When I went outside this morning, it was pouring, and I didn’t see Zip. He always appears when I appear, so I went into the barn. He was curled up in his new soft cat bed, his favorite sleeping spot on a shelf with a window view. I think he was staying warm and dry, but when I came in, he walked me to the mailbox, and I sat with him in the barn for a while.

He popped up on the garden bed when I tried to take a photo. He always wants to be in the photo. Zip reminds me of a teenage boy; he is always on the move, doesn’t listen to anyone, appears and disappears at will, and is constantly and easily distracted. He wants and needs attention and loves his freedom to move around. We had a good long visit in his dry and very comfortable barn.

He is a born barn cat. He patrols the grounds and does what he wants. It’s a pretty nice life. We bring him food twice a day. He spends at least a half hour a day getting scratched, rubbed and talked to. He is my companion cat, which blows my mind a bit.  I have difficulty keeping the camera away from him, and I love watching him and thinking about our connection.

I’ll be writing about it.

Zip mostly stays in the barn when it rains. He is fond of his soft cat bed, but I rarely see him.

I found him asleep in his bed when the rain was heaviest. He knows what he is doing.

Zip loves to climb the winter tires and sit by the window. He is agile, pops up everywhere, and disappears when he feels like it. Our barn is a perfect place for a barn cat. It is safe, out of the way, with a dozen places to sleep, hide, and hunt. Zip took to it immediately. He loves company and needs his privacy.

He doesn’t seem to need or want cats, dogs, or other animals. The hens fear him, and the donkeys and sheep ignore him, at least so far.