I’m thinking of changing Zip’s name to Prince Zip; he is laying claim to the barn, is very happy here, and has stared down the donkeys, chased an Imperious Hen away from his food, silenced Bud, terrorized Fate, snuggled with me,  charmed Maria and is busy slowly and carefully exploring the farm and the pasture. Some mice and nesting pigeons are going to have a tough night.

Zip is beyond happy.

This is his home, his farm, his people, and he’s suffering no nonsense from the other animals. They will welcome him or regret it. He’s found a half dozen nooks and crannies to sleep, made tunnels in the haystack, came in to examine every corner and hung out in the corners. He is chasing out the pigeons.

He insists on being scratched and touched several times a day. He has adopted Maria and decided to hang out with me.

We thought this would work; we had no idea it would work this well or this quickly. This is the cat we were waiting for, and we are the people and place he was looking for.

One of the Imperious Hens made the mistake of trying to peck at some food near Zip, and he chased her away while she clucked with indignation. He didn’t harm her; he just made the boundaries clear. Don’t come near his food.

Before running the hen off, he sat by the pasture gate and stared at the donkeys, who seemed unimpressed by him but were not hostile.  The donkeys have seen it all.

He was thinking of a way to push them around, but he couldn’t work it out. They are as stubborn as he is, or more. Fanny came over and stomped his foot near him, and he vanished into the barn.

 

Maria came out to check on him – we have no worries – and he and the donkeys had a stareoff. I think they are accepting one another. Bud stared at Zip behind the dog fence but didn’t bark or challenge him.

Yip has a powerful stare that seems to put the other animals in their place. He seems mild-mannered but doesn’t back down.

Bud, who challenges everything that movies,  doesn’t seem to want any trouble. Maria is at her belly dancing class, and I went out to sit with him in the barn as dusk approached. He was glad to see me, rubbed against my leg, and rolled over for some belly scratching. I can’t help but think he’s a hellion, on his best behavior in a new place but eager for trouble once he figures things out.

He’s our barn cat, hopefully for many years.