Zip’s hunting behavior is fascinating, and I never tire of it. When he spots a potential prey, he transforms into a statue, his movements slow and deliberate. On this particular occasion, he was perched on my lap, his attention drawn to a movement in the distant marsh.

He froze, crouched, and moved to the stone wall. He walked silently over it and onto some brush below. He was out of sight for a while, but I knew he was heading to the marsh, hunting paradise for a cat like him.

Zip has become a skillful and lethal hunger. He sees every movement on the farm and is patient, silent, and wicked smart.

Then I got up with my big lens and walked over to the stone wall. I assumed he was heading for the marsh, home to birds, snakes, moles, frogs, and mice. I waited and saw a black tail stick up.

Zip was close. He jumped several times in the wet and thick marsh, but I don’t think he caught anything. A few minutes later, he came back out of the marsh and jumped back into my lap to finish getting cratched and stroked.