We have several farm cats. You may have heard about Baby, our 3-footed mother cat. Today, I will acquaint you with Pippy.
Pippy came to us several years ago as a teenage or immature cat. She walked on to the farm, not as a wild cat, but rather as one that purred and sought out people. Hence, we imagine that she was raised by someone who may have left her off at the end of our driveway in hopes that she would find a good home. She has stayed with us and seems to like it here.
Pippy displays gray tabby features, but with one unique variation. She has four white “long stockings” on her legs. Those leggings inspired her name. (She reminded me of a children’s book character by the name of “Pippi Longstocking” created by Astrid Lindgren.)
Pippy is responsible for herself. She is well equipped to find her own food, although we do give her milk. She knows how to hunt. One day, I saw her quietly crouching. She had sparrows in her sight. The birds perched on a low bush became her aim. She let out a rush and caught her lunch.
Pippy has stayed with us long enough to provide us with several litters of kittens. She had five little kittens this spring. Four are gray tabby cats and the fifth is a black tabby, resembling its sire.
With her new parental responsibilities, Pippy has to keep up with feeding the youngsters. So evidently, in the morning she is on the hunt. As I walked outdoors, I saw my husband drive by on his tractor. He pointed in the direction of the shed where Pippy’s kittens live. He yelled, “She has a rat!!”
Sure enough, as his tractor moved on down the road, there was Pippy dutifully carrying a huge lunch into her kits. I have seen her deal with mice. But this gigantic rodent was a sight to see. We have more respect for Pippy as we witness her prowess at tackling large game.
For more farm stories, check out our book, Tales From Heritage Farm.
If you are curious about the Pippi book here a bit of a review that may be of interest.
photo credit: Jamie McCaffrey Every domestic has a wild side via photopin (license)
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