Update on my barn/feral cat problem

[StarRidgeAcres]

As I mentioned I'm having trouble with additional (seemingly feral) cats coming around and eating my food (eating HUGE amounts extra), spraying and fighting.

Well I've made some changes that you guys suggested. I've stopped feeding them at night when a) they should be mousing and b) the freeloaders where coming around. Now what I'm doing is feeding them twice per day, but a much smaller amount available at each feeding so just in case a freeloader comes around, they don't get very much. I've also moved the heated water bowl from the garden room to right by the back door and I'm leaving the light on all night. So a freeloader is going to have to come right up to the house, with the light on to get water. And if my cats are hanging around the back door at night I'll give them a bit more to eat, but only while I'm right there and can remove any leftovers immediately.

I'm also not storing any cat food in the garden shed - it's all in the house now. And I'm securely closing my grain bags to make sure that's not available.

Thirdly, I've been getting up several times during the night to just check on things. I have my highpowered flashlight handy and I go outside and look at the shed, check the horses and count my cats. Well... Guess what I've found???? Yes, there are a couple of feral cats around BUT... one night all of my cats where on the deck staring at the shed so I knew something was in there. When I trained the light on the shed door a HUGE, well fed FOX came running out!

He was not the straggly type I've normally seen, he was in great weight, beautiful coat and much bigger than I expected. He was very dark red with black legs and a black tip to his tail. I ran after him yelling and making noise hoping to scare him away, but he probably just thought I was nuts and wasn't intimidated at all. Now, don't foxes sometimes kill barn cats? He's a danger to have around, right?

And then last night I went to the back door and guess what is having a nice leisurely drink right there in the bright light??? A huge, also well fed possum! They are so darn UGLY!!!

I went out with two pan lids banging them and yelling at him, but he was NOT intimidated at all. He moved slowly away, even with my cats circling him and trying to get him away. He too looked very healthy, bright eyed, well fed (thanks to me I think), nice coat, etc. He looked like a silver buckskin!

He was a while, silvery color on this coat, with chocolate legs up to his knees and chocolate points on his ears.

So, I have more than a cat problem. The cat fights have gone down drastically since not feeding at night in the shed, but I still have these other visitors to deal with.

 

[little lady]

Keep your eyes peeled because I also suspect you will see more wildlife...raccoons & skunks love cat food. You are doing all the right things since "most" of these uninvited guest tend to feed nightly. Good luck with your critter watch.

 

[minie812]

Parmela, I go thru cat food like a race car thru the Holland Tunnel and after turning my cameras back on have seen opposums, Armidillo and some feral cats as well as my two twin kittys FRIC & FRAC. They are true weineys so I make sure everything is in metal trash containers. John built a stand up off the floor for three cans to sit in so they can't be tipped over and it is much easier for me to feed the lovelys...LOL

 

[Matt73]

Ooooo. Be careful. It's hard to get critters like that to leave once they know they've got it good. We haven't had a feral cat (or any other animals) issue in a long time. If something does come on the property/lurks around the barn, it's trapped and "taken care of" by Kevin. Seeing the odd one once in a while is fine, but if I suspect they are either going to the loft and eating Tabitha's (the new barn kitty) food and/or just getting comfortable...then they are dealt with (thankfully we haven't had an issue at all for a couple of years...although I did see a big old Tom the other day. the dogs scared him off, though, I think). I don't take chances with that stuff; so many parasites and disease can reside on/in them

 

[Riverrose28]

My goodness you really have a problem, hope no skunks come to dinner! I can only hope you fightened the fox away, shoot the possum, they carry EPM and will fight with a cat not afraid at all of them, and will even stand up to a person and hiss just like a cat. I shoot them all around here and cheer when I see one as road kill, know it sounds awful, but I hate possums with a passion as I lost one of my favorite mares to EPM.

 

[chandab]

We had a problem with skunks getting into our barn and eating all the cat food, at the time cat food was in a self-feeder at ground level; our solution was to put up a large shelf about 4-1/2 to 5' off the ground, the cats can still get to it, but not the skunks (I realize this wouldn't work if you have climbing pests, such as oppossums and racoons, but works pretty good to detour the ground dwellers).

 

[cretahillsgal]

Do you have a shotgun? Shooting is the easiest way to get rid of critters. But I would have trouble shooting a beautiful fox. At least you arent trying to raise chickens! LOL

Or maybe a trap? We can buy traps here at our feed store. You will just have to lock your cats up one night and then bait and set the trap.

 

[Texas Minis]

In the night, I saw an opposum in my yard. That's not what I need with horses, so I put a trap and voila the critter was caught. Put again and again the trap............

I caught a whole opposum family of 8 and 3 cats. That's it I thought

A week later my dogs alarmed something is under the patio. Trapped again, an amardillo and a possum

Since then the trap is always ready

I had the shot gun in my hand but I couldn't do. The critters got a ride in the wild

 

[miniwhinny]

You need a Cattle Dog...mine has killed and eaten 11 cats and those were just the ones I saw her munching on...we haven't had a stray cat at our place for 5 years (ACD is 5 years old)

 

[vickie gee]

Our anatolian shepherds kill feral cats, possums, coons, armadillos, and the like. Field next to us has lots of red foxes which have killed all of my neighbors chickens. But they do not come on our place. Took a while to teach the dogs that the 2 cats that live here are their friends. But now they know. Po Kitty is the only one in the litter she was born into that survived the dogs. She had four babies and we managed to give away all but one we call Litty Kitty. Now I used to have a problem of a possum that would get in the feed/storage area of the barn/shop where the dogs cannot get. Caught it on top of one of the food cans and picked up a 2 x 4 and beat it. They are hideous. Just this past week dogs killed a coon that hubbie said was the biggest he has ever seen. We do have a skunk that I nearly walked into out in our driveway recently around 4:00 am. I went back in and grabbed a gun but it was already gone. Although the dogs do a good job we do give our horses an annual rabies shot for added precaution. My stallion and our male dog both had a hint of Oh Da Peppie la Pugh on them but I guess that one got away.

 

[Minimor]

That's what I figured--when I read your initial post with the description of how your cats have been behaving I was pretty sure that you had something more than just some feral/stray cats that were upsetting them.

Yes, that fox is definitely a danger to your cats. Over the years we've had a lot of problems with foxes stealing--or trying to steal--our cats. When we had a good dog the fox sometimes managed to grab a cat, but the dog always saved them. She wasn't fast enough to catch the fox (how she would have loved to!) but she'd be after it & it would drop the cat & run for its life. Now that Sheba is gone, her replacement is no darn good at all at protecting cats. We lost several cats last summer--all to a fox. I did finally get that fox eliminated & we've had no further trouble, but I sure do miss having a good dog on the place.

Once I know there is a fox coming around here, it is a dead fox--I get someone to dispatch it ASAP. Usually we hear them screaming & know they are around, but the one that was a problem last summer was completely silent--not a single scream out of that one. He wasn't just taking small cats either--the first one he got would have weighed a good 12 lbs., possibly more.

Scaring the fox away won't work--I've scared foxes out of here many times, and they always come back. One night when Sheba was on guard she chased a fox across our back pasture. She came back to me & the fox was right behind. I ran at it screaming & Sheba gave chase. She came back, it came back right behind her. She chased it out of here about 5 times and it was right behind her every time. Finally she chased it a good longs ways away and when she came back she was alone. It came back awhile later....and that was the end of that fox. Someone was waiting for it!

Some foxes don't seem to bother cats, but plenty of them do & I don't trust any of them. If the fox is getting all he wants to eat in the way of cat food (or dog food) he may leave the cats alone, but now that he doesn't have access to your cat food he may turn his attention to your cats. Get rid of him.

 

[HGFarm]

I dont know that you neccesarily need a dog that kills everything, but a large noisy dog will surely deter the foxes (yes they will try to eat your cats!) and perhaps keep a lot of the other critters away at night. Good grief! You have quite a variety so far of invaders!

I too would put the cat food up where the kitties can go up to eat but a fox, especially skunks, and other things cant reach it. (Hopefully) Even if it was there all day, put all food items away at night. LOL, yes, I am sure they have great hair coats and are fat thanks to you! Bet you will see your cat food bill go down without all the forest creatures consuming it!