Few barn cats get to live the life of Mother and Minnie, fed twice a day and taken to the vet for shots. Most farms have many barn cats, litters of kittens, most of whom perish from predators or illness. It is impossible for a farmer to care for scores of cats. Most leave out pans of milk for them, but they are impossible to catch and too expensive to really care for. The lucky and hardy ones survive, entering the life of the farm. The others do not. You rarely see them all together, except during cold snaps when the comes out and they gather to soak up some warmth, as these cats did yesterday, in Argyle, N.Y.

I rarely want to take a barn cat  home, but I was intrigued by this one. She was cool, regal, unflappable. The others took off when I got closer, but she stood her ground, coolly appraising me.  I might drive by there again today, and see if she is still around. She was talking to me, I think. It is likely that I will never see her again.