Zip, Teaching Me More About Cats

While Fanny and Lulu were reluctant to come out of the barn this morning because of the snow and wind, Zip had already been out hunting in the marsh.

I know because I saw his foot prints in the three inches of snow that fell last night. They came from the marsh through the north pasture, over the fence, past my studio door to the woodpile and finally  ended at the barn door.

This morning when I came out to feed the animals, Zip was in his usual spot on the snow dusted red chair on the back porch.

Zip is forever sharpening his claws.  By scratching on the wooden post in the barn or the barn doors he’s removing the other layers of his claws which shed regularly.

But he does is so much and often when we’re around I began to wonder if something else wasn’t going on.

When I looked into it, I found that cats also scratch when they’re feeling playful or excited.  Which makes sense since he certainly gets frisky when I come out with the dogs.

But it’s also a way for cat to stretch and leave their scent, since the have glands in their feet.  And the according to the San Diego Humane Society, “Cats generally do this sort of scratching in areas where they feel happy or content, such as near a particularly favored sleeping area.”

I’ve had cats since I was a kid, but everything I knew about them I learned from experience, observation or intuition.

I don’t know if it’s Zip, or just that I’ve become more curious about cats since he came to the farm.  But because of him,  I’m learning new things about cats all the time.