around. Inside the house, they are working things out, and Flo hissed and growled at Frieda the other day when Frieda came too close and Frieda ran into the other room. We were astonished.

Flo sashays around like the Queen Mother, it was a comfort to see both of them so comfortable and warm on such a bitter day.

30 December

Cat Entrance. Getting Used To Cats.

by Jon Katz
Cat Entrance. Getting Used
Cat Entrance. Getting Used

This is Flo’s special doorway in and out of the barn, she pops up there at odd times, checking out what I am doing in the pasture. I am getting used to the strange and interesting ways of cats, popping up here and there, perching on top of things, melting away and hiding. I like seeing Flo appear on the top of the sofa, on her perch and gaze out the window, cats are reflective and philosophical as well as murderous. They can easily fool you, chewing on the brains of a dead mouse one minute, purring softly on a chair the next.

Email SignupFree Email Signup