(Note: I’m getting a lot of questions about Zip, both on Facebook and via e-mail, and on my blog posts. I can’t respond to the Facebook people with questions, nor can I respond to all of the posts coming to the blog. There are just too many of you and only one of me. I am happy to gather and collect the questions when I can and then respond to them here on the blog when I have the time. It’s an essential thing for me to do, and I’m happy to do it, so when you have a question about Zip, who is attracting a lot of interest, you can e-mail me at [email protected] or post on Facebook comments or post the questions on my blog posts. I will try to answer all of them as can. The cat world is mostly new to me, and I appreciate the questions and the chance to learn from them. Zip is a rock star. Someone wrote to me saying he is the Taylor Swift of Barn Cats. Gulp. Writing about him and talking about him is a gift to me.
Most popular question:
Answer. Will you try to provide Zip a secure place to sleep at night, away from possible predators and the elements? Are you afraid of predators getting to him?
No. Zip is a barn cat. Barn cats don’t have any desire to live inside; they love being outside, especially in a barn where they can move freely and hunt. That is their natural life. We can’t tell them where to sleep or force them. Their response would be never to be caught.
Living as house cats will change them and take away their work natural instincts – killing the barn and rats in the barn. Barn cats are savvy and rarely go near the road or get eaten in or near a barn or farmhouse. Donkeys keep coyotes and other predators away from the farm.
We’ve never lost an animal to a predator. Could it happen? Yes. We live in the real world of nature, which is both beautiful and cruel.
Barn cats do run more risks than house cats. We accept that out of respect for nature and their unique way of life.
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What do the animal rights people say about letting him live outside?
It depends. First, I don’t live by the animal rights movement’s erratic and often unknowing dictums. They seem to know little or nothing about animals, just fund-raising, which they are good at. The core AR ideology is that humans should not ever own animals.
Yet they object to our owning a barn cat and leaving him to live in nature outside.
My New York Carriage Horse experience taught me not to listen to most animal rights people, especially the top national organizations. I’m sure there are many good and sincere ones, but the leading groups are now are mostly money-obsessed manipulators who lie even more than Donald Trump. They don’t do much for animals but have become extremists in the animal world, skilled at horrifying people into sending them money and promoting hatred and division among humans. It’s sad for the animals.
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Do we feed Zip every day, and if so, what?
We feed him regular cat food recommended by our vet. He is fed twice daily and given some treats every now to get him comfortable and at home and to trust us. His appetite for hunting is strong, which will supplement his diet; the vet says that is the healthiest way for barn cats to live.
It’s the best way to keep domesticated animals alive and living among people is to let them work with people who will care for them.
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Will he see the vet regularly?
Yes, once a year to keep up with all of his vaccinations and get a thorough check-up. Well-cared-for barn cats live long and content lives.
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How are Maria and you getting Zip to jump into your lap?
We are doing nothing but sitting down and letting him come near us. We are careful to let him make his own decisions in his own time; we don’t pressure or coerce him into doing anything. We hold him and scratch him when given the chance. Left alone, he will figure out what he wants to do and do it or not. At first, he was reluctant to come near us. Now, he follows us when we go outside. He loves attention; we enjoy giving him some. I get the sense we are happy together.
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How long do barn cats live?
According to the literature and our vets, barn cats live a year or two longer than house cats – about 16 years if they are fed and given good health care. Our vet says this because eating their natural food is healthier than any processed cat food.
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Why are you so determined that he not live in the house?
As I’ve written, if we wanted a house cat, we would have adopted or purchased one. Barn cats are essential for the health and stability of farms, and they are also proud and independent animals; they can take care of themselves.
They keep warm in cold weather and appear to love their work. We assisted them with blankets, soft beds, and warm enclosures, heated if necessary.
I don’t want to lock them up at night because it makes us feel safer. We also have three dogs in the house. That’s enough. We have always loved our barn cats, and neither wants to get them inside. We came to the country because it’s the country, not a house in the urban suburbs. When Zip gets old, he’ll be allowed in the basement if he wants to come in and sleep in a heated cat house—our two previous barn cats wanted to come inside in January and February only a few years before they died. We always let them in when they wanted to come. They usually don’t.
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Are you really a cat person?
Yes and no. So far, Flo and Zip are the only two cats I’ve really been drawn to. Zip has definitely reached into my heart. This is new territory, but I’m always careful about labeling myself. People love dogs and cats for different reasons. We’ll see. I love knowing Zip and writing and photographing him.
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Those are enough questions and answers for now, I think. Thanks for sending them, feel free to keep asking. This should be a regular feature of the blog. I’m into it. You can also ask other questions about cats, and I will research them and learn from them. [email protected]
Did the rescue give you the reason for the name “Zip”?
Question about Zip. I’m confused. You say you feed him regular cat food, but you expect him to live longer than house cats because he is not fed processed food. Isn’t regular cat food processed?
Yes I’m not sure what your problem he can eat all the mice and moles he wants we give him cat food to connect him to us and the farm. Some days, he won’t need it, other days he will., do you expect us to feed him ground mice? Please tell me what part of this you don’t understand, j
Sorry. I thought cat food is processed, so I didn’t understand why Zip would luve longer than other cats if he’s eating it and you said that it’s because he doesn’t eat it that he will. I guess you’re just saying that you don’t feed him cat food every day so sometimes he has to go awhile living on mice. Surprised that this better for him than cat food. I’ll ask my vet.
Nothing to be sorry about Lori, a perfect good queston, I sounded annoyed, but wasn’t, really ..that happens a lot of social media.
I have never had a cat, as I am allergic to them. I know there are different breeds of cats but don’t know much about them. Do you have any idea what breed of cat Zip is , or is he a mix? Genuinely wondering as I am cat ignorant.
We accidentally rescued a cat as smart as Zip, and wonder what you would suggest for getting our next cat as delightful as Zip (and our Molly). Our Molly was a trap and release cat who decided on her own (she was about Zip’s age when she did this), that she wanted to live inside and not have to survive in the dangerous outdoors. So she sat where she expected to find her new owner, got picked up and taken home as she had intended, and now won’t ever leave the house. She’s a great cat, keeps it free of mice and rats (we have a lot of long-term storage food, so we’re grateful for her stewardship), and keeps her area in the basement clean. Every now and then she comes upstairs and checks out that everything is in order, and then goes back downstairs to continue being her own cat. She’s extremely polite and never ever disturbs our many belongs. It sounds like Zip is his own cat in a similar way. Some day in the next five years or so, we’ll have to get another cat. I thought Molly was one of a kind, never ever having had my life beneficially cared for by a cat. It sounds like you have a very masterly cat who is busy orchestrating his way into helping you take care of the farm (at least I’m thinking so, now). So my original question – how would I find another cat like Zip or like Molly, good hunters, under a year old, and real life-enhancers?
Do you think Zip is more affectionate than your female barn cats? My friends male cats always seem more people oriented than the females.
We had a barn cat live for 20 years. We fed her (nothing special – just commercial cat food and table scraps), had her vetted annually and as needed, and provided her with a heated shelter in the winters. She was initially very wary of us, but over the years she mellowed into a very friendly cat. We called her our ambassador as she greeted anyone who visited as soon as they got out of their car. She was an awesome cat. She didn’t want to come inside and we didn’t want her inside. We have two indoor-only cats and it would have been difficult to keep them healthy with an indoor/outdoor cat (prone tocworms, fleas, ticks).