Bedlam Farm Blog Journal by Jon Katz

When we decided to adopt Zip, we never expected that he would be so affectionate or end up dozing. In Maria’s lap just a few days after, we let him out of his crate. Just after he crawled into her lap and went to sleep, he had crawled into mine to get some petting and attention. We were both shocked and touched.

He was described to us as a needy and anxious cat; we were told he would take a long time to get comfortable in a new place. He was feral yet also needed, we were told. He had no desire to get into anybody’s lap or enter anyone’s house; he had lived alone and outside for eleven months.

It seems we broke through whatever barrier that was, Maria first, me second. He hides when strangers show up and stay near his barn safety house. He won’t come near the farmhouse. But more and more, he shows excellent devotion, trust, and affection for us.

He had never lived this way with people before; it is clearly something he very much wanted, and so did we. The connection between people and animals has been one of the joys of my life, and it is at the center of Maria’s life, which has helped me learn so much.

I’m very much surprised by his impact on the farm and on our lives. And on me. Animals are a reflection of us; they give us what we need, and we return the favor.

I could hardly believe it when I saw him climb into Maria’s lap, cuddle up, lie down, and sleep. It was a touching and beautiful moment for me, and I always had my camera at hand. Maria was stunned when Zip touched noses with her, the nearly universal way friendly animals greet one another. Zinnia does it all the time.

Zip’s entry into our lives was a kind of bombshell we didn’t expect but indeed wanted. This is a testimony to love, trust, and patience; we have learned so much about those things during our lives with animals.

I was going to save his photo for tomorrow, but I couldn’t wait to share it. It brings me great pleasure; I hope it also brings you some. This was not the cat we thought we were getting, but it was the cat we were delighted to have. There are many lessons; I don’t know what they are yet.

 

Questions about Zip continue to pour onto my blog post pages from Facebook and e-mails. I am committed to answering them as long as they keep coming in, and I thank my readers for these questions; they are challenging me to learn a lot about Zip and all cats. I’m determined to do that; it has been suggested that Zip is turning me into a Cat Person, something I have avoided almost all my life.

Here are the questions.

Keep them coming on my blog posts, in e-mail – [email protected] – or on Facebook, where the blog also appears. The questions will only be answered here on the blog. I can’t respond to all of them on different platforms in real time, I don’t have the time. But I will try to answer everyone here, and thanks for asking them. Zip is a big deal for me and, obviously, for my readers.

I am learning as much or more as I am answering as I research them.

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One: Who named him Zip?

The rescue group did. It was a brilliant choice, I never would have thought of it. He is a Zip.

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Two: Do you think Zip is more affectionate than your female barn cats?

He is more affectionate and demonstrative than our two female cats, Flo and Minnie; they were mostly feral. Zip is an outdoor cat, but he seems needier than they were. He loves to rub against my leg or Maria’s and is beginning to get into our laps. Flo and Minnie never wanted to do that, although they did want to be rubbed and scratched. Minnie and Maria got very close, and Flo relentlessly subdued me.

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Three: 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).

This was a matter of luck, but it helps to call an experienced rescue group and tell them the kind of pet you want and how you want to live with him. This is true of all pets; the more information we give breeders, rescue or shelter people about what we want, the better the odds you will get that. We told this rescue group, Salem Community Cats, what we wanted, how he or she would live, and Zip fit the bill.

We knew he was the cat for the minute we looked at his picture. People often get pets emotionally or impulsively without doing much thinking or research. The harder we work at it, the better we do. With cats, the best rescue groups will always try to match you with the dog or cat you want for the animal’s sake and yours. They don’t want their pets to be returned or abandoned. That happens all the time.

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Four: I have never had a cat, as I am allergic to them. I know there are different breeds of cats, but I 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.

No more than I am. I’m unsure of his breeding history; Zip was abandoned or escaped early and has lived outdoors all his young life. People call him a Tuxedo Cat, but I don’t think that’s a breed. Maria would call him a domestic short hair, but that’s the best we can do. There is no one to ask. Some cats work for people with allergies; they don’t shed. Ask your vet about it if you are interested.

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Five: 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?

We feed him daily if he wants to eat, but he is free to go out and hunt, which he already does. If he follows Barn Cat precedent, he will catch and eat birds (once in a while), baby rabbits, moles, and chipmunks. This varied diet, say our vets, is very healthy for barn cats and why they live longer than house cats when fed and cared for.

If he catches something good, he’ll ignore the food we give him as time passes. In Spring and summer, most of their diet goes to nature, but there is always food for them if they want or need it, and the vet approves the food as the best available. Eating their natural food is clearly healthy for them, but when there are blizzards or storms, it’s good for them to have an option. We offer him food every day. All commercial food is processed in one way or another, but it won’t be his full diet, not if he is the barn cat we think he is.

By feeding him regularly now, we made sure he attached himself to us and didn’t take off the second he got out of the crate. Food is essential to the human-animal bond. We ensured he knew this was home; for almost all animals, home is where the food is.

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Six: How Does Bud Like Him?

We don’t really know; they stare at each other between a fence, but they haven’t met nose to nose yet; we don’t want to rattle Zip when he’s so new. I’m sure Bud will not like him and try to run him off as he does all strange and new things to the farm. He won’t get far with Zip, who seems fearless. I predict when they meet, which will soon, Bud will get a scratch on his nose and then mind his own business. Bud thinks he’s a lion but is often reminded that he isn’t. But loves to chass things, but they must be small for him to catch or eat them.

He stared at Minnie and Flo and often barked at them, but they just ignored him. Flow gave him a whack once, and he never got close to her again.

 

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Thanks for the questions. Keep them coming, and I will continue to answer them. They do me and you good. I’m learning a lot from them and my work answering them.