The Story of Bear, the Black, Long-Haired, Double-Pawed Barn Cat
We take good care of our animals, and they appreciate it. The dogs protect us. The chickens give us eggs. And the cat granted us the royal privilege to feed him.
It was back in April 2021 when I contacted various animal shelters within a 50-mile radius from our little farm in Greenfield, Massachusetts, asking for adopting a barn cat. Maybe it was a side-effect of the pandemic, but barn cats were in short supply. Nevertheless, on April 28, I received an email from the Windham County Humane Society in Brattleboro, Vermont.
“Thank you for filling out our barn cat survey! I do have one cat we are currently looking for a barn for, and I think he may be a good fit for what you listed. He was surrendered to us by an older person going to assisted living. He was born in a barn and lived some of his life there before this person took him home. He pretty much only ever interacted with the previous owner and is very undersocialized. He is about five years old and a solid black long-haired cat. He is large and would likely do well in a barn where he didn’t have to interact with people unless he wanted to. Let me know if you think he may be someone you would be interested in, and we can go from there!”
I had a few more questions that were answered promptly, but the lady at the shelter also issued a fair warning:
“We can have you come by tomorrow, but just be aware that Bear spends most of his time hiding from us in his box, which we call his house. He is not a cat that I think will ‘go after people,’ but he does get defensively aggressive if you try to reach for or pet him. He may develop a relationship with your son after some time, but I would not expect him to be a cat who is looking for much, if any, human interaction.”
We picked Bear up the next day, and transferring him from his box into our travel crate was a major ordeal. They had to wear arm-long protective gloves to move him, and he was as aggressive as described.
In hindsight, he was taken away from his home of five years, neutered, and, right before we picked him up, they inserted a microchip into his skin. No wonder he was grumpy.
As recommended, we kept Bear in a crate in his new home, our barn, for roughly a week and a half before letting him go. During that time, we fed him daily, accompanied by his hissing when we came too close.
We posted photos of Bear on Facebook, and a friend made us aware that he is a double-pawed cat, and I did some research:
A polydactyl cat has a congenital physical anomaly called polydactyly (or polydactylism, also known as hyperdactyly), a type of cat body type genetic mutation that causes the cat to be born with more than the usual number of toes on one or more of its paw. Cats with this genetically inherited trait are most commonly found along the East Coast of the United States and in South West England.
From there on, things went very quickly to an unexpected level of interspecies relationship. Bear took his strides over our property with a preference for sunny spots at the swimming pool, where he would lounge during the day. He could be approached but would let us know when it was too close, and we complied.
Then, one day, my son took the initiative, using a brush-glove to give Bear a good rub, and the undersocialized cat enjoyed the attention.
These days, my morning routine, after letting the chickens out and feed them, includes taking care of the cat, i.e., feeding him, and, most importantly, pet him. In fact, he can be very demanding when he needs his rub, which is several times during the day.
I am writing this while working in the barn office, and Bear is a frequent visitor. In the late afternoon, he usually takes a nap under my desk.
I haven’t come to a conclusion what his previous life was really about. It appears as if the animal shelter received second-hand information that didn’t reflect the sweet behavior we are seeing. He actively seeks human contact, and he knows how to make clear he wants to be petted by “talking” to us or rubbing his body against us. One thing, though, is confirmed: You take good care of an animal, and they do show their appreciation.
