Need some help/advice on barn/feral cats

[StarRidgeAcres]

As you all know I recently moved. I brought 9 barn cats with me. All are either neutered or spayed; none are in tact. They range in age from just under a year to probably over 10 years for my oldest one. None ever come in the house; all are friendly, but only a few are tame enough to pet or pick up. None are aggressive toward me, my dogs or each other.

As soon as I brought them to the new place, I locked them in the "garden shed" which is a 20 x 20 building that I use for grain and hay storage. Seeing as that's where I need the cats - to keep the rodents away from my grain - I wanted them to start their life here in that building. All were drugged for the trip here and it took several hours for them to wake up. So I locked them in there until they all were awake so they'd know it was "their" place and hopefully reduce the likelyhood they'd run off. It worked as all 9 have stayed. I also feed and water them in this same building. At my last place, the cats always lived in my barn, ate and drank in there and slept on the hay. That's what I wanted to happen in the garden shed here.

For the first couple of weeks all seemed fine. I did think I was going through more cat chow than I usually did, but it didn't really get me thinking yet. Then as the weather got colder I noticed the cats were huddling on my back porch just outside my sliding door. It would be snowing and they'd be in a pile in the elements and not in the shed where the warm hay was. I knew something was wrong, but didn't know what.

Fast forward a couple of months and I think I know what is going on, but don't know how to deal with it. I have seen at least two different cats on the property, in and around the shed, in my barn and on my front porch. When I see these cats I try to scare them away. I've also had to break up a couple of fights between these cats and mine. In addition, I believe one or more stray cats is "spraying" inside my garden shed and also around the front of my house!

I don't want these extra cats around for several reasons... I don't want to feed them, they don't seem friendly, I doubt they are fixed or receive any vaccines and I don't want them fighting with my cats. Anyone have any thoughts as to how I can get rid of these cats that aren't mine? I believe they are keeping my cats from sleeping in the warm hay, fighting wth my cats and spraying my shed and exterior of my home. Thoughts?

And then the other issue I have. This is with my own cats. At my last place I basically had no landscaping. Just never got around to it in all the years I was there.

At this new place, the owners (we are leasing) lived her previously and they did a TON of landscaping. I mean, so much it's going to be a nightmare to keep up with when spring gets here!

Well, my cats have decided that the landscaped areas which are mulched make a great place to potty. Ugh! I don't want them digging and pottying in the flowerbeds, etc. Especially the areas directly around the deck. Is there something I can spray, sprinkle, do that will keep them from doing this? It needs to be non-toxic since the horses and my dogs could sometimes get access to the landscaped areas. Any thoughts?

Thanks so much for listening to me. I'm at my wits end with this cat situation!

 

[HGFarm]

You are going to have to live trap those other cats that dont belong to you and take them somewhere else..... they have probably been coming around a long time, and it is 'their territory' and your new guys are intruders and they have run them off.

I think it may help with your own cats if you set up some type of sand box or litter box that you can clean to help keep them out of the garden areas. I dont know of anything you could spray that is not going to cost you a fortune to keep them out.

I think they would hang around the shed more though with those other guys out of the picture.... yours have been beat up and run off from there so the 'old guys' can have the shed AND the food!!

 

[chandab]

I really dont' know, and most methods might not be acceptable to you (my MIL would just shoot the unwanted cats), but what about humane live traps and then rehome/relocate them. Otherwise I just don't know. I believe pet stores have products for keeping cats and dogs out of flowerbeds and other areas you don't want them in, I've heard of using moth balls, but don't know if they work.

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

Thanks for the replies. As for the live trapping, I wonder how I avoid trapping my own? If I repeatedly trap my own, won't they get ticked and run off?

Anyone have experience with a pellet gun? I'm wondering if it will hurt enough that they won't come back, but not kill them.

 

[Magic]

I'm thinking that if you could get all of your cats in the garden shed and shut them in again (coax them with really yummy food?) then you could set up the humane traps for the others.

and, go to Arbico Organics, the Critter Control page, Repel-All, looks like something I should get to keep my own cats out of my gardens.

Should work for you too. Good luck! Arbico critter control

 

[Marty]

Same thing here Parm, happens all the time mostly in winter when the ferral cats are frozen and starving so I feel sorry for them. They also have peed in my hay so I lightly have to drape a tarp on it. My cats were terrified of them and moved in on my front porch trying to get away from them.

The only thing I have done that seems to work is to feed mine back in my barn as always, and then remove the dishes right away soon as they eat so when the ferral cats come they don't think there is any food around and figured out my cats are spayed and neutered. But, then I began to feed just the ferral cats way down at our garage where my barn kitties never go. Can't help it because I couldn't watch them freeze and go hungry. They are gone now, not sure why.

 

[miniwhinny]

Anyone have experience with a pellet gun? I'm wondering if it will hurt enough that they won't come back, but not kill them.

Oh sure, it will hurt them enough that they "may" not come back. These cats were shot with pellet guns and it didn't kill them - unfortunately for the poor cats who obviously suffered horrendously.

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

I'm thinking that if you could get all of your cats in the garden shed and shut them in again (coax them with really yummy food?) then you could set up the humane traps for the others.

and, go to Arbico Organics, the Critter Control page, Repel-All, looks like something I should get to keep my own cats out of my gardens.

Should work for you too. Good luck! Arbico critter control

Thanks for the link! I'm going to check it out. I don't want to ruin all these beautiful beds the owners spent their time on and I'm afraid all the digging my cats are doing is going to do some major damage eventually.

Same thing here Parm, happens all the time mostly in winter when the ferral cats are frozen and starving so I feel sorry for them. They also have peed in my hay so I lightly have to drape a tarp on it. My cats were terrified of them and moved in on my front porch trying to get away from them.

The only thing I have done that seems to work is to feed mine back in my barn as always, and then remove the dishes right away soon as they eat so when the ferral cats come they don't think there is any food around and figured out my cats are spayed and neutered. But, then I began to feed just the ferral cats way down at our garage where my barn kitties never go. Can't help it because I couldn't watch them freeze and go hungry. They are gone now, not sure why.

Marty, I hadn't thought of taking the food up. I currently leave it out 24/7 and I guess I'm just asking for it. I also hadn't thought of feeding the other cats somewhere else my cats don't go. That's something to look into.

Oh sure, it will hurt them enough that they "may" not come back. These cats were shot with pellet guns and it didn't kill them - unfortunately for the poor cats who obviously suffered horrendously.

Holy crap! I thought a pellet gun would be like a paintball gun or something where it would just sting. I had NO idea it would cut the skin, break a bone or take out an eye. I realized that if I hit an animal in the eye, that's a very sensitive area and could potentially harm them, but I was thinking more of in the butt. But I didn't want to actually injure or kill the cats, just make coming here "uncomfortable." That looks like WAY more than uncomfortable!

 

[miniwhinny]

Holy crap! I thought a pellet gun would be like a paintball gun or something where it would just sting. I had NO idea it would cut the skin, break a bone or take out an eye. I realized that if I hit an animal in the eye, that's a very sensitive area and could potentially harm them, but I was thinking more of in the butt. But I didn't want to actually injure or kill the cats, just make coming here "uncomfortable." That looks like WAY more than uncomfortable!

Oh I know that..I've read enough of your posts to know you'd never hurt an animal

. Most people don't realize just how much damage a pellet gun can do. I used to think the same way - that it would just sting them (which is what I wanted)- until I researched a little more into it when I had a similar problem to yours.

It's very frustrating when you go through cat food like it's going out of style. Hope you find a solution

 

[ruffian]

I guess I'm not as nice as the others on here. I would shoot them and be done with it. You don't know what kind of disease these feral cats are carrying, and if they've survived this long they know how to fight and conquer, and might seriously injure or even kill one of yours.

If you can't do it, contact a "critter" hunter to clean them out. Good luck

 

[wildoak]

We have the same problem here periodically, some are feral and some are neighbors pets looking for extra food. I feed my six cats in the barn every morning, and just pick it up at night. Discourages my night visitors and hopefully encourages my cats to look for mice at night! The worst of it as Marty said is when the toms come in and spray all over your barn....ugh. Mine are all neutered too, so at least I'm not bringing them in in droves lol.

Mothballs will repel cats in the flower beds...and most everyone else.

Jan

 

[bevann]

There is a product used to keep rabbits and other small critters out of gardens called Deter I think.sold at many garden centers and hardware stores.You should be able to get it this time of year with spring coming.It might work in your flower beds.No ideas about cat removal.We used to have the same problem.Now we have a pair of coyotes so not many stray cats.Coyotes are not plentiful in our area thank goodness.Were introduced by DNREC to help control deer population.My son and a neighbor are tracking them.It's quite amusing good luck with your cat problem.It can be a mess especially the odor.I'm with Ruffian.Strays can do lots of damage to your own kitties and they just keep making more strays.

 

[Annabellarose]

Is there something I can spray, sprinkle, do that will keep them from doing this? It needs to be non-toxic since the horses and my dogs could sometimes get access to the landscaped areas.

You probably already know this (and it is not my intention to "lecture" you), but please, please, please be so very careful with your horses around landscaping. A lot of popular landscaping plants are lethal to horses even in very, very tiny amounts (Google yew and horses if you want a real good scare). One quick, tiny snatch of something lethal on a stroll around the yard can and will KILL! A friend of mine killed her father's two "big" riding horses by tossing landscaping trimmings (which contained very, very small amounts of yew) over the fence for them to snack on; a tragic story.

Thanks for the replies. As for the live trapping, I wonder how I avoid trapping my own? If I repeatedly trap my own, won't they get ticked and run off?

You would have to catch and contain your cats and keep them contained for as long as the traps were set before you could attempt to live trap the feral cats. Plus, I have been told on more than one occasion that it is often very difficult to live trap a (formerly) domestic/feral cat.

Anyone have experience with a pellet gun? I'm wondering if it will hurt enough that they won't come back, but not kill them.

Is a "pellet gun" the same thing as a BB gun? If so, I can GUARANTEE (from EXTENSIVE PERSONAL EXPERIENCE) that this will NOT work! I tried this at the last place that I lived and I swear the feral cats just seemed to come around MORE! I swear, it was crazy, like it was a game or something to tempt me to shoot them and to try to outrun the shot.

Honestly, I agree with ruffian, shoot them or invite a cat-hating hillbilly neighbor to come sit on your porch and shoot them for free beer (after he's done with the gun of course!). Feral cats often carry so many internal and skin diseases and conditions that can be passed to your cats. Feeding a starving animal without providing for its other needs (either because you don't want to, fair enough because it's not yours, or because you can't, because you can't catch it) is just prolonging that animal's misery.

 

[ErikaS.]

Generally, I'm a live and let live kind of gal, but I had a feral cat that avoided my live trap and kept wounding my other cats. I had my husband "disappear" him. We've had other ferals come around but they only pass through once they find there is no free food (I don't leave it out at night) and there are plenty of resident cats. Maybe word got out about the one that disappeared.

 

[Sue_C.]

I hear ya!!! I finally gave up trying to chase them away, and found a cat rescue that was willing to help. I set out traps, and took caught four, and had them spayed and neutered. Ticks me off that it is I who had to pay out the $$, but it is better than my cats constantly being injured; ant the wild ones constantly breeding and having kittens in my barn...plus the spraying on my hay is driving me nuts. Hopefully this will help...there are about six more to go, but have to wait for another pay-day to recoup.

 

[wildoak]

I did trap a feral cat years ago...we had just moved to our own place with the horses, and it came with a resident wild as a hare black female cat, who promptly had a litter of kittens. Knowing that would be a regular thing, I set a rather homemade trap for her after kittens were old enough(cat crate, string tied to the door in through my window, baited it and waited for her...). Got her in the crate and to the vet and had them do shots, spay - with dissolving stitches since I assumed I would never get my hands on her again - and turned her loose. She stayed around for many years, and became very affectionate but only when things were still and quiet.

She would come to me for attention, but never got to where she really trusted anyone else. She was always a great mouser though.

Jan

 

[MindyLee]

Sorry but didnt read other posts but all I can say is

Live trap the strays, and you can buy "liquid fence" at TSC which works wonders!

Keeps deer rabbits cats dogs and any other critter from getting into trash, gardens, flower beds, any/everywhere you dont want them.

$15 for a spray bottle of this or $50 for a bottle that you put in a sprayer.

(give or take $ on the price)

GOOD LUCK!

 

[SampleMM]

When I had a problem with feral cats, I hired a gunman. I know that sounds harsh but I was done taking chances with these insane feral cats. The first bad episode happened when a young man who wanted a cat came to my farm and I told him that I only had two tame, spayed cats that I was keeping but I had these stray, drop-off cats that just appeared. He tried for an hour and finally captured one who in turn went crazy nuts and bit him so badly he ended up in the ER. Then several weeks later, I had my big baby buggy in the barn while I was checking on the horses and before I knew it the two strays jumped into the buggy with my tiny baby. Thank God, I was right there and scared them off or who knows what could have happened. I didn't trust those things and I certainly wasn't going to try and capture & release them. The hit was ordered that night.

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

When I had a problem with feral cats, I hired a gunman. I know that sounds harsh but I was done taking chances with these insane feral cats. The first bad episode happened when a young man who wanted a cat came to my farm and I told him that I only had two tame, spayed cats that I was keeping but I had these stray, drop-off cats that just appeared. He tried for an hour and finally captured one who in turn went crazy nuts and bit him so badly he ended up in the ER. Then several weeks later, I had my big baby buggy in the barn while I was checking on the horses and before I knew it the two strays jumped into the buggy with my tiny baby. Thank God, I was right there and scared them off or who knows what could have happened. I didn't trust those things and I certainly wasn't going to try and capture & release them. The hit was ordered that night.

My ex husband did lots of volunteer work for a local no-kill shelter. He handled dogs and cats every day there. One day, one of the cats, whom had been there for a while and gave no hint of this, went crazy nuts and bit my ex on the hand. He didn't think much of it, but later that day it started to swell and was painful. He called his normal doctor who said he didn't even want to see him, just wanted him to go straight to the ER. Went to the ER, he was admitted, had TWO surgeries on his hand and was in the hospital for over a week!!!! The cat bit his near a knuckle and the bacteria got into his joint. Once of the nurses he had while there told him just the week before they had to totally REMOVE a guys finger from the same type of bite.

He never lost a finger, but to this day that knuckle is really large and is painful and it's been years! Cats you don't know about aren't to be trusted. I guess I'm helping to make my own decision even as I read and write.

Thanks for all the input.

 

[Riverdance]

I have a cat that shows up in the summer time wanting to breed my females. I had given a gray and white tiger cat to my neighbors two years ago they moved and shortly after, this cat started showing up in my yard.

He looked like this ugly tiger cat that used to visit my barn that has since died. So I am pretty sure this was the cat I gave my neighbor. I tried to catch it, but it would not come to me. In the winter, my cats are locked in the barn, so I have not seen this cat all winter. I have thought about a live trap, but know that I would be just catching my own cats.

I always keep one intact female to keep the supply of cats on the farm. Unfortunately, some disappear (coyotes and fox around here). I also like to keep pretty cats (I am all into good looking animals).

I have white cats mostly, one with extra toes. I lost a long haired gray and white cat last year. I had saved her in Texas at the World show a few years ago. Bottle fed her, as her whole litter was thrown out in a bag on the highway. It really upset me to lose her, but I have a long haired calico daughter of hers. I only have 5 cats and want to keep that number, but it always seems that I lose my favorite one.

I am sure this boy will show up again next year. There are new owners of the farm next door and hopefully they have been feeding this poor cat. Maybe they will fall in love with him and get him fixed. If not, I will continue to try and catch him and get it done myself. Then he is welcome to stay and get fed.

I will have to agree with others that you are going to need a live trap for them. They are probably ferrel and will probably have to be put down as they will not make a good pet. They will continue to attack your cats otherwise. Taking them to another area may be more harmful and perhaps deadly to them.