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.

Don't let a new foster cat run your house right away. Provide a warm bed, a bowl of fresh water, and a clean pan of litter at all times.
At first, approach your foster cat gently, carefully, and in a non-threatening way. Don't let a cat go without feeding for more than a day.