Once again, our barn cat Zip has shown courage, skill, and intelligence in a tense three-day attempt to stop a family of rats from invading our home, once the ice around the house melted.
We knew they would come. We didn’t know when. Zip did.
This is a war he won.
Barn cats save homes, and also the lives of livestock, especially from rats who spread diseases, eat precious food, and nearly destroyed our kitchen in the summer. Zip chased them off, then we were hoping he could do it again.
Rats are intelligent and varied. They had nearly destroyed the refrigerator, destroyed a stove, opened cabinet doors, and stolen 20 Protein bars I was using to help my diabetes. It was a nightmare.
It is very hard to get rid of them; they are masters of hiding.
We heard their familiar sounds again this week as they (a family) began trying to enter the house through the front door and below it, where they could not be seen but heard – their noises were loud and grouing. We dreaded rats in the house again.
We weren’t sure what to do this time, but two days ago we heard the sounds of a struggle near the back wall and the sudden shriek of a rat, not once but twice, and possibly three times.
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Then it was quiet, and there has been no sign of them since. We saw Zip under the porch two or three times, and we have no doubt he came to our rescue again. Rats come in as a family, and if one or two get picked off, the others are smart enough to go elsewhere.
That day, Zip didn’t bother with his food—another clue.
Zip is our hero, and not for the first time. These barn cats can not be trained; hunting rodents is in their blood and genes.
He guards the farm carefully and closely, driving off pigeons in the barn loft, rats in the Pole barn, in all kinds of weather. He even got two rats in the middle of the worst snowstorm of the winter; we found their bodies near the back of the farmhouse.
The rats we think were taking advantage of the warming of the farm; we are never quite sure how they get in or out. They can slither through the smallest spaces. We were so desperate that we even called an exterminator, who came, estimated a $1,500 bill, and had several poisons that could have sickened or killed the dogs.
Zip saved us from that.
Rural people and farmers understand the value of a cat like this; this is what barn cats have done for hundreds of years, saving farmers and the food people eat in their homes.
Sadly, people who ought to know better think Zip should be confined to the house when the weather is cold; they can’t fathom that these cats couldn’t care less about the weather, what they want is freedom. I will never take that away from Zip.
They find, dig, and use all kinds of warm, safe spots to sleep and hide. They are a lot smarter about winter than many people.e I know, including me. A cold winter is one of their best hunting times, and when the rats rampage, looking for places to breed and hide. Kitchens in-house fit the bill.
If Zip came inside, he would no longer be a farm cat, just another pet; the barn cats’ skill and courage are legendary and rare. I can’t say enough about how lucky we are to have him – local people, from police to farmers, know that and appreciate it.
We love him also, which is why he gets the best care available – vet checks, warm cat houses, two good meals a day, and lots of love and attention. He is a gift to us, and the farm and even the sheep appreciate him and love to hang out with him.
Zip also loves to hang out with Maria and me. Once in a while, I even sing to him. The love is mutual.
We have given up listening to these people; it seems that ignorance, arrogance, and lying are a new and growing American culture. All kinds of know-nothings get all kinds of followers, including the idiots who called the police to say Zip was being abused.
I couldn’t help but think of the war against the New York Carriage Horses, who, vet after vet, were described as the luckiest and best cared-for horses on earth.
One day, I pray that animals get a real welfare movement to keep animals like Zip and carriage horses in our lives, not fight to tear them away, as the animal killing and torture factories all over the country are left alone. The real crime of these people is persuading unknowing citizens and fickle politicians that any working animal is being abused, including the ones who build our cities and our country. From elephants to working horses to ponies, amazing animals, much loved by many people, will never be seen again.
The police, who had to come and check, got a kick out of it all. One brought his girlfriend to meet him. Zip went into his charm mode, which he seems to know when to use. The farmers just shook their heads in disbelief.
We are forever grateful for Zip and the people who knew he would find a good home here. We deeply love and appreciate him.
There hasn’t been any sound from the walls or the back of the house for several days. They are gone. God Bless Zip.
I’ll get him some salmon for dinner.
Maybe you could do a story on the rescue group that you got Zip from and how they can help other farm people like yourself. There are rescued cats out there who are too independent to be adopted out as socialized “pets”. Barn Cat programs give these animals a chance to have a home, a purpose, and to not have to live their lives in a shelter as an unadoptable pet.
Thanks Dolf I did it’s a good paint to make though thanks
Here in Wyoming the rescues have BARN CAT programs. They trap ( humanely) spay/ neuter barn cats then return them to service ( at their home barn).
It’s quite humane, as MOSTLY they are feral, and could NEVER be a domesticated house cat.
With a Rodeo background, I know only too well how some people feel justified in OPINIONS, and not facts!
Some animals have been bred for tens and tens of years to live as free, happy, content working animals. They are almost always treated well and are happy and healthy!
Zip is SOOO lucky- like his people!
Thanks Cynthia that’s how we got Zap, who was feral before coming.
When I lived and worked on farms years ago, I had about 6 cats of my own that went out with me and came in at night. They were the best hunters, especially Strohs, who I adopted from a vet friend of mine when the previous owners abandoned him at his practice to avoid paying a bill for a broken femur (car hit). When I picked him up, he was playing tug of war with the vet’s small dog. He was already declawed in front which did not stop him from catching rats, mice, rabbits, squirrels, climbing trees, opening door knobs, etc. He also loved dogs and would go up to the fam owners house to wait for her 5 dogs to come out so he could play with them. Coolest cat I ever owned. I have so many stories/memories of Strohs. When he came in at night, he would catch the mice in my apartment. All of my other cats were also good “mousers”. It has been my experience over many years of owning many cats, that they are either born with the instinct to hunt and kill, or not, has nothing to do with living inside or out. Just as they used to say you would ruin a hunting dogs’ nose by letting them live inside, it is in their genetics, not determined by where they bed down for the night. I had let Strohs go at 18 due to age and kidney failure. I still think of him often.
Barn cats are clever hunters! Our Alistar has left us some “gifts” as the weather warms and the rodents return! Our little farm would be overrun with rodents without Alistar cat! So much better for everyone than using poisons! Zip has an excellent life doing what he is meant to do!