Adopting barn cats

[YourRabbitGirl]

Not sure if I'm looking for advice, or just to document this process for posterity. Guess I'll take it either way! We're seeing significant evidence of mice, so getting barn cats has jumped from "yeah, we should look into that" to "can we pick some up tomorrow?" status. Last time I lived in the country, the house came with a barn cat and we had a couple more show up over the time we lived there. So I know they can be incredibly helpful, but finding one is new to me.

Definitely want adult, outdoor-savvy cats, and we want them spayed or neutered because the last thing we need is a cat colony. The local animal shelter takes in feral cats and adopts them out as barn cats after taking care of basic medical needs, spay/neuter, and vaccinations. Free. I'd prefer friendly cats, but maybe they'll get used to us with time. The shelter recommends keeping the cats contained for the first two to four weeks while they acclimate. I've got a giant dog crate I'm setting up in the shed where we keep feed, tools, and other stuff, so that's the plan. Once we're ready to let them loose, I'm thinking we'll install a cat door up on the wall of the shed with a "front porch" platform in front of it. The theory is that the cats can jump to the platform and get in, but it will be harder for other critters to access. Seems worth a shot, at least.

We have coyotes and bobcats and other critters around here, but my hope is that the LGDs create enough of a safety zone around at least the central area of the property that the cats will be ok -- plus there are lots of places to hide, and they'll have access to the shed. The LGDs are supposed to be cat-friendly, so that shouldn't be an issue.

It's interesting to see ecosystems at work. We wanted the coyotes and bobcats and other small predators out, so we brought in our "larger predators" -- the dogs -- and it seems to have worked. We see the coyotes and bobcats around the perimeter of the property, but we haven't lost anything while the dogs have been around. Those dogs are worth their weight in gold, and I've been glad to solve the predation issue without any trapping or killing. We've just carved out our own little niche, and the wildlife can carry on around us without major disruption. But, getting rid of the coyotes and their ilk gives the small pests free reign. Mice, squirrels, rabbits -- we're seeing more and more of those. Time to replace the small predators with some of our own too.

Here in the Philippines, we don't adopt cats. They will enter your home willingly. As a matter of fact. if cats here are tigers, Were all dead by now.

 

[YourRabbitGirl]

Not sure if I'm looking for advice, or just to document this process for posterity. Guess I'll take it either way! We're seeing significant evidence of mice, so getting barn cats has jumped from "yeah, we should look into that" to "can we pick some up tomorrow?" status. Last time I lived in the country, the house came with a barn cat and we had a couple more show up over the time we lived there. So I know they can be incredibly helpful, but finding one is new to me.

Definitely want adult, outdoor-savvy cats, and we want them spayed or neutered because the last thing we need is a cat colony. The local animal shelter takes in feral cats and adopts them out as barn cats after taking care of basic medical needs, spay/neuter, and vaccinations. Free. I'd prefer friendly cats, but maybe they'll get used to us with time. The shelter recommends keeping the cats contained for the first two to four weeks while they acclimate. I've got a giant dog crate I'm setting up in the shed where we keep feed, tools, and other stuff, so that's the plan. Once we're ready to let them loose, I'm thinking we'll install a cat door up on the wall of the shed with a "front porch" platform in front of it. The theory is that the cats can jump to the platform and get in, but it will be harder for other critters to access. Seems worth a shot, at least.

We have coyotes and bobcats and other critters around here, but my hope is that the LGDs create enough of a safety zone around at least the central area of the property that the cats will be ok -- plus there are lots of places to hide, and they'll have access to the shed. The LGDs are supposed to be cat-friendly, so that shouldn't be an issue.

It's interesting to see ecosystems at work. We wanted the coyotes and bobcats and other small predators out, so we brought in our "larger predators" -- the dogs -- and it seems to have worked. We see the coyotes and bobcats around the perimeter of the property, but we haven't lost anything while the dogs have been around. Those dogs are worth their weight in gold, and I've been glad to solve the predation issue without any trapping or killing. We've just carved out our own little niche, and the wildlife can carry on around us without major disruption. But, getting rid of the coyotes and their ilk gives the small pests free reign. Mice, squirrels, rabbits -- we're seeing more and more of those. Time to replace the small predators with some of our own too.

They would kill the chicks, but not the full-grown birds. You may want to consider having 2 barn cats and not just one. They're going to be happy to have a mate, so they can team up on bigger rodents.

 

[isra]

Ooh! I’m so glad this thread popped up.

You think barn cats will affect my other cats or vice versa? I have two indoor cats (they sometimes go out on the deck or on a harness/leash with us in the yard. Both fixed males.

I JUST emailed our local shelter about “working cats” because I have a vole issue in my yard. I have recently started putting repellent in the holes/tunnels (no poisons or traps - I can’t handle glue traps as a concept or killing ALL these things just because they’re ruining my yard) (plus- what on earth do you do with all the carcasses ?)

I heard an owl the other night for the first time in the back. So maybe some nocturnal birds of prey are on their way.

Ive learned in the last 8 months of living here that my new backyard is half an episodes worth of Planet Earth.

Or if you know anything about voles, I’m all ears.

 

[Miss mouse]

You think barn cats will affect my other cats or vice versa? I

It totally depends on the cats.
last summer we moved to an acreage that had 2 resident feral cats and brought my own pets with me.

Nixie-feral female (had kittens that didn’t make it)
Kelpie-feral we think is male
Tom cat- local intact male that visits every few months
Felix- fixed male indoor/outdoor pet
Dusty-Indoor only fixed female pet
Tiger lily- garage kitten intact female pet who we dreamed would be a friendly mouser

Okay so now you have all the characters I’ll give you the rundown:

Felix is allowed out but Dusty is not. Tiger is not allowed in but due to her being a kitten and me not wanting her to get eaten by owls has lived 95% in the garage.

Felix loves Nixie and they get along great.

Kelpie on the other hand has chosen to make himself scarce and in the very rare occasion we see him doesn’t like Felix.

The Tom has taken a few chunks out of Felix but I think that because Felix is fixed he’s not a threat enough to bother trying to kill.

nobody likes tiger lily except Dusty, they all just ignore her or avoid her and if she gets up in their business they yell at her.

so basically long story short if they’re fixed probably no big drama but you might find some choose to move on if they don’t like their new neighbours.

 

[YourRabbitGirl]

Not sure if I'm looking for advice, or just to document this process for posterity. Guess I'll take it either way! We're seeing significant evidence of mice, so getting barn cats has jumped from "yeah, we should look into that" to "can we pick some up tomorrow?" status. Last time I lived in the country, the house came with a barn cat and we had a couple more show up over the time we lived there. So I know they can be incredibly helpful, but finding one is new to me.

Definitely want adult, outdoor-savvy cats, and we want them spayed or neutered because the last thing we need is a cat colony. The local animal shelter takes in feral cats and adopts them out as barn cats after taking care of basic medical needs, spay/neuter, and vaccinations. Free. I'd prefer friendly cats, but maybe they'll get used to us with time. The shelter recommends keeping the cats contained for the first two to four weeks while they acclimate. I've got a giant dog crate I'm setting up in the shed where we keep feed, tools, and other stuff, so that's the plan. Once we're ready to let them loose, I'm thinking we'll install a cat door up on the wall of the shed with a "front porch" platform in front of it. The theory is that the cats can jump to the platform and get in, but it will be harder for other critters to access. Seems worth a shot, at least.

We have coyotes and bobcats and other critters around here, but my hope is that the LGDs create enough of a safety zone around at least the central area of the property that the cats will be ok -- plus there are lots of places to hide, and they'll have access to the shed. The LGDs are supposed to be cat-friendly, so that shouldn't be an issue.

It's interesting to see ecosystems at work. We wanted the coyotes and bobcats and other small predators out, so we brought in our "larger predators" -- the dogs -- and it seems to have worked. We see the coyotes and bobcats around the perimeter of the property, but we haven't lost anything while the dogs have been around. Those dogs are worth their weight in gold, and I've been glad to solve the predation issue without any trapping or killing. We've just carved out our own little niche, and the wildlife can carry on around us without major disruption. But, getting rid of the coyotes and their ilk gives the small pests free reign. Mice, squirrels, rabbits -- we're seeing more and more of those. Time to replace the small predators with some of our own too.

If you want to live a long happy life with the barn cats, take care of it as well as you would an indoor kitty. ... While you may expect the barn cat to be hungry enough to do a job of catching potentially dangerous mice, they do need to be fed a diet that will keep them safe and strong.

 

[YourRabbitGirl]

Not sure if I'm looking for advice, or just to document this process for posterity. Guess I'll take it either way! We're seeing significant evidence of mice, so getting barn cats has jumped from "yeah, we should look into that" to "can we pick some up tomorrow?" status. Last time I lived in the country, the house came with a barn cat and we had a couple more show up over the time we lived there. So I know they can be incredibly helpful, but finding one is new to me.

Definitely want adult, outdoor-savvy cats, and we want them spayed or neutered because the last thing we need is a cat colony. The local animal shelter takes in feral cats and adopts them out as barn cats after taking care of basic medical needs, spay/neuter, and vaccinations. Free. I'd prefer friendly cats, but maybe they'll get used to us with time. The shelter recommends keeping the cats contained for the first two to four weeks while they acclimate. I've got a giant dog crate I'm setting up in the shed where we keep feed, tools, and other stuff, so that's the plan. Once we're ready to let them loose, I'm thinking we'll install a cat door up on the wall of the shed with a "front porch" platform in front of it. The theory is that the cats can jump to the platform and get in, but it will be harder for other critters to access. Seems worth a shot, at least.

We have coyotes and bobcats and other critters around here, but my hope is that the LGDs create enough of a safety zone around at least the central area of the property that the cats will be ok -- plus there are lots of places to hide, and they'll have access to the shed. The LGDs are supposed to be cat-friendly, so that shouldn't be an issue.

It's interesting to see ecosystems at work. We wanted the coyotes and bobcats and other small predators out, so we brought in our "larger predators" -- the dogs -- and it seems to have worked. We see the coyotes and bobcats around the perimeter of the property, but we haven't lost anything while the dogs have been around. Those dogs are worth their weight in gold, and I've been glad to solve the predation issue without any trapping or killing. We've just carved out our own little niche, and the wildlife can carry on around us without major disruption. But, getting rid of the coyotes and their ilk gives the small pests free reign. Mice, squirrels, rabbits -- we're seeing more and more of those. Time to replace the small predators with some of our own too.

Such cats prefer limited contact or no human touch and are not adapted or indoor pets. They do, however, thrive as working cats, and will gladly make a bargain to protect your property against rodents and pests at the small price of food, water, and a dry place to sleep and shelter from the weather.

 

[isra]

It totally depends on the cats.
last summer we moved to an acreage that had 2 resident feral cats and brought my own pets with me.

Nixie-feral female (had kittens that didn’t make it)
Kelpie-feral we think is male
Tom cat- local intact male that visits every few months
Felix- fixed male indoor/outdoor pet
Dusty-Indoor only fixed female pet
Tiger lily- garage kitten intact female pet who we dreamed would be a friendly mouser

Okay so now you have all the characters I’ll give you the rundown:

Felix is allowed out but Dusty is not. Tiger is not allowed in but due to her being a kitten and me not wanting her to get eaten by owls has lived 95% in the garage.

Felix loves Nixie and they get along great.

Kelpie on the other hand has chosen to make himself scarce and in the very rare occasion we see him doesn’t like Felix.

The Tom has taken a few chunks out of Felix but I think that because Felix is fixed he’s not a threat enough to bother trying to kill.

nobody likes tiger lily except Dusty, they all just ignore her or avoid her and if she gets up in their business they yell at her.

so basically long story short if they’re fixed probably no big drama but you might find some choose to move on if they don’t like their new neighbours.

Lol

Sounds like a feline soap o-purr-a

 

[YourRabbitGirl]

Well, we went to the shelter today. They have three barn cats for adoption and two were in surgery today, so we have to go back tomorrow. They won't hold them so there's always a chance someone else will show up and take them first. If that happens, well, there are always more feral cats out there so I doubt we'll be waiting too long. Ready to start waging war on these mice!

I hope we have a shelter for cats here in the Philippines. Cats here are just being neglected.

 

[YourRabbitGirl]

Not sure if I'm looking for advice, or just to document this process for posterity. Guess I'll take it either way! We're seeing significant evidence of mice, so getting barn cats has jumped from "yeah, we should look into that" to "can we pick some up tomorrow?" status. Last time I lived in the country, the house came with a barn cat and we had a couple more show up over the time we lived there. So I know they can be incredibly helpful, but finding one is new to me.

Definitely want adult, outdoor-savvy cats, and we want them spayed or neutered because the last thing we need is a cat colony. The local animal shelter takes in feral cats and adopts them out as barn cats after taking care of basic medical needs, spay/neuter, and vaccinations. Free. I'd prefer friendly cats, but maybe they'll get used to us with time. The shelter recommends keeping the cats contained for the first two to four weeks while they acclimate. I've got a giant dog crate I'm setting up in the shed where we keep feed, tools, and other stuff, so that's the plan. Once we're ready to let them loose, I'm thinking we'll install a cat door up on the wall of the shed with a "front porch" platform in front of it. The theory is that the cats can jump to the platform and get in, but it will be harder for other critters to access. Seems worth a shot, at least.

We have coyotes and bobcats and other critters around here, but my hope is that the LGDs create enough of a safety zone around at least the central area of the property that the cats will be ok -- plus there are lots of places to hide, and they'll have access to the shed. The LGDs are supposed to be cat-friendly, so that shouldn't be an issue.

It's interesting to see ecosystems at work. We wanted the coyotes and bobcats and other small predators out, so we brought in our "larger predators" -- the dogs -- and it seems to have worked. We see the coyotes and bobcats around the perimeter of the property, but we haven't lost anything while the dogs have been around. Those dogs are worth their weight in gold, and I've been glad to solve the predation issue without any trapping or killing. We've just carved out our own little niche, and the wildlife can carry on around us without major disruption. But, getting rid of the coyotes and their ilk gives the small pests free reign. Mice, squirrels, rabbits -- we're seeing more and more of those. Time to replace the small predators with some of our own too.

Natural cats are not only predators but rivals too. Regional wild animals, such as foxes, skunks, raccoons, opossums, weasels, coyotes, bobcats, hawks, and owls, depend on the protection of native prey populations. ... My cat is fed well, and is not stalking animals.

 

[YourRabbitGirl]

Not sure if I'm looking for advice, or just to document this process for posterity. Guess I'll take it either way! We're seeing significant evidence of mice, so getting barn cats has jumped from "yeah, we should look into that" to "can we pick some up tomorrow?" status. Last time I lived in the country, the house came with a barn cat and we had a couple more show up over the time we lived there. So I know they can be incredibly helpful, but finding one is new to me.

Definitely want adult, outdoor-savvy cats, and we want them spayed or neutered because the last thing we need is a cat colony. The local animal shelter takes in feral cats and adopts them out as barn cats after taking care of basic medical needs, spay/neuter, and vaccinations. Free. I'd prefer friendly cats, but maybe they'll get used to us with time. The shelter recommends keeping the cats contained for the first two to four weeks while they acclimate. I've got a giant dog crate I'm setting up in the shed where we keep feed, tools, and other stuff, so that's the plan. Once we're ready to let them loose, I'm thinking we'll install a cat door up on the wall of the shed with a "front porch" platform in front of it. The theory is that the cats can jump to the platform and get in, but it will be harder for other critters to access. Seems worth a shot, at least.

We have coyotes and bobcats and other critters around here, but my hope is that the LGDs create enough of a safety zone around at least the central area of the property that the cats will be ok -- plus there are lots of places to hide, and they'll have access to the shed. The LGDs are supposed to be cat-friendly, so that shouldn't be an issue.

It's interesting to see ecosystems at work. We wanted the coyotes and bobcats and other small predators out, so we brought in our "larger predators" -- the dogs -- and it seems to have worked. We see the coyotes and bobcats around the perimeter of the property, but we haven't lost anything while the dogs have been around. Those dogs are worth their weight in gold, and I've been glad to solve the predation issue without any trapping or killing. We've just carved out our own little niche, and the wildlife can carry on around us without major disruption. But, getting rid of the coyotes and their ilk gives the small pests free reign. Mice, squirrels, rabbits -- we're seeing more and more of those. Time to replace the small predators with some of our own too.

Place the cat in a large cage or kennel inside the building they can call home, Clean the litter box and offer fresh food and water every day, After 2-3 weeks, you can open the cage door, after two more weeks, the cats will be happy in their new home and the cage and supplies can be removed.