When we got Zip last Fall as our new Barn Cat—Minnie and Flo both died last year—we were delighted to have him.  We love him even more now.

He was – is – affectionate, intelligent, skilled at rat and mouse catching, and very happy to have his own space in our barn, with all kinds of places to sleep, hide, and hunt. He was free to be a Barn Cat, an almost mystical animal breed to me.

He and I bonded right away; he got right to my heart. We kept talking about how lucky we were.

So, I was shocked and hurt by the ugly controversy that erupted on my blog. It seemed that several people—city people—started attacking me because Zip would not be in the house at night or any time during the winter.

Zip would be out in the barn doing what barn cats do, keeping rats and rodents away from the animals and our farmhouse.

I was called all sorts of names and threatened with death, and I was amazed to see the sheriff come to the farmhouse and answer a call or two accusing me of animal abuse for making Zip sleep in the barn.

In the country, having barn cats sleeping in the barn was not even mildly controversial. For the animals, it was often a matter of life and death.

Still, I have learned more than once that the less people know about domestic or working animals, the more they are apt to accuse farmers and other people in rural areas of abuse.

Reality and truth are not deemed relevant.

The sheriff’s deputy reported our healthy, well-cared-for, and well-treated cat as well cared for —that’s just what our vet said. He asked if he could sleep in the barn sometimes.

I fought for a while and then moved on. It was one of the most absurd arguments in decades of writing online.

We are delighted with Zip; he seems happy and healthy to be with us.

He is the perfect barn cat—he loves us and loves to hang around with us.  He loves to hunt and live his own life.

He has adopted me as his human, and I am in love with a cat for the first time in my life. I cannot imagine a better fit for us or him. I sit and stroke him at least once a day, and he follows me around when I’m outside.

But I like to know what I am talking about, unlike some people who see themselves as warriors for animal rights. I am a warrior for animal dignity, knowledge, and respect.

Like so much else in our country, the rural-urban schism tearing us apart in politics has spread to the animal world. Just ask any farmer or anyone with a working animal of any mind.

 

To make sure I was doing right by Zap, I have talked to three different veterinarians over the past month or so, one in a big city—Boston—and two who work in the country. One is my primary vet, Susanne Farriello, the best vet I have ever known or used.

The other two work nearby.

I told them about Zip, where he sleeps, and what he eats, and I brought him to Dr. Fariello’s clinic to have him checked over.

Here is what I have learned.

First, and honestly, there is always a risk with a barn cat. They might fall prey to predators, run into a road and be hit by traffic, or eat something with worms or diseases.

Some Barn Cats are taught or learn savvy about cars.

Zip never goes near the road; he hangs and explores in the other direction, out in the pasture, the bushes, and the woods.

There is danger from predators, but he is cautious about where he goes and is alert to danger. Donkeys are vigilant guard animals; predators like coyotes and raccoons stay away from farms with donkeys and a pack of dogs.

There is risk for him, as for human beings, and risk to all life. We believe Zip is as safe as can be, as secure as any outdoor cat anywhere, and as secure as our sheep, chickens, donkeys, and dogs. Barn cats are unique; they know how to care for themselves.

The Boston vet said she knew of no barn cats in her practice, but when I described our care for Zip, she said many of the indoor cats she treated were not as well treated or as healthy as our vet says Zip is.

(Zip had a thorough vet check. His teeth were complete and robust, his weight was perfect, his coat was brushed and clean, and his fecal matter had no flees or worms. He has a tick collar year-round. I brush him twice a week.

All three vets agreed that sleeping in a barn in the winter is both safe and humane. Countless millions of animals live in barns in the winter, as almost anyone who lives in rural America knows. The animal doctors said that barn cats adapt to the cold, gain weight, and thicken their coats.

We got Zip a heated cat house to soothe us,  but he never slept in it.

He roamed as happily in snow and bitter cold as on warm and sunny days.

One vet suggested a Styrofoam cooler filled with straw, which stays especially warm and is loved by barn cats. We got one for next winter. We know this is for us, not for him. He will probably ignore that, also.

Dr. Fariello, who knows us well, was the most helpful. She said it was important for Zip to be wormed four or five times a year since many things he might catch and eat may have potentially dangerous worms inside.

She also said he needed to be kept up with all her vaccination shots.

I hadn’t thought of the worming, but he was wormed the other day and will be wormed every three months. He got all his shots when he came, and I will update you. Other than that, we were already doing what the vet suggested.

Zip is fed twice a day, but he is so successful in his hunting that he often skips eating the kibble we leave for him. We’ve cut the food back by half. In the winter, we might up it again. The vets all said the natural diet of barn cats was healthier than any cat food on the market.

They said well-cared-for barn cats lived as long or longer as indoor barn cats. “Your cat,” said our vet, “is a very happy cat.”

All three vets said there is no basis to support the idea that outdoor cats will suffer from cold weather if they have shelter, even in the worst storms and bitterest cold. Zip likes to make a nest between the hay bales; a barn has warm spots.

We notice Zip gets lethargic in summer heat; he is the most active and alert in the cold. Like the sheep and the donkeys, he gains weight and fur in cold weather and sheds it in summer.

In short, just about everything people who claimed to be animal rights people were telling me was a lie or ignorance at best. The assaults just made me determined to stick to my guns, but I don’t run from a fight.

Sadly, I know many people who will avoid situations where they must fend off the police to love an animal. Many animals pay for that fear with their lives.

How could this possibly be good for animals?

I felt perfect to have our care for Zip affirmed. I didn’t believe the almost inane hysteria pouring into my blog posts when he came, but I wanted to ensure that I knew what I needed to know about caring for a remarkable Barn Cat like Zip. I owed it to him and the people who have come to love him and read about him on my blog.

And yes, I owe it to me.

I am also saddened rather than angry at the almost tragic (for animals) deterioration of the animal welfare movement, which now seems to be controlled by zealots and urban people who know nothing about animals or the people who live and sometimes work with them.

At the end of World War II, 90 percent of Americans lived on or near farms. Today, only 10 percent do.  The people who make the most critical policy decisions about animal care – and their pliant legislators – know almost nothing about them. They are too often ideologues and extremists, a new American pandemic.

From the carriage horses to the ponies that give children rides to the elephants to working dogs, this movement no longer protects animals; it primarily works to drive them away from people and out of the world.

That is sad for them and for the rest of us. The domestic animals who helped humans build their civilization and kept farms safe can only be seen on YouTube now and forever.

This is an abuse of children as well as animals. I am so glad I didn’t listen to it.