Church Farm

This is one of 18 cats in the care of Phil, farm worker at Church Farm in Heddington. I had been driving past in search of a blip when I noticed three cats taking an interest in me on the steps outside the farm building. It turned out a blue car similar to mine rolls up at about that time with the lady who gives them their afternoon feed. They scuttled away as soon as I emerged and I was standing in the rain still trying to get a picture when Phil got out of his tractor and we began to chat. He was clearly an animal lover, but one day he had found one of his cats lying on this step with a bullet hole in its forehead, and two kittens on the step below also shot dead. Some of his racing pigeons had met a similar fate.

Another time, the cats weren't interested in the food and were to be found in a ditch over the road. When he investigated he found a deer that had been illegally shot and the remains dumped there that the cats were eating. He showed me the deer's skull that he had kept. He had a number of tales to tell all illustrating that life on a farm is not always good.

I showed him the pictures I had been taking as were chatting and he said I would be welcome to return to photograph them again whenever I liked. I look forward to doing that when the light is better and it isn't raining.

L.
19.1.2014

Blip #1155
Consecutive Blip #017
Day #1394

Alternatives:
Grey Tabby
Cat In A Crate
Cat in A Doorway
Making A Getaway

Lens: Pentax 55-300 mm

Cats series

Lozarhythm Of The Day:
Jenny Lewis - Completely Not Me (2014) (from the soundtrack of TV series Girls)