Church

Yesterday, I wrote a post about barn cats.

That's a little off topic for this space, but there are a lot of cat ladies among my readership. The post got a lot of views and the responses were overwhelmingly positive.

One person - the ultimate cat lady herself, Stephanie Blaylock - expressed sadness about the coyote deaths mentioned in the post.

I feel that. 

As much as I enjoy the barn cats, I can't let myself get too attached. Most of them just don't live that long.

still grieving this one

This is true for all outdoor cats. Freedom comes at a cost. If you really love them, you should keep them inside. 

Today's post is a blast from the past about a barn cat that defied the odds and came back from the dead.

His name was Church. I can't be certain, but I suspect he was named after the cat in Stephen King's Pet Semetary, which is ironic.

In the summer of 2014, he was James' favorite animal.

James came to the barn with me a lot that year.

Everyone thought he was in love with the foals.

That was part of it.

 But really, it was Church who had captured his heart.

Here's a post I wrote about Church for my long defunct family blog. This was published on June 6, 2014.

Wednesday was National Hug Your Cat Day.

I don't have a cat but I do have a favorite cat. His name is Church.

Church was a problem cat who didn't fit in at the shelter or in foster care. He was one day away from being euthanized before someone scooped him up and brought him to the barn.

Church has thrived in his new home. It's obvious he was meant to be a barn kitty. 

Hurray for Church and National Hug Your Cat Day!

The love affair between boy and cat lasted through the summer, until one day when Church was just gone.

"He's a cat," I said. "He'll come back." 

But he never did. 

Days turned into weeks and then months. We had to assume that Church had fallen prey to a coyote or a car. James continued coming out to the barn with me for a while, but it wasn't the same.

Years passed. 

There were a lot of other barn cats, but we never forgot about Church. He remained the ultimate barn cat.

Then one day, I got a message from Sarah, the trainer. She said, "Hey! Remember that cat, Church, that your son loved so much? You're never going to believe this!"

It turns out that Church had not died. Instead, he had found himself another home. This cat - who had absolutely not wanted to be inside - had been living with a family under the name Missy for years. His owners taken him to the vet for surgery, during which time his chip was scanned. As the last owner of record, the barn was notified. 

What a wonderful turn of events that was! It's been several years now, but I hope wherever he is, Church Missy is still out there living his best life.