Princess, Barn Tyrant

Princess, Barn Tyrant

Here is a picture of little Princess.  I have mentioned her before.  She is the cat who loves to come running when we call her, loves to help me clean stalls and feed the horses, loves to sit on my lap and purr, loves all kinds of attention—until she doesn’t—and then she attacks—only to ask for more attention.  She can purr and growl while sitting on my lap at the same time.  Sometimes, she will get really mad and walk away in a snit—swishing her tail back and forth.  In fact, her tail never stops swishing.

It is for all these reasons that the only people who pay attention to her, other than her owner, is Ellen and me.  Everyone else is afraid of her.  She loves us all the more, because of it.  She just delights in the attention we give her.

There has been a new complication.  Last year, a feral tom cat moved in.  The old ladies have been feeding him, and he has started to become tame.  He noticed that Princess spends time with me.  I would see him just watching us as she purred and growled on my lap.  Over time, he got closer and closer.  A few months ago, he started quietly following me—quietly watching.  I started to call him my Stalker Cat.  (Better than Blackie—which is what the old ladies call him.)  Eventually, he let me pet him, and now that’s all he wants.  He gets so happy.  He now helps me feed, too.   

Princess is not happy about this.  Whenever he is close to me and she wants my attention—she has been attacking him.  He doesn’t fight back, but holds his ground and quietly waits; watching; stalking.  When Princess gets tired of me, I will look back and see him following me.  Finally, I am able to talk to him and tell him what a handsome fellow he is.

The old ladies have been talking about trapping him and sending him for the operation.  I certainly hope that they are able to.  He has been getting in fights and is all beaten up.  All of our females are spayed, so I don’t know where he has been fighting.