Barn Cats

[LittleRibbie]

I've never been a cat person....I love kittens and cats but dogs and horses have always been first loves. I have a friend who thinks we need a barn cat. He has kittens that's are all neutered/spayed and is looking for homes for them. I know barn cats are common but the only 2 cats I've ever had have been indoor cats. These kitties were from a mom who was feral and my friends was able to catch her and she now lives with him...so now shes just a house cat w/kittens

Do your cats stay out side 24/7?

How old do they have to be before leaving them out in the barn?

Do you put their beds out side too? Do you still put a littler box outside...I don't want them doing their business in the stalls

I have lots of wild bunnies....I think I know the answer to this... but will they kill them too?....I have no mice..as far as I know.

Im assuming a female will not wander away?...I've always thought the males like to travel

I cant believe with all the animals I have had ...a barn cat isn't on the list!! And I have no idea how to care for them.

Any pros or cons you can fill me in on would be wonderful

thanks

 

[Vansplic]

Our barn cat is out days and in nights because we have a lot of predators and I lost too many cats to them. He does not wander but I just can't chance it any more. He was born in a barn and did not come into a house until he was weaned and came here (by accident in our trainers horse trailer). He sleeps in the hay or the saw dust so no need for a bed. He potties outside of the barn, I have never found cat mess in a stall. Yes, they will get bunnies. Females wander less than males but it always helps to encourage them to stay in the barn.

I LOVE our barn cat! He is a great member of our family, supervises chores and hangs with us. Everyone at the barn knows him. OH! He also provides wonderful cutting training for our little Topaz the rodeo mini. oh, how she loves to chase him! If you are going to feed the barn cats I suggest a set time and picking it back up before dark so as not to attract unwanted guests.

 

[Rhondaalaska]

Cats can and do hunt baby bunnies. At a friends house thier niebors cat killed all the baby bunnies in the neibor hood .

 

[Miniv]

First, don't expect a barn cat to live as long.......

We had one outdoor barn cat who LOVED living out in the barn. She was a gem. Sadly a coyote got her.

A true barn cat doesn't come in the house.

She had a feeding "station" where dry food and water was always available in our feed room/stall.

She always knew when I was filling her dishes and would greet me for some loving time....

I set up a couple of "nests" for her to help keep her warm over the winter and she chose one.

Yes, she'd wander around the property to hunt, but always came "home" to the barn.

We never put out a kitty litter box and never found where she did her business.

A fixed male won't wander any more than a fixed female will, so that shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Marty]

I'll take two! I'm serious! We just lost our Willow our beloved barn cat who was 18 years old last night. I would love two kitties who came spayed and nutered. I wish there was a way for me to get them! We never had a rat or snake problem with cats around. I'm worried now I'll be over run.

The way we do barn kitties is to feed them where you want them to live. I feed them in the hay stall and once they know where the food is, that's where they will be. No litter box. They go outside anywhere they want and find dirt.. No bedding. They find their own place and nest. Our kitties always made tunnels in the hay especially in winter which kept them warm. I've never had to worry about a cat freezing around here. In the summer, they just camp wherever they want, usually laying on top of the hay. Unfortunately, every last one of mine would hunt every day and insist on crossing the road into the forest. My heart would be in my throat. Never could figure out why when they had plenty to do around here. We've had a couple get run over through the years and some just disappeared probably met up with a stray dog or something bad in the woods, I don't know but they were all spayed and nutered but still would wander. I know if they could have come back home they would have. Poor Willow still crossed the road just a few days ago as old as she was but she did make it back home every time. .

 

[paintponylvr]

Hmmm... we have 4 orange "pony helpers"! And one "black hole" - all living outside. We suddenly have 5 barn cats. I think we've always had at least one - numbers go up and down. Who says barn cats live shorter lives? We've often had our barn cats - both fixed and unfixed - live longer than indoor or purebred cats. Late teens and early 20s - if they aren't "flattened" on the busy road in front of our house (always have at least 1 a year that does that - usually w/I a month after getting fixed!!). They get rabies shots, and feluke. Think that's all we have them given.

The 4 males are all from one litter, Mama cat is now gone. They were born almost a year ago August. 3 are now neutered - the 4th lived in our daughters' apartment for a while and missed the fixing session. He only has one descended testicle, so vet says try him after he's a full year old. The 5 cat, a female, is spayed - she wanders for days at a time and always comes home a little thinner than when she left. She is known as our "black hole". She gets HUGE and HEAVY and just lays around. She also comes inside for short visits - preferably supervised because she insists that even a freshly cleaned and filled litter box isn't good enough for her and she will go wherever she pleases - even when she uses the box - it is NASTY. Never had a cat stink so much.

3 of the "Cat Boys" with youngest daughter Sierra and Taff. Just a the day before we'd had 5" of rain and everywhere they are standing was underwater!!



The cats don't chase the chickens or the ducks (surprisingly), but they do chase and catch snakes, wild birds, squirrels and voles. The boys all got chased by the larger chickens when they were kits, so they leave them alone. They do their business in the sandy area(s) of our pastures. They cover it well, for which I'm thankful. If I leave blankets or leg wraps on barrels or chairs they will be marked - but can't say which cats do it. Smell is the same to me w/ outdoor cats and we've always had females that marked as much as males. This year they drink from wherever there is water! We have water everywhere since we've gotten 11" of rain in June. Drink from water tanks w/ any of the horses/ponies (they don't usually go swimming), duck pond (a kiddie pool), the chickens waterers, the full running ditches, the buckets we leave out for them in the barn. They sleep in the hay bales - when we have one that is sick or getting older than 10 and looks to need "help", we make a bed from straw/blankets. Some have appreciated it, some haven't.

Food - depends on time of year. Since the chickens now have full range and often roost in the barn, we don't feed the cats there. Chicken love cat food! So we feed them on top of a stack of tubs and on top of the refrigerator freezer in our carport. We still end up having several neighbor cats visit and occasionally get a coon or possum, too. Right now they all eat and have no problems with Purina Outdoor Cat formula. They are sleek and shiny. They get treated for fleas/ticks 1x month. For the first time, our cats are wearing collars (EVER) - we have 3 that are the exact same colors and look almost exactly the same. We call them Mr. Black, Mr. Blue and Mr. Red. One will come up missing a collar now and then - we replace it before someone else loses theirs.

When I'm feeding ponies, I have to watch that I don't trip over the 3 cat boys. They wind in and out the whole time! They will crawl all over me if I sit down while watering, while out at the bonfire or sitting in a cart while pony getting a breather. When I was leaving the cart in the round pen - they'd take up residence and watch me work ponies! They join us while the farrier is out and completely annoy both of us. Both mr. Blue and Mr Black have spent time pony riding. Sometimes the ponies chase them - especially in my jr mare pasture. I've had my own barn cats since moving back to NC in 1997 and don't think I can ever go back to not having any. Always had a cat or two around when I was growing up, too - but they weren't "mine"...

"Wow, are you the same as me"?? (our farrier's name is "Cat").

Most of our cats have been some type of "rescue" or "freebie". We've had a few litters ourselves - usually when an INDOOR cat has gotten out on that one "critical" day. If we didn't get the kittens given away - we would keep them. Last years litter stayed w/ us except for one, but we didn't advertise them either. They are now all neutered (except the one explained above). Currently we have only one indoor cat, spayed. She is getting older (though not old - was about 6 weeks old Christmas 1999) and is starting to act senile. Not sure how long it will be before we decide to have her taken care of and bury her with our others.

 

[Jean_B]

All of my cats when I lived in NW Wisconsin were barn cats. Wild as the wind. I did not make pets of them...their job was to keep the place free of rats & mice (and an occasional ground squirrel). To try to catch one meant you were risking life and limb. Heavy leather gloves were no match for them either so they were left alone. It was a happy co-existence.

 

[HGFarm]

I would LOVE to have a couple of outside barn cats here but the coyote population is so bad.. some did not last one night. The place is fenced but they wander out front and they are gone in a second.

My neighbors have more property- about 8 acres and had their first cat for almost 19 years. The one they have now is about 10. They are out all the time.... have a feed area sectioned off in their barn and that is where the bowl of cat food is. Yes, despite what some people think... a cat that is fed cat food STILL hunts and will exterminate any mice (which you would only see at night anyhow), rats, etc.... Cats are hunters and they are going to go after what ever nature tells them too.. including birds and yes, baby rabbits. Here is what I have observed about cats- males will hunt, but females hunt harder. I think it's the instinct of bringing food to their young.

I would put their food and water in your barn... that will make that their 'home spot' or headquarters that they will hunt out of. I dont know how bad your winters are but as long as they have good shelter, warmth in winter and food and water all the time, they should do well.

LOL, loved the pics of the orange cats and all their 'helping' there on the farm!

 

[LittleRibbie]

Thank you everyone, Paula your little kitty is adorable and I love the way he wants to be involved in all the barn activities.

Marty If there was a way to get you a Kitty I would mail him right off to you...Im sorry to here about your Willow.I think he still has all 5 left to find homes for.

I know instinct would just kick in and a cat would have a field day catching the baby bunnies..so far, that is the only thing from keeping me from getting one. We don't have many snakes and I actually like the ones we have...a few pretty green ones and 2 beautiful huge yellow corn snakes( I think the corn snakes eat the few mice we have )

Im afraid raccoons would try to get a kitten...would you wait till they were grown before letting them stay out at night...then it sort of defeats the purpose of hunting mice.

 

[FurstPlaceMiniatures]

All of my cats when I lived in NW Wisconsin were barn cats. Wild as the wind. I did not make pets of them...their job was to keep the place free of rats & mice (and an occasional ground squirrel). To try to catch one meant you were risking life and limb. Heavy leather gloves were no match for them either so they were left alone. It was a happy co-existence.

Pretty much our barn cat situation too. About 10 to 15. semi-feral. Only fed waste milk. No issues with over population, they do a great job killing mice, rats, and starlings. They are smart enough to stay off the road and out of the way of the tractors. Occasionally a kitten will be kinda friendly, maybe brought home by another employee.

They pee on everybodys boots, defecate all over the "garage" floor (soft dirt). Nobody really likes them, but they do such an awesome job on pest control they are worth it.

 

[paintponylvr]

This is actually the first time that we've had barn cats this friendly all the time! Honestly, it's kinda neat - even while being annoying!! We didn't do anything special with these guys - in fact - I worried that they were handled enough as kittens. They appear to be like the handful of "true" pocket ponies we have.

Our others allowed themselves to be handled when necessary, but stayed clear of the ponies completely. If due for shots, we had to catch (feeding time in the am) and crate them until vet arrived or never failed, the cat wasn't around when the vet was, LOL. To get them fixed, we crate them at night - so we know they are caught and have no access to food or water after 8 pm and we can take them to clinic(s) first thing in the morning. Last did the 3 orange boys along with spaying a little, long haired red dog (like a cross between an Irish Setter and a golden retriever - in mini size. She's barely 20 lbs).

Yes, the females, even spayed, are better hunters. Since our cats were either older or part of litters which the mommas protect, we didn't have any problems with them getting attacked by wildlife or neighbors' cats - but then we haven't had much large wildlife at night during the summer as our dogs stay out. Goblin is a big love to us, but his 90 lb "voice" scares off most attackers. The dogs are in our chain link fenced back yard, but when they've dug out (and they do!), the current ones leave the cats alone.

Our last female Aussie got out one day - and instead of leaving the cats alone - destroyed a litter of 4 kittens and the momma cat last year (she was always fine w/ all of our cats in the past, not sure what was up with that). She was starting to have problems herself and we didn't wait for the vet - a bullet ended it and she was laid to rest next to the kits and mama cat. That was a big loss all the way around - we had 2 of those kits promised and Calico was our 2nd indoor/outdoor cat at that time. Both Larry and Sierra were very upset over the whole situation. She had the kits in the barn, and would have raised them there BUT... We got the "mini" Aussie, Kayli, as a puppy in 2005. She matured to 23" at the withers (big even for a standard aussie!) and 45 lbs when NOT overweight. Kayli was my dog and I miss her, but we aren't ready or able to replace her at this time. 3 is enough - even though they each belong to our daughters - none is in a situation where they can keep them even though they've moved on w/ their lives. Honestly, don't think either cats (our indoor cat Tigger, in/out cat - "black hole" Cougar) or dogs would do well if went to new homes/routines now... The newest dog has been with us for almost 3 years and when Sierra took her up to her apartment last year, even tho "Chika" is her dog and small, it was a major problem. Chika was happy to return home (sierra in tears) and when Sierra moved back in with us last month, Chika again took up residence w/ "her girl" in her room when she's home sleeping or curled up on her on the love seat when she's not. All of our dogs (and us) have been through basic and advanced obedience courses, but we've never had good luck w/ off leash work - so the dogs remain in the back yard or on a line when we do anything outside. Its been a long time since I've been able to have dogs accompany me with any pony work - that IS one thing I really miss! Maybe some day...

The cats don't mess with "our" full grown snakes at least not that I've seen. 3 years ago, I ended up mistakenly killing 2 large "good" snakes that the cats weren't interested in. I've been surprised the last couple of years - haven't seen too many water moccasins around. Used to find them in the water tanks during a drought - and no, the ponies won't drink if they are there! Wonder w/ all this rain if we will soon?? They will aggressively chase a human!! Who knows - maybe the presence of the cats keep them away? We've had more cats around the last couple of years...

We lease just under 9 acres. The road frontages are narrow, with neighbors "on top of each other", and property extending back. Most of my pictures, unless cropped really close, you will see houses on either side of us that aren't part of our property.

 

[susanne]

Everyone's answers tell the story:

Cats are as different as people, horses, dogs and any other animal. Our two current cats are not barn cats; they sleep in our house but spend their days outside. They are well fed, with pretty much free choice dry food, plus our old man (Willoughby, 16) gets canned food once a day.

They spend their days outdoors and always have. Willoughby loves all creatures, and both cats are great friends with dogs, horses and chickens. Santana, however, with the same treatment as Willoughby, is an amazing hunter. He catches everything from tiny field mice and shrews to bunnies larger than he is.

My point is: not all cats hunt, though even the well-fed can and do.

 

[Marty]

This was one of our barn cats, Dan named her "Hemi"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdLjmjEa5pM

 

[wingnut]

Can i just say that besides the horses, my favorite thing about having my horses is my barn cat? I'm so totally in love with this animal that my heart squeezes a bit every time I see him!

Simba (aka: Kit-Kat) "supervises" while I clean stalls. He's not fat at all, despite the way this photo makes him look.

Our cat was left as a kitten across the street from our house. I initially thought I was hearing a bird. We actually heard him several times throughout the day but it wasn't until around 7:30pm that my teenage daughter went to investigate and found this tiny ball of orange white fur in the hedges of the property across the street.

To this day, I think someone I know took the chance of putting him there knowing we'd eventually find him. I had wanted a cat for our barn as our mice/rat problem was becoming a real pain for me. My husband refused to budge on this subject though. As he rarely ever makes such hard fast proclamation, I had to respect his wishes around this.

Anyway, we put him in the tack room with food, water and a litter pan (all borrowed from the neighbor...it was Sunday night and everything was closed). It only took him about 4 days before he was able to climb out and keeping him there wasn't a option anymore. I took him to be spayed at a spaying clinic about a month later. He only needed to be in good health and at least 3lbs (which he *just* made). Having him neutered increased our chances of him staying around.

He does kill everything but snakes. Birds, rabbits, insects and mice/rats. I do find him occasionally using the stalls as a littler pan but while I've seen him do it, I've never found any "evidence" in the stall cleaning I do. It has not been an issue at all.

We feed him twice a day. I stick with dry food but in the winter, I add some wet food to give him a boost of fat. He makes his own bed in the hay supply. On really cold days (or really wet days the rest of the year), he tends to sleep the day away curled up in a nest of hay. I have put out some pieces of fleece material to help with warmth and comfort, but he doesn't really care if it's there or not.

He especially loves the hard keeper mare we have. In the early days, I had to fight him while filling buckets with feed. He loved the feed! The hard keeper was being fed a sweet feed and for about a year or more, he would routinely sit with her bucket while she ate and would eat what she dropped. She was not bothered by his presence in the slightest.

The other horse occasionally get curious about him but generally, the ignore him. You can sometimes see them playing together though. And he likes to hang out in the pasture and dry lot with them when they're grazing. My husband often jokes we have 5 horses.

He does roam some. And it kills me that he is at risk as a result. Unfortunately, I cannot bring him into our house. My daughter has allergies, we already have 3 dogs (ranging in size from 10lbs to 90lbs). Our house is small so there would be little in the way of "escape" for the cat. I pray for his continued safety daily.

And my husband, the cat hater? Don't tell anyone, but he loves that cat to pieces.

This dog person has come to find herself head over heels in love with the most fabulous cat ever born. I love all my animals, and I do have favorites, but no animal has ever captured my heart with the intensity this animal has.

 

[LittleRibbie]

Well you all talked me into it!!! We are getting her on Thursday!! I just hope she loves bunnies....and I don't mean for lunch!!!

Thank you all for your kitty experiences!!

 

[romewhip]

If there's anyone in WA that needs a barn cat I've got one that needs a barn. Year old, neutered, all shots, he's just not happy being a suburban cat. He's a great hunter, and VERY dog friendly. I rescued him as a sick and starving kitten, and he's grown into a big bouncer of a boy. Much as I love cats this one just isn't a housecat.

 

[romewhip]

Wow! My guy found a new barn home already- thanks everyone.

 

[Equuisize]

We have a feral mother that just left us her 3rd litter of kittens.

Supposedly PAWS is scrounging up some live traps for us to catch her. They will spay the kittens

and return them to us for rodent control.

The first two littlers we caught all the kittens very young and they were wonderful babies. We found

homes for everyone.

This litter we caught one, the runt, and just last week adopted her out.

The other 4 little urchins are still hiding in the hay loft of the barn ... they are getting big so don't

think they'll be tamed but we'd stil like to catch them, neuter them and have them for barn cats. I'm sure mommy

is working on another litter as we speak. But she needs to be spayed as she's had way to many

litters to young.

Our senior barn cat is a feral cat that we had neutered 16 years ago. She is not a pet cat by any means.

She is the only one that made it thru the flood. It took us 3 months to catch her to move her down to

where we moved to.

They did tell us when we trapped her and her sisters, to have them fixed at 6 months, that feral cats usually

only live 3 years.... No one told Charlotte and her sisters that.

Charlotte is 16 and her sisters, who we pray fled to high ground during the flood, were 10 at the time.

Charlotte is not a great mouser, I don't think, she's to well fed but this mommy and her babies are wonderful.

Since she started hanging out with us a couple years ago the rodent problem has become non existent.

Coyote's in the spring time seem to handle the over cat population for the feral mommy's that do not have

their babies in our barn. Which makes me crazy and I keep bugging the PAWS people for traps so we could

get a handle on the over population. I know coyote's have to eat, too, but I don't like the idea of these mommies

reproducing litter after litter as meals for the coyotes.

If we can capture these guys and get them fixed they will stay, as with Charlotte, out in the barn 24/7. They

are fed and watered twice a day. We're ok with them not being 'pet kitties' as long as they do their job.

I'm actually terribly allergic to cats but I love anything with 4 legs and fur and get a real kick out of the wee

babies we've caught and re-homed.

We have boxes with shavings in them to sleep in but they usually choose to sleep on the hay stack.

We keep several litter boxes clean for them to use so they don't use the barn for a potty.

 

[shorthorsemom]

Love my barn cats and feral cats and semi feral cats. I do trap neuter release. Forgotten cats has helped me plenty. LOVE THEM, wonderful organization. Neutered barn cats do the best. The need to breed makes for fighting, injury and the spread of FIV and other sorts of disease that shortens the life of the barn kitties. I started a few years ago doing trap and neuter release on everything I could catch. For the most part except for recent dropped off kitties, my whole colony of cats is neutered. They are great at mouse and rat extermination. They stay close. I have feeding stations and I buy igloo shelters at auction cheap for shelter. They do very well.

please neuter your kitties and adopt from organizations like forgotten cats to help them place decent but not quite house cats in safe homes. The need for homes for barn cats is huge.

A couple of un neutered barn kitties can turn your place into a cat nightmare in a very short time. For less than $50 you can get a cat neutered, vaccinated, wormed and frontlined at most rescue clinics. It is quite easy to transport cats in the traps, Put in newsbaper very thick on bottom, set the trap with a can of wet food as bait. When you trap a cat, quickly cover the trap with a towel or blanket, they settle down faster that way.

I transport cats in my car with a tarp down under the traps in case they pee poop or barf. I prefer to do the trapping myself. If necessary in the winter months the clinic will house my cats for a couple of days to recover so I can set them free when they get home. I find homes for the super friendly cats and kittens and obvious dumped house cats that are clueless as to how to live outdoors. The semi feral work best at the barn, very savy and wary and they live the longest as they have survival skills but allow me to catch them to medicate or worm or frontline.

 

[Debby - LB]

Mine are OUT 24/7 they are 3 neutered males that I inherited. I feed them well and keep them wormed and flea free. I like that they hunt mice but I have never liked cats around. Always keep an eye out for little piles of sand, leaves, whatever...I have cat tracks and scratch marks all over my black truck and cats invite more cats..doesn't matter if they are fixed, more end up here and I catch them and take them to the shelter. That being said even though I did Not need the expense I do love these guys.

The Overo

lol is Booger Man he is a Manx cat, he's about 4 years old now.

The black is Salem he is 10 years old.. and finally Cowboy who is Salem's litter mate. Cowman and Salem were tiny, tiny kittens when my daughter moved to Maryland, they were inside cats she hand raised with a eye dropper. When she moved back here they ended up put outside and a little later when she got a dog they saw the dog and they came up the hill to my house.... have been here ever since!