Adopting barn cats

DustyBoot said:

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.

Click to expand...

DustyBoot said:

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.

Click to expand...

isra said:

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

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DustyBoot said:

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.

Click to expand...

DustyBoot said:

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.

Click to expand...

Miss mouse said:

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.

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DustyBoot said:

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!

Click to expand...

DustyBoot said:

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.

Click to expand...

DustyBoot said:

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.

Click to expand...