Minnie was always a peaceful and quiet cat, but in the last few months, I get the sense she has slipped somewhat into old age, into her next chapter.

Born a feral kitten, she spent the first years of her life living with the chickens in the barn at the first Bedlam Farm. She is still most at home with the chickens.

She is shy still, disappearing when strangers appear. She spends most of her days and nights asleep on the back porch, curled up in beds, chairs and on cushions that Maria has made for her.

Once a day, Maria and I will visit her, cuddle with her. She has become close friends with Zinnia, who makes it a point to lick her on the nose every time she goes outside.

Minnie loves Zinnia, and even tolerates Bud, who barks at the cats every chance he gets, although they usually ignore him. Minnie has learned to live with her amputated leg, we will never quite know how it happened, and it was a difficult recovery for her.

As Minnie enters this next phase of her life, we’ll make sure she always has a clean cushion and she can come and sleep in the basement on her fluffy bed any time she wants, especially from December to April.

I remember the night when Maria and I went to get her, she was found underneath a porch with her feral mom. That was ten years ago.

For a feral cat, she has always been sweet. I remember her sleeping next to Winston the rooster to keep the other hens from bothering him when he lay dying and couldn’t move.