keeping barn cats safe?

The only probably with barn cats is that they dont stay at the barn. At night they roam the woods in search of food.They eat the young rabbits and the quail. When I was a coon hunter and my dog treed a cat(in in the woods, obviously hunting) he was well rewarded. A black snake would be a good solution to rodent problems.

Thanks for the replies....What a spectrum of opinions! I think I will opt to lock the remaining cat in the barn at night with a litter box. And we will find a new friend for him, too. I've waited for a couple of years for a barn cat to just show up, but it never happened, so I had to "get" my own.

Thanks!
Jennifer

P.S. I wouldn't have an intact cat, male or female. Way too much reproduction!

Someone mentioned the humane society. As I've mentioned before, we went there ten years ago to get a kitten. We were rejected because we put on our application that she would be let out of the house. Lady said too many ways to die. I asked if they would kill the kitten if not adopted and she said yes. Moral of the story - kill them before something else does?!! Life is inherently risky. Better to live well and die than to be completely safe and live.

There are alot of bored, neurotic cats cooped up in apartments who will live a long time. Humane society is quite happy about that. I figure cats are born to hunt, and nothing makes them happier. So what if they die doing what they like!

Otter, I'd like to learn more about why a full cat hunts better. Seems hunger would be a good motivator. We do feed ours, but sometimes I think it makes her lazy.

Also, my understanding is cats don't need company like other animals. In fact, territorial disputes can lead to inappropriate urination (spraying, etc). Ours is quite content by herself.

Anyway, after leaving the "humane" society, we went and got a farm cat and Mindy is still with us a decade later. Here is her latest gift at the front door - nice big gopher which is my enemy number one.

Glad to hear you spay/neuter. The only way to protect outdoor cats is to live WAY off the road. Our two barn cats were both house cats until they decided to move to the barn (both neutered males). Our barn cat now lives in our bedroom and refuses to go outside. Cats have minds of their own!

Good luck with your barn kitty. Shutting it in the barn at night will help, but things happen. One of our barn cats seems to need a vet visit once a year for an "accident"...fish hook through the roof of his mouth, abcessed bites (he ends up with an abcess about once a year) and one year he attempted to jump up on a storage shelf, missed and knocked himself out (I thought he was dead). Hmmm...wonder how many lives he has left?

__________________
I'm running so far behind I thought I was first!

http://hickahala.blogspot.com/

We have two barn cats, feed them in the barn only, water kept in the barn, they are locked up inside barn by 7:30 pm at night to keep safe from coyote. We let them out around 7 am. The Vet suggested (and we did follow his advice) that we feed them only once per day (actually at night when we lock them up) and that encourages them to kill mice in the day time. They do kill mice and rats. Good luck.

Anyone ever hear of putting opossums in your barns for mice/pigeon problems? I can see the benefits. No rabies, no sentimental attachment (how attached can you get to a giant, hideous rat?), they don't scratch things up, I doubt you'd see them much. I suppose they could kill chickens, but cats can too.

__________________
So now peculiar is a sin And honor is a useless token Different means a life alone And love is better left unspoken.

I'd rather come across mouse poop than opossum poop! Anyway, some opossums are hosts for a parasite that makes horses very sick. Plus, I've had (I think) a 'possum eat one of my chickens.

Jennifer

No Problem. It's a question of energy. A cat who has to hunt for every meal doesn't have that much energy to burn. They are like a wild animal in that they only expend energy to fill a need. A predator hunts more then they catch, so if it takes on average 4 hunts to kill a mouse, they'll only hunt the mice they need, they can't afford to waste energy on hunts that might not succeed. This is part of the reason it is so awful when a fox gets in the hen house. The poor hard working creature goes "I'm RICH!!! Woohoo!!!!!" and kills everything in sight, no hunting necessary.

If you feed a cat, then they have energy to burn. They are free to hunt for the joy of it. Just like many of us find we spend far more time on an activity when it is a hobby then when it is your job. If you NEED to make widgets all day, you don't want to make widgets when you go home. But if you're hobby is making widgets, then you turn widget making into an art, you obsess and perfect it and even join online forums to discuss widget making when you're not making widgets. So it is with cats and hunting.

And, to bust another myth, cats actually are social creatures. They are not as social as dogs or even lions, but they do form a loose pride with a few tight relationships. Cats are also unique among animals in how easily they make friends with and find pleasure in the company of creatures not their species. Not to say that other animals don't, but it is surprising to those that observe just how frequently this supposedly non-social animal has social interaction, not just with their own kind, but with other creatures. As I say this, I have a kitten madly purring on my lap. The puppy is trying to kill a pillow, and ignoring me entirely. The kitten's mother and brothers are nearby, but he chose to visit with me. When he's done with me, he won't seek solitude, he'll sniff around and finally curl up on another cat, since we won't let him sleep with the chicks in the living room. Definitely social.

I'm probably going to be looked at as a bit wacky....but that's ok.

I do cat rescue and all the cats....usually between 30 and 40 have access to house and barns. In the summer, no one ever believes that I have more than three or four cats as all are off hunting and exploring. Winters are different as many choose to lounge in the house. It's amazing how many...most in fact...choose to be out during a lot of the cold weather and then come in only to snooze. Because all can come and go as they please there are many risks and many don't make it to elderly....however they do have great lives if they are smart.

Things I do to improve their odds:

Every cat starts in the house so they know if they are frightened or cold they can come in and be safe and comfortable. This has completely eliminated any cats climbing in car engines as they come in the house to get warm.

Every cat is spayed/neutered and up to date on rabies. Neutering males reduces their desire to roam and also reduces fighting...which causes injuries and spreads disease. They also get their kitten vaccinations which includes Feline Leukemia and a couple of boosters during the early years. These vaccinations have greatly improved the overall health of the colony which in turn has improved their desire to hunt and reduced vet bills.

They are all wormed at least twice a year if there are no problems but problems are dealt with individually. We also Advantage everyone as eliminating fleas also reduces the occurance of tape worm. Ivermectin once a year deals with ear mites and internal parasites.

We have feeding stations all over the farm which reduces the need to go far and wide looking for food. They still hunt...and provide offerings to us regularly. This doesn't eliminate their wanderings however between neutering and having a comfy place to hang out...they are less likely to wander too far too often. We do have the occassional cat that loves road trips and there isn't anything we can do about that. We hope they stay safe but sometimes they never return.

We never provide anything of cat interest near the road. All cat related things...food, beds, toys, human attention...are either on the back porch or in the barn or at our camp farther into the property. We never do much of anything in the front yard...or even chat with visitors while they sit in the driveway in their car. This discourages hanging out with us in the front of the house...near the road.

Yes, we do loose some and I hate that....but we know that the cats that come to the farm got a little bit extra time here on earth. Some, the smart ones, have gotten many years and that makes it worth the effort and expense.

As for being expendable. I guess you could say that as the cat overpopulation problem is horrific. There will always be cats as long as cat owners choose not to spay/neuter. But we look at all animals as part of God's creation and we feel we have a moral obligation to at the very least care for them humanely. Having barn cats doesn't mean you must spend thousands of dollars and yes, sometimes you will loose one. But those who have barn cats that are cared for responsibly should be happy in knowing that you probably provided or are providing an otherwise unwanted cat with a pretty good life. I am grateful for the time I get with each cat and understand that there is no way to protect them from every risk in this world. I often wonder if they would be as happy locked in a house....once they know the joy of being free.

Willow101

We have a 17 YEAR OLD barn cat! Really!

I wish she could breed so we could get a few smart ones from her, but she's fixed.

Every year we say "think she'll last another year", "Nah, she looks terrible", but then she lives another year, and another, and another.

Having a couple of good dogs around the homestead will also help protect the cats, at least from predators. There's not much you can do about traffic hazards.

__________________
Building an earth home: http://www.freewebs.com/stocktonunderground

Do you also put out Bird feeders, to attract the Native songbirds........
so your free-ranging cats won't have so far to go to stalk their natural food?

Are you aware of the impact on the Rural Environment of that many free-ranging cats??
Are you aware of the numbers of songbirds slaughtered by free-ranging feral cats, not to mention all the small game animals slaughtered?

Thirty to Forty,(did I read that right?) free-ranging cats, in any location seems excessive and irresponsible Environmentally.........from a real Nature-Loving point of view.

I think it's great that every Farm or homestead would have 3 or 4 Barn-cats, to control the vermin, rats & mice & other rodents, around the Barn and close
environs.

But Really?? 30 or 40?? Outrageous!!!
Share these cats, eliminate this problem.........be Responsible, please.

__________________
Be Intense, always. But always take the time to
Smell the Roses, give a Hug, Really Listen, or
Jump to Defend your Friends & What you Believe in.
'Til later, Have Fun,
Old John

Old John, there is no need to attack Willow101

And just to make a point, do you know that the population of native songbirds are screwed all out of wack by the artificial environment we've created?
That there is far more marginal environment and far less natural predators then at any other point in time?
That feeding songbirds creates a surge of certain species, sometimes at the expense of others?
That the populations of small native predators who were the natural check on the population of small game animals and songbirds is at an all time low?
There are two sides to every story and Willow101 does a lot of very responsible work and rescue of animals. It might not be how you would do it or the choices you would make but that doesn't mean that she is wrong. Or that you are wrong.

Peace.

We all do what we think we have to do. I'm not railing on you Willow101 - just carifying my stance....

I also believe that cats are one of God's creatures. I also believe we were put here to have DOMINION over them.

There is a situation going on in Nebraska over 263 individuals left of a species of Beetle (Salt Creek Tiger Beetle). The Feds and Animal Rights groups want to set aside up to (and maybe more) 1700 acres and spend 20 million dollars to create a "habitat" for them because they are on the "Endangered Species" list.

It's a BUG.
Your Tax Dollars at Work.....

Sorry for the drift....

Yes, opossums are MAJOR carriers of EPM..they are NOT welcome around horses.

LMAO, thought one of your stripe would pop up soon

Just go to Tybee Island Ga. if you want proof that birds are smart enough to avoid cats lol

Thank you for saving me the effort of typing that


Oh, and willow101 WOOOHOOOO on the cats, the most we ever rescued were 17, all picked up from road corners, dumps, starving on the beach, dumped off on our porch in a box with a litter of kittens and the like. These were such mighty hunters that my mum opened a kitchen drawer and a mouse jumped out and ambled across teh floor under the watching eyes of all of them.

Useless, the lot of em lol but much loved (wink)

Most farmers will give you a barn cat from their supply. Such animal is already worldly in most cases. Keep the cat confined at your place for a week to 10 days and then turn it loose. It will probably hang around but not under your feet, hooves, tires. Let it raise a litter and then have the cat spayed and turn it back loose. You now have your own homegrown barn cats that should repopulate as others pass. I do not like cats, however I do tolerate a cat that has taken up part time residence in my tool shed. This cat is in coyote territory, fairly heavy traffic and neighbors that shoot cats. He is a transient but has managed to live this life for not less than 4 years. Surprisingly, this is a Siamese!

__________________
Agmantoo
If they can do it,
you know you can!

I don't have "barn cats" exactly, but a few of my cats are strictly outdoor cats because they couldn't be persuaded not to spray in the house. All are spayed or neutered. The other cats come and go in and out as they please. Nearly all are hunters. My big fat black and white long-hair, "Gordita", I once saw climb up the back side of the henhouse and snatch a mouse out of the eaves. This earned her the name, "Gordita the Wonder Cat". She's very well fed and hunts for fun. Spends most of her time at the henhouse on rodent patrol, along with several of the others. None of my cats has ever bothered the chickens once feathered out, and as far as I know, they haven't bothered the chicks either, maybe because of fear of mama hens. Lone chicks with no mom would be an easy target, I'm sure, so those get kept safe until big enough to join the rest of the flock.

We have a little feeding station cat-house with 2 compartments, kitty doors on it, so the cats can go into it for shelter, we keep dry food in it at all times. That way the dogs and chickens stay out of the cat food and it doesn't get rained on. They can also get under the house, under the shed, or go in the barn.

At the very moment I was reading this thread this morning a stray doy killed our beloved Natasha kitty in our back yard.

We loved her very much, and our hearts are breaking.

I'm so sorry you lost your Natasha. I love my cats, too, I know exactly how you feel. Mine usually pass at a ripe old age, but now and then, something happens. It breaks my heart.