In Honor of Sweet Pea

 Although felines get little attention in these blog posts, their presence around the farm gives us pleasure nonetheless. One of the cats to grace our yard was a visitor from next door, a fluffy, one-eyed cat named Sweet Pea. On occasion I might encounter him somewhere around the front or side of the house, heading busily for some definite destination, lurking in the grass, or just lazing in the sun. 

 After Annabelle and Barney arrived to become our official barn cats, and once they got settled in, we believe that Barney as Sweet Pea tangled a time or two. Barney certainly came home with his sleek, black coat thinned in places. When our neighbor Theresa reported that Sweet Pea had been fighting, we figured out that Sweet Pea was most likely Barney's adversary in the yard.

Sadly, this morning Theresa found Sweet Pea dead beside her driveway. He appeared to have been poised for attack; he did not go down without a fight. We're hoping that Barney is not to blame, but Theresa did say that Sweet Pea has been unwell, and that he even had an odor of death clinging to him when she last saw him.

So long Sweet Pea. You will be missed. Happy Hunting in Kitty Heaven!