We have a celebrity cat on our hands with Zip; he is getting mail and messages and love letters and gifts from everywhere.

The latest and most imaginative came from our designer friend Abrah Griggs, who has been following Zip’s spectacular journey to Bedlam Farm and decided to paint a rock in his honor and sent it to us in Vermont.

Almost everything I write about him gets shared everywhere, and my blog traffic has jumped up to several thousand people a day since he arrived, at least for a while.

I’ve asked the gifted Abrah to design a new blog head, along with Red and the donkeys. We’ll make room.

Zip is a Rock Star in the usually quiet and unobstructed Barn Cat World.

He’s got style, like Frank Sinatra, and swagger, like Ali. Many people have loved many of the animals and dogs on Bedlam Farm, but Zip has become an overnight sensation. MHe loves to love, hunt, and be loved. He is the master of all he serves. He’d draw millions on TikTok.

Abrah’s Zip Rock is quite wonderful and already has a permanent space in my pants pocket. It’s become a spiritual token of sorts. We have also received home-drawn sketches and paintings.

Over the past years, I’ve had a number of dogs and pets who stood out and became stars and the subject of books and interviews: Rose, Frieda, Lenore, Izzy, and Red.

But none of them struck a chord louder and more intense than Zip. And no, I won’t write a book about him, adult or child. The blog is my book. if you want to follow Zip, I can accommodate you, but it will be here on my blog and, I  would guess, Maria’s.

Yes, I could make money from T-shirts and Zip personalized photos. I suspect Maria may eventually cause some Zip art Zip magnets, but she makes art, not for money.  I’m not planning to market Zip; just live with him, enjoy it, and exploit the crap out of him on my blog.

He’s pure gold. People are analyzing Zip’s every move and letting me know.

We rarely saw our barn cats most of the day, but I can’t step out of the house with Zip running over and looking for a scratch. He’s a lot of fun. And he is every inch a barn cat. He takes no for an answer, pouts a bit, then explores. He is a busy cat.

Zip is taking over the farm bit by bit, eating out of everybody’s water bowls and guarding his barn hideout. If we sit outside for a second or two, he will appear out of nowhere. And then vanish into nowhere. He has his own life. He is a lot of fun.

 

Zip in the chicken’s water bowl.

 

Climbing on the chairs.

He’s curious and nimble. He is studying my car closely and trying to figure out where I go with it. He tried to run alongside my daughter Emma on Sunday when she went jogging, but he balked at the traffic in the road.

That is a good thing. I will try not to spoil Zip, but I will be writing about him regularly. This story is a gem; you are welcome to follow it with me. I love telling this story; it is a story of love all around, no matter where you look.

Dinner in the hay

Zip and Maria are taking up the old Minnie spot, she sat down every day there with Minnie and sang and talked to her. The same thing is happening with Zip.