No cat more interesting than the new ol' lady
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Audra Brown
link Audra Brown
Local columnist
When you’re dealing with large livestock, heavy equipment, and never enough manpower, excitement can get pretty exciting on the farm. But, sometimes all it takes is a new barn cat.
I realize the term “barn cat” is a little redundant, seeing as how that’s where cats are supposed to be, but I also notice that some people don’t have barns, and in the confusion, have cats in the house.
Now, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that, I just don’t subscribe to it myself.
My idea of a good cat is one that stays mostly out of sight and out of mind; a wily, sharp-clawed mouser; the kind of cat that you don’t want in your lap; the kind of cat that is only domesticated in the sense that it’s smaller than a wildcat.
The kind of cat that moved into our barn a couple of weeks ago.
I’ve met a lot of cats, some more interesting than others, but, in recent memory, I don’t recall one any more interesting than this ol’ lady.
Word was, she was a fine example of a barn cat, and with two kittens in tow, she’d be likely to stay with us instead of run off — the only other feature was a warning that she wasn’t particularly fond of dogs. Not an uncommon cat-inclination.
They weren’t kidding.
Got her moved in, showed her where the food and water is, and all was well. Then, one of the dogs came within 20 feet of her. Say hello to our new, grey-striped, bob-tailed, one-eyed hellcat.
I’ve seen a cat hiss, claw and get after a dog before, but only once the offending canine got in the cat’s space. This ol’ lady likes her space, apparently. Before that dog could get closer than 20, 30 feet, thi s cat took off running and got hold of that dog. She grabbed on and the dog didn’t know what hit him.
Long story short, from the Pyrenees pup to the Great Dane, this cat doesn’t care how big it is, or how close it gets. She sees a dog and she goes after it. Quite a cat, she is.
Audra Brown writes about life on the farm. Contact her at:
