It’s a big day and a big week for Zip. He is now a card-carrying member of the Peaceable Kingdom, pals with sheep and donkeys, shocking me and Maria with his calm, post, and courage. Seeing him charm those big animals was a joy and, yes, a big surprise.

It usually takes a lot longer. I was afraid of him getting stomped or butted, as happens to strange animals when they meet donkeys for the first time. It didn’t happen. Zip is a remarkable cat. He even jumps into our laps when he can and purrs.

Today was a landmark day for Zip and us. We found a third rat that Zip has killed this week; it was smelling up the barn.

The three who came into the farmhouse were almost certainly running for their lives.

 

 

(We were warned that Zip did not like to be handled by people or sit in their laps. That seems to have changed.)

I’ve learned this week that Zip is in the perfect place for him and for us. He doesn’t need to compete with another cat; he is, day by day, exploring and often dominating every part of the farm outdoors. He gets fed regularly and hugged and scratched often.

I didn’t know he was even in the pasture until I looked up, a bit unnerved, and saw him surrounded by donkeys and sheep as if he were holding a press conference. Maria was right behind him. I moved forward to get between them – I remember our donkey Simon stomping poor Minnie when she rubbed against him and nearly killing her.

I didn’t need to worry. Zip was as cool as an actor before an opening. The donkeys were sweet and accepting.

Today, he astonished us by crashing a video we were shooting about the ten yarn skeins left after a record-breaking yarn sale week and introducing himself to every sheep and donkey on the farm while we watched, amazed.

It was an astonishing show of poise, calm, and courage for a young cat who had yet, to our knowledge, come into the pasture to present himself to the animals on the farm, all of whom are much bigger than he is.

The week showed me that Zip is in the perfect place for him – a  home where he gets fed, gets attention and medical care,  and is free to roam a barn with mice ( and rats, I guess) and a farm with 17 acres to explore and hunt.

He is happy and healthy and is already a great pal to us. There is no question in my mind or in Maria’s that Zip needs and wants to live outdoors, not indoors. In the winter, we might put a heated cat house in the barn, as we did for Minnie and Flo. But he’s not coming into the house. That would ruin his evolution as an independent and resourceful barn cat.

We love him like a pet can be loved, but he is not a pet; he’s a barn cat, and we respect that. Coming into the house would ruin that.

 

We couldn’t have done better, and neither could he.

We were without a barn cat for several months as Minnie and Flow got sick and died. The rats filled the void. A barn needs a barn cat, and we have a great one.

Today was a lovely day for us. We went to a museum this morning and had lunch at Jean’s; Maria dug up Dahlia bulbs for placement in the basement over winter. This afternoon, it turned beautiful; we sat outside for an hour or so, and Zip ended up in Maria’s lap. After a few minutes, he lowered his head and went to sleep.

Rats are intelligent and quick; they are not easy to catch. Zip seems to have had no trouble.

Zip meets Asher; Lulu, not known for her friendliness to strangers, takes a few sniffs and seems quite happy.

If I didn’t know better, I’d think Zip grew up on a farm rather than running wild in the woods. He charmed Fanny by rolling over on his back and showing vulnerability. Fanny came over and sniffed Zip briefly, and they were friends. Even though our dogs were wary of the donkeys when they first met them, Zip stayed away from them until today and showed no fear around them or the sheep—quite the opposite.

He seemed completely comfortable.

The sheep were all curious but gracious. Zip got a sniffing from all of them but Kim, who ran away from him. It was like a series of handshakes between new neighbors. Zip is in the Peaceable Kingdom; he seems engaged, happy, and affectionate. He’s a charmer when he wants to be and, like so many cats, a killer when he needs to be.

This is one of the final stages of  Zip’s astonishing acclimation to Bedlam Farm. We pride ourselves on being a peaceable kingdom, and that idea has been affirmed and cemented today. We were both delighted with what we saw. Zip is a Champion Barn Cat.