Latte was a very special cat we got to enjoy for over 10 years! That is a long life for a farm cat. Most farm cats have a 3-5 year lifespan on the farm. They are lucky to survive their first year. Latte was special. He came to us as a kitten that was alone at the cow barn. A week before I brought home a small black kitten with a white patch on his chest for Jayden and named him Mocha. Two days later another black kitten of the same age appeared and Jayden named him Latte. They were very different, not littler mates. Latte has always been long and lean. He was an avid hunter and has caught many critters through the years. you could frequently find him perched on a fence post studying his prey in the tall grass. He has always been super friendly and will balance on your shoulder or arm. Sometimes we would call him our parrot. He had a motor like no other, his purring was so loud! He was also our arena/roping mascot. He had a way of showing up whenever we were in the arena wanting all the attention. He wasn't afraid of the horses or cattle, he knew there were people and where there were people there was a warm lap. He would find you if you were sitting down and make himself at home on anyone's lap. He loved affection. Latte was known to jump on the back of a horse. He did this on several occasions, from the ground, he would jump right up and sit behind the saddle or better yet in your lap. Our horses tolerated it ok, but friends were always shocked when this happened and their horses too. Sometimes when I rode in the arena I would ride up along the chutes and call to Latte. He would run up, climb the fence and onto the chute and leap onto the back of my horse. He would stay there and ride along. He was a cool cat!
In February, Karen told me she had a mouse in her house. She hates mice and is terrified of them. I offered to bring Latte to hunt. She isn't a big fan of cats in the house, or so she thought. I took Latte and knew he would be perfect for the job. He settled right in, I showed him a blanket where he could lay, a littler box, and he went to exploring the house. Initially he was only to stay for the night. That turned into a week and then a month. Grandpa Po really enjoyed taking care of Latte and had him sleep on his lap often. Grandma secretly liked him too. She wouldn't want anyone to know this, but she even let him sleep on her bed. As it got near Jayden's weeding and knowing everyone would be traveling, we decided it was time to adjust Latte back to living outdoors and on our farm. I brought him home thinking he would just settle back in. Ricky Bobby attacked and killed our sweet Latte. Luke discovered him and figured it out with all the marks on his dogs face. He took care of Latte and gave him a burial. It was so sad and tragic. The only thing I can think, Ricky did not recognize Lattte and he smelled different, so he didn't think he was part of our herd and got him. Such a sad end to such a neat ol cat.
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