Here at Trinity Farm, we are blessed by the presence of four barn cats. Providing pest control, cuddles, and endless amusement, they are clearly the ones in charge of the barn, and we are just their minions who feed them.
Bitty was our first barn cat. Three years old this summer, she is an absolute love bug who acts more like a dog than our dogs. Although not the most dedicated mouser we have, Bitty considers it her duty to clear the feed room of mice every morning as soon as she is let out of the office. She loves to follow people around the barn,
take over their laps,
supervise office work,
sit in the ring and offer her opinion on lessons,
and is even known to ride a horse from time to time!
Sabrina came next; a former housecat, she has adapted to life at the barn by taking over the dog bed in the office and spending her days sleeping on it or sitting on unsuspecting laps.
A few times a day, Sabrina ventures out of the office to pretend to hunt mice, sit in the sun, or perform a quality inspection on package deliveries
and then goes back in to kick the dogs out of their bed, if Bitty hasn’t already.
Rocky was our third cat. Brought by a friend of the farm, we were looking for a friendly feline who would actually act as pest control rather than sit in the office all day long. He came to us feral and lived in the office for about four weeks while acclimating to people; when we let him out he disappeared for a few weeks and then reappeared one morning meowing for food and has stayed ever since. A bit shy, Rocky takes his mousing job very seriously and is most likely to be seen early morning or evening when the barn is quieter, unless his food bowl is empty – in which case he will follow you around meowing until you fill it back up.
Sasha was our fourth cat – she adopted us. The kids made it their job to befriend her when she showed up.
Over the course of a few months, and lots of food, she slowly let us approach and then pet her – when we discovered that she was pregnant. After we found homes for her six lovely kittens, Sasha was spayed and reintroduced to the barn. Also a bit shy, Sasha has her favorite people, is an absolute sweetheart and great mouser, and generally follows Rocky around – where he is, she is not far behind.
Update: Emily D. was kind enough to send us pictures of Sasha’s kitten, Sibby, that her family adopted:
Very cute (and all grown up now)!
And Emily K. has sent us her two favorite pictures of Bitty and Sabrina:
If you have any favorite pics of our kitties, particularly Sasha or Rocky, please send them to us!