We have a barn cat now; Zip is here to stay. He was let out of his crate this morning. The barn is clearly his. He knows barns.

The pigeons trying to nest in our barn are in for some trouble. Zip’s first task will be to get them out of the upper floor so we can clean it up there. He’s on it.

We let Zip out of his crate this morning around 9:30 a.m. He immediately found a hole in the hay bales and vanished into it, a new, warm, and safe place for him.

We visited him a couple of hours later, and he came right out of the hay bale, ate some food, and then went into barn cat-hunting mode when a pigeon came down from the upper floor and beat a  hasty retreat. I imagine they will all be gone soon.

Zip is not going anywhere. He came out to see us when we visited and has taken over the barn hay room as his headquarters. I took the video below when we let him out this morning. He’s explored every inch of it.

When a pigeon flew into the barn, Zip was instantly transformed from a sweet new family cat to a hunter; there was no mistaking that look. The mice, moles, and rats (if there are any) are doomed. I think the pigeons will be gone soon, too. Zip is a natural barn cat; he knows just what to do. And he knows how to hunt.

 

Zip took right to the barn; it’s his perfect home. Maria is a generous and attentive cat lover. He’s no fool, he isn’t giving that up.

He is happy in the barn; he’s been exploring every nook and cranny and bobbing and weaving through the hay bales and old crates lying around. He already has found a half dozen places to hide or to sleep.

When we let him out of his crate, the first thing he did was vanish into an opening in the hay bales. I bet he ends up sleeping there on cold nights. He knows how to be a resourceful and independent cat, which is what barn cats are.