The adventures of Minka the cat.

There once was a lovely little farm in the countryside of the Peak District that was full of animals. There were two shetland ponys called Benny and Rocky, a shire horse called Billy, three fancy cows called Bluebell, Peg, and Steff, seven really stupid sheep, one black labrador called Oscar, and a new litter of kittens.
The mother of the new litter was called Emmy, and was chalk white. She wasn`t too fond of people, so was seldom seen, exept when it was feeding time. It wasn`t that she didn`t like people, she just didn`t like all the fuss they made, with all the cuddeling and stroking. She was a rough farm cat, and she wanted to stay that way.
So on this cold october evening, she snuggled up in the hay bales next to the stables and had three beautifull little kittens. Billy the shire horse, being so big, wathched in amazement as one after the other emerged from out of  Emmy. The first to be born was a black male with a tiny pink nose, he was to be called Terry. The second was also a male, but he looked more like tiger than a cat. He was a pale orange with dark orange stripes. His name was to be Orlando. Then when the third little kitten emerged Emmy, was very happy to see it was a girl. She decided to call her Minka.

Oscar the dog had been sleeping just outside the main farmhouse when he heard all the noise comming from the big barn. He couldn`t make out what sort of sound it was because he had never heard it before. He walked over to the barn to see what all the fuss was about. All the animals lived in the big barn besides Osacar. The hay bales were at the end of the barn. He didn`t really like going inn there in the autumn, because it was so cold. Benny and Rocky shared a stable, and were the first animals Oscar met when he came inn. He asked what was going on, but since the two ponies were so small, thay couldn`t see over the stable door, and wern`t sure what had happened. Emmy saw Oscar hovering by the entrance and called him over.
Although he was a dog and she a cat they got on supprisingly well. When he saw the three little lumps of fur, crawling around and making the starange sound he understood what had happened. He didn`t think they were very pretty. They didn`t seem to have eyes and besides making the awfull racket, he said to Emmy that they were lovely. Billy had to give a little neigh at that, since he could tell Oscar was lying. They were ugly. But Billy had seen it before and knew that it wouldn`t be long before the three little kittens would become three little cats.

After about four weeks the little kittens had opened their eyes and were scattering around the barn as if they owned the place. Poor Billy was constantly trying not to step on any of them with his big hooves. They were all very fond of Billy, but Emmy had to tell them to be carefull, because he could trample on them by accident because he was so much bigger than them and that he didn`t have eyes on his stomach.
Terry was the nicest of the three. He was very polite, and unlike his mother, loved the attention the farmer gave him. He was also abit of a sissy. He was very scared of the fancy cows, which wasn`t supprising, because most of the animals were scared of them. They had major mood swings and were very unstable.
Orlando was a mummys boy. Emmy didn`t like that, but he seemed to follow her everywhere. Emmy knew she had a lot on her paws at the moment, but knew the day would come when she could be alone again, and not have to look after her kittens.
Minka was the trouble maker, and always got herself into mischeif. Her favorite thing to do at the moment was to climb on the wooden railing above the stables and jump onto Billys back with her claws out. 

Winter was comming and this usually ment that there was a constant cold draught in the barn. Emmy huddled the three kittens together and made them stay in the area of the hay, so as not to get cold. Minka prefered to stay inn Billys stable and listen to his many storys. He told her of the world beyond the farm, and at how nice it would have been to just be able to be free and gallope along the endless feilds and jump the stone walls deviding them.

When the cold and dark winter was over Emmy told her kittens that they now had to go off and explore the world for themselves, but they would always have the possibility to come back to the farm at any time. Emmy had hardy finished talking when Minka was already running towards the big barn doors. As she was running she was shouting good bye to everyone and that she would come back when she felt ready to. All of Billys storys had made her desperate to explore.

It was light and smelled lovely outside. She didn`t know what way to go so she started her adventure by walking up the farm lane and onto an old path. She walked for ages chasing butterflies and running after feild mice. The grass was long and green and she didnt even notice she had walked right up to a big orange monster! It had huge horns and long orange fur. It smelled of something she knew... Cow! The monster was only a cow!
She introduced herself and asked why it had such long horns and fur. The cow, or rather bull, was a highland cattle called Hamish. He said he was originally from Scotland where it tended to get much colder in the winter, and that why he had so much fur, was to keep him warm. She asked him what he was doing away from Scotland and he told her that he had been sold by his previous owner to a farmer who had always wanted a highland cow.
She didn`t know what sold ment so when she found out what it was she got very scared. She thought of the farm and what animals the farmer might sell. What if Billy would have been sold when and if she ever returned? She was just very glad she hadn`t been sold. What a horrible thing to do!
She stayed the night with Hamish before she went off the next day.
 
She continued chasing and trying to catch other creatures. She was in the middle of chasing a bumble bee when she saw a big dark figure in the sky. It was seeming to be following her and was making high screetching sounds. She got terrefied and ran as fast as she could until she felt she was safe. She had run far and had lost her scence of direction. Was she closer or further from the farm? Suddenly the heavens opened and it poured down with rain. Minka had never seen or felt rain, but she found out staight away that she didn`t like it. She ran over to some bushes close by, and lay under them, trying not to get wet. She then saw a flash of white light and a huge rumbeling sound came from the sky. That made her jump and she realised she wasn`t under the bushes anymore. The light and bang from the sky happened again and she managed to get herself to under a smalish tree with a stone wall behind it.
She was soking wet and very unhappy. She thought back to the farm and the warm dry hay in Billys stable, when suddenly a voice said `You look rather lost.` She turned around, and there sat the biggest bird she had ever seen. It had a sharp beak a bit like a claw, and was black as night exept for its brown wings and white rump. There was another big bang in the sky, and it finally stopped raining.
The bird then look off and returned shortly after with some food. Minka didn`t want to know what it was, but she hadn`t eaten for a few days and was starving.
The bird was a Harris Hawk called Cody, that had flown away from her owner a few weeks earlier. She was a bird of prey, that under other circumstances would have had Minka for dinner. But Cody was a friendly creature and felt sorry for the lost little cat. She decided to take Minka under her wing untill the little cat was safe again.
It was nightfall and Minka was now nice and full. Cody said she knew of a place where the two of them could spend the night, so with Cody flying infront, Minka did her best to follow after. They got to an old deserted stone barn, but there was still a bit of dry hay in there, which Minka curled up in. Cody perched herself on one of the rotting railings that was still standing. It had started to rain again, but the banging and flashing didn`t seem so scary when they were in the barn.
Minka was drifting off to sleep when she heard a rusteling sound next to her. She could se Cody was asleep above her and wondered what the sound was. It was dark, but she could see a round body with a long tail trying to get under some stones next to her. She pounced on the creature and it made an odd squicing sound. The noise woke Cody and she shouted to Minka to leave the poor creature alone. It wasn`t doing them any harm and that it was improper to kill just for the fun of it. That was news to Minka. When she lived at the farm Emmy had encouraged them to do so.
The creature was let from Minkas grip and ran back under the stones again.

When Minka woke the next morning, Cody was gone. That made her very axious. Luckely the sun was out and there were lots of things to explore. She decided to stay near the old barn incase Cody returned. First she would go down to the stream she could hear close by and try to catch some breakfast. When she got to the stream it had lots of slimy green stones along it. Suddenly one of the slimy green stones croaked and plopped into the water, this made Minka loose her balance on the stones, and fell into the stream with a splash. She really hated water now. She was also very hungry.
She walked slowly back to the old barn to find some fresh meat just lying there. She jumped at the chance of a free meal and ate it all a bit to fast. Her stomach was killing her and she had to lie down. She curled back up on the dry hay, when she heard the rusteling sound again. And then suddenly a black rat was staring right at her. `Hello`said the rat. It didn`t seem to be scared of Minka at all. It had probably sussed out that Minka didn`t want any food for a while, so it took it`s chance to get to know her.
Her name was Cleo and usually lived under the pub just up the road. She was a huge fan of what people called alchohol. Minka remembered seeing the farmer once in a very strange state, and Cleo informed her that he must have drunk something with alchohol in it.
Minka didn`t like this Cleo. Rats were food. Not friends. But then she thought of what Cody normaly would eat, and figured it could quite possibly be cats.

She missed the farm now. She missed her brothers and her mummy. She asked Cleo wether she knew where the farm was, but Cleo said that there were a lot of farms in the area and good luck finding the one she was looking for! It was then Minka decided to try and find her way back home. She felt she had been away long enough of now. She wasn`t the smartest of cats, but she soon sussed out which way was home.
She decided to walk along the lane when she saw someone familiar poutched on the ground infront of her. It was Cody!
Cody had kept an eye on Minka all day, and it was she who had put the fresh meat in the barn for Minka to find.
Minka asked Cody if she please could help her find her way back home. Since Cody was a bird she could map things out and describe in detail to Minka about the farms, but none was the right one.
The two of them kept on searching until one day the search was up. Cody had spotted a smalish farm with three cows just outside, and two small horses in a feild not far from the main farm house. Minka was sertain it was the right farm and started running in what she thought was the right direction. Cody then told her that if she was to walk to the farm it would take at least four days. This annoyed Minka and she asked Cody what she was supposed to do. Fly? Just incase she hadn`t notised, she was a cat. Not a bird.
Cody laughed at the little cat and asked if she could remember her mum ever carrying her by the skin on the back of her neck. She did remember and suddenly got the picture. Cody was going to fly her to the farm! What an enterance that would be. She was already picturing them all when she would come flying into the big barn.

As it happened the only animals that were in the barn when she arrived in the claws of a hawk, was Billy and her brother Terry. All the other animals were out in the fields surrounding the farm. But they had all seen them. Since Minka was quite a bit heavyer than what Cody normaly would carry, she had to fly rather low. Emmy had been watching with a sharp eye and was sure her daughter was now hawk food. It was when she saw them fly into the barn she jumped down from the tree she was sitting in and rushed to the barn. Oscar close on her heeles.
When they arrived at the barn they got a fright. It was the oddest sight. A bird of prey and a cat. Normally Emmys instincts would tell her to run and hide form the bird, but seeing her own daughter alive made her forget the dangers of the bird.
After Minka had reasured her mother that Cody was a friend, and that it was she who had helped her find her way back home, Emmy could finaly relax. It had all been such a terrible fright for them, and after Minka had introduced Cody to them properly, Cody took off.
She said they would meat again as soon as Minka was ready for another adventure outsdide the farm.

Minka stayed at the farm for a while. Her brother Orlando hadn`t been seen since the spring morning their mother had told them to go off and see the world. That had worried Emmy, since before then, he would not go anywhere that she didn`t. But news had reached her that he now lived in the big house at the top of the hill, and loved it there. He spent most of his time sleeping on a large chair in the drawing room with his new master, Lord Frambly of Frambly hall. All very posh apparently.

Minka spent alot of time telling Billy, Benny, and Rocky about her little adventure. It was midd summer now and they were all out in the fields, listening to Minkas storys. She even tried talking to the seven stupid sheep, but they would much rather graze on the fresh summer grass than be bothered by her.
Oscar had heard it all before when Emmy was a kitten and went out of the farm for the first time. Well, nearly all of it. He couldn`t remember Emmy ever coming to the farm with a bird of prey. Although she did catch alot of other birds. Emmy had a rough background. She was found by the farmer and his wife when they were out walking with Oscar one day. Emmy was only a few weeks old and had been dumped in a plastic bag and throughn into the river.
A human had done that to her and that was one of the main reasons she didn`t trust people.

Minka was glad to see Terry was still there. He wasn`t the typical farm cat, and spent most of his time in the main farm house all nice and snug in a chair next to the AGA. She asked him if he had been out to explore yet and he replied he hed explored far enough from the big barn to the main farm house. What a sissy, she tought. Minka was deffenetly most like her mother out of the three of them.
The very first thing Minka did the next morning, was to go up to Framby Hall to look for Orlando. She was desperate to see him again. So off she trotted up the long lane to the big house. It didn`t take her long to find Orlando once she had reached the house, and he was very happy to see her. He told her that the farmer had given him as a gift to the Lord, and was very happy where he lived now.
Minka didn`t understand why the farmer had given her brother away to a stranger, but Orlando told her that apparently it is normal for people to give away kittens. She thought it was appaling to do such a thing. It was worse than selling. She felt cross at the farmer for just giving away her brother like he was some sort of bouquet of flowers.
The two of them walked around the huge estate with all kinds of funny looking things. Strange trees, funny looking things for people to sitt on, and a pond with
orange fish in. It was nothing like she had seen the last time she was out and about.
Suddenly there was a loud screech from the sky and down swooped Cody. Orlando had come across her before and ran for cover. Minka couldn`t be happier. She hadn`t seen Cody in ages and it was great to see her again. Cody asked if she knew the orange cat, and when she found out it was Minkas brother,
she felt terrible. Apparently Cody had tried to catch Orlando when he was smaller and she asked if she could be forgiven. Orlando, still shaking with fear, emerged from the shrubbs he was hiding inn and came to say hello. When he heard the tale of Cody flying Minka back to the farm, and fetching food for her, she didn`t seem as scary. After they had spoken together for a bit, Orlando heard his owner calling him, and had to leave. He was happy to do so, because he still thought Cody was a bit scary.

Cody asked Minka where she was planning on going now, but she had no idea. She had originally planned on walking back to the farm, but now she
wanted to go off with Cody and do some more exploring. They headed in the direction of the main village but Cody was flying too fast for Minka to keep up and soon lost sight of her. She was alone again. Or was she? She thought she could see something mooving in the long grass, and out jumped a rabbit. Minka had never seen a rabbit before, and thought it looked like a very strange creature. She was a little scared of it and decided to walk in another direction, but suddenly it was infront of her. How did it do that? The rabbit was the first to speak. His name was Tarzan and lived in a burrow behind the village pub. After they had spoken for a good while, Tarzan asked if she would like to join him in his burrow for the night. She agreed, but felt a little uneasy. Tarzan had a pair of really big front teeth, and was worried he was trying to trick her so that he could eat her. Don`t forget, she had never met a rabbit before. Just as they were reaching the
burrow it started to rain. Tarzan quickely bounced into his burrow with Minka close behind. But she couldn`t get inn. The burrow was too narrow for her. Tarzan then came to the conclusion that they would both go and hide out from the rain under the pub.
It was nice and cosy under the pub. Lots of dry leaves, which must have blown under during a wind, and no rain. Then Minka noticed someone she had seen before. It was of course Cleo the rat. She was joined by a white rabbit called Snow White, a fieldmouse they seemed to call Little Man, and a runnaway guineapig called Buster. A rather strange lot if I may say so. They were all friends of Tarzan and all very polite. Abit too polite. Then she saw Cleo trying to walk over to Little Man, that she realised they must have drunk some of that alchohol stuff Cleo had told her about at their last meeting. They were all acting very strange, and everything was funny. Well, to them at least. Alchohol really makes dumb animals even dumber.
Minka wanted to go home. She knew she was in the village but what way was the farm? It had stoped raining, so she said goodbye to the drunk animals and thanked Tarzan for his hospitality.

When Minka was out on the road, just outside the enterance to the pub, the farmer came out! She couldn`t have had better luck! She followed him all the way back to the farm, and was finally home! She felt like she had been away for ages, but it had actually only been one day. She told Billy about the drunk animals, and how Cody once had tried to catch Orlando.
Billy always liked to listen to storys. It made him feel like he got to be out and about too. The only times Billy was outside his stable was when he went to graze, or when he pulled a cart about. Since he was a shire horse he was really too big to ride, but sometimes when the farmers niece came to visit, she would try to ride him. He was getting old and was waiting for the day the farmer would come and collect him when he no longer was of any use. Billy did the wrong thing by telling Minka what happened to the farm animals when they got old and were only an expence for the farmer to keep. If they didn`t die of old age, they would be taken away and never seen again. That scared Minka, so everytime one of the animals were taken out of the barn she was sure she would never see them again. But it seldom happened. Some of the sheep had gone, but Billy reasured her that they had only been sold to someone else. He also told her that Cody had come by looking for her the night Minka ended up with the drunk animals.
She wished she was with Cody now. But that thought was forgotten fast as the farmer came inn with a new dog. He was only a puppy, but was still big. The Farmer called him Junior and he was a great dane. He was like a big version of Oscar. Oscar didn`t seem to mind the company of another dog, since he was too scared to go into the barn. But today the new puppy was put into an empty stable for the day. They all welcomed him to the farm and told him a bit about themselves. He seemed to be a very kind dog, although the size of him was a bit frightening. Junior told us he was going to be a watch dog on the farm. After alot of chit chat Minka went out.

She found a path she hadn`t seen before, and walked happily along when Cody swooped down from out of nowhere. She appologised that she had been flying so fast the last time, and by the time she realised Minka was no longer behind her, she had flown too far to try and look for her.
Minka got a bit annoyed and climbed into a tree close by. Cody perched next to her and tried again to explain, but Minka would`t listen. She was really turning into Emmy. Comming to think of it, she hadn`t seen her mum for a while. Minka wondered where she could be and wished she was with her mum instead of, what she thought was, a lying bird.
Minka jumped down from the tree and walked away. Leaving Cody behind. Minka had taken it very personally when Cody had flown so fast that night. She had
Got the impression at the time that Cody was trying to get rid of her. This of course not being the case. A gust of wind had practicly pushed Cody faster, so she
had no way of slowing down.
Cody was confused and just satt up in the tree for a while, and maybe she should return to her owner. She had grown fond or the wild though. She then took off.

Minka had managed to get back into the field were she had first met Hamish. But he was nowhere to be seen. Everything seemed unusually
quite. Something wasn`t right. Minka was then attaced by a very angry badger. She felt the pain in her back feet when Cody came like a bullet from the sky and went straight for the badgers head. She hacked and clawed at it until it lay dead. Minka had by accident passed to close to the badgers den when she got attaced. If it hadn`t been for Cody she surely would have been killed. She owed her live to Cody.
Minka hadn`t been injured too bad, and as she satt licking her wounds Emmy walked by. Cody was still close by though. She had flown up into a tree when she saw Emmy comming. Minka was glad to see her mum again, but she also wanted to thank Cody. Everything had happened so fast, she didn`t get the chance to say sorry or thanks, before Cody had dissapeared.
Emmy was annoyed at Minka for having been so stupid as to go so close to the badgers den. She had told her time and time again to stay away from badgers.
They were extremely dangerous. Minka felt like a little kitten again. She was being told off by her mum whom she hadn`t seen in ages. And the one creature who Had saved her had gone. So she thought anyway.
Cody had changed her mind at the last minutte about returning to her owner when she had heard the cry of what sounded like Minka.

Emmy took Minka back to the big barn. Her back legs were very soore and it was hard to walk. But she didn`t complain on any of the
way back, but the second she got into the barn she wailed so loud that the animals at the next farm probably heard her. Her legs were all cut up, but none of the cuts were especially deep. She would soon be fine again.

But some of the animals were very scared for her, Emmy incloded. There used to be another cat at the farm a while back. His name had been
Sam and he had been attaced by a badger and died shortly after. Apparently he got very violent, and frothing at the mouth just before he died. Badgers were
looked upon as demons at the farm after that. They were all hoping that it wouldn`t happen to Minka though.

Luckly it didn`t. Her wounds grew well, and it didn`t take long untill she was bouncing around the farm like nothing had ever happened to her.
She decided it was about time for her to go and see some old friends. She hadn`t been away from the farm since she had been attaced. So she thought it was about time she went away for a bit.

Her first mission was to track down Hamish, the highland cattle. Like she noticed the last time she was in his field, he was no longer there, so she had to go looking for him. Supprisingly that didn`t take long. He had been mooved to a bigger field with more cows. He was the only highland though. Unfortunately for Minka he didn`t remember her. That showed how stupid cows were she thought.

Next was to go up to the local pub to find the drunken animals and Tarzan. Only when she got there they were not drunk. They were having a nice rest and with Minka just showing up they allmost all died of heart attacs! They were all very happy to see her and they had lots of things to tell. Like the barmann had putt out mouce traps and food with poison to try and keep the unwanted guests away. But they weren`t stupid. They just ignored the stuff, and carried on with their merry ways, trying to drink out of almost empty beer cans and bottles of wine.

Cody was never seen again, and Minka really missed her. She asumed Cody had gone back to her owner and if she ever escaped again, Cody
would know where to find her. Minka stayed almost always at the farm exept the few times she went to the pub. Emmy had died of old age and it was now Minka who had taken on the role as the farm cat.

Then came the night when it was Minkas turn to give birth. Again, with good old Billy watching in amazement.

All the animals in this story are real. They are animals I grew up with and some I even loved.

Oscar was a black lab, that my Uncle Nick and Autie Clare used to have. He was very special to me as we were the same age! So in a way we grew up together.

Benny was a brown and white shetland pony that lived up the road from where Nick and Clare used to live.

Emmy was also Nick and Clares. And she was so white that  in the summer she had to have sun lotion on the tips of her ears as to not get sun burn.

Rocky was also a shetland pony that I had adopted through a horse sanctuary. I never got the chance to meet him though.

Bluebell, Peg and Steff are some of Nick and Clares cows. But they are not fancy. They are just nice.

Terry was origionally my uncle Buzz`s cat, but he lived with my Granny and P in Scotland. He is probably the stupidest cat I have ever come across.

Orlando was the cat of a very good friend of the family. Unfortunately he got diabetes and eventually died. But he was very old.

Minka is Minka. My daft cat, that is very good at running into things. I dont think she has learned to stop before hitting something. But I love her to bits. She is also the only animal still alive that I know of.

The seven stupid sheep are actually based on one sheep. But he was stupid. There was a notice taped on his back saying `dont feed me`. He was the fattest sheep I have ever seen.

Cody is my favorite. I am still trying to track her down over the internett. I got to know the falconer who owned her well, and it hurts me to say that he was killed by his own son a few years ago. Hence it being very hard to find this magnificent bird. She really was/is beautifull and I would do almost anything to see her again. When I went to see John,the falconer, and all his birds of prey, I was in heaven. I was also the one he `chose`from the audience to be a part of this falconry shows. It was so much fun, and it started my love for Harris Haws especialy.

Junior was a great dane I got to know and love when I lived in Molde. The most beautifull dog I have ever seen in my life. I guess you could call me a Junior fanatic. I am still to this day tourturing uninterested people about him. I didn`t know him very long, but he was the nicest dog ever.

Sam who is only just mentiond was one of Grannys cats from before I was born. But I have heard so much about him I feel I knew him.

Little Man, was actually a dwarf hamster, Snow White, Cleo, Tarzan, and Buster were all my pets when I lived in Molde.

Cleo. I have to tell you a bit about her. She is the reason I wrote about the drunken animals. We had spilled some beer on the table once and she seemed to love it and did actually get drunk. Very funny.

Billy the shire horse is also one I miss. He had to be put to sleep after kikking someone. I used to ride him when I was in the Lake District during summers. He was a gipsy horse that was taken over when he was no longer wanted. He was also brown and white.

 Hamish the highland cattle was only tiny when I first met him. I remember feeding him out of a bottle. When I saw him the year after he was big, and had startrd getting horns but still friendly. And the third year I went to see him, he was too big, and too dangerous to go near, so he was fenced inn and I couldn`t meet him. But I could deffenetly see him. He had grown so big that it was hard to imagine that three years earlyer I was feeding him out of a bottle!