First Time Barn Kitty Questions

[Coolbreeze89]

Curious: do anyone’s barn cats get pocket gophers?

 

[YourRabbitGirl]

I can't speak too highly of cat 'rodent control'.

My old barn cat had to be euthanised a few years back in her late teens as her kidneys failed. The house cat took on the barn. I have no rodent problem at all, even though my 30 chickens are fed in there and we have two hoppers of sheep 'cake'. House cat seems to sleep for the best part of 20 hours a day, but the remaining 4 must be turned over to rodent catching. She eats most voles and the occasional mouse which means she needs to be wormed very regularly, but she's a very efficient little hunter. Having been discouraged from hunting birds from the outset, she never hunts birds and even the smallest of chicks are safe around her.

Barn cats are great but I'm into the most efficient way.
Snap and glue traps can only kill so many rodents before they have to be replaced, which costs you more in the long run. A multi-kill rat trap, like the A24, can take care of up to 24 rodents with a single CO2 canister. Plus, re-baiting these traps is a non-issue.

 

[abraeri]

Barn cats are great but I'm into the most efficient way.
Snap and glue traps can only kill so many rodents before they have to be replaced, which costs you more in the long run. A multi-kill rat trap, like the A24, can take care of up to 24 rodents with a single CO2 canister. Plus, re-baiting these traps is a non-issue.

I think one of the greatest benefits of a barn cat is once the original population is taken care of, the scent of the cat itself is enough to keep away any would be thieves. They're low maintenance and great fun to have around too!

 

[abraeri]

Curious: do anyone’s barn cats get pocket gophers?

I'm not sure what pocket gophers are, but I did see one of mine with a baby mole

 

[thistlebloom]

Curious: do anyone’s barn cats get pocket gophers?

Yep. We had a pair of brothers that completely cleaned up our gophers.

 

[YourRabbitGirl]

I think one of the greatest benefits of a barn cat is once the original population is taken care of, the scent of the cat itself is enough to keep away any would be thieves. They're low maintenance and great fun to have around too!

That sounds nice. scent? really? that sounds great... so you mean, for predators; just them smelling there is a cat around is enough to keep them away? sounds pretty practical.

 

[Duckfarmerpa1]

I think one of the greatest benefits of a barn cat is once the original population is taken care of, the scent of the cat itself is enough to keep away any would be thieves. They're low maintenance and great fun to have around too!

Do you fix them so they don’t multiply?

 

[abraeri]

Do you fix them so they don’t multiply?

Yes they are fixed and get rabies shots too.

That sounds nice. scent? really? that sounds great... so you mean, for predators; just them smelling there is a cat around is enough to keep them away? sounds pretty practical.

That's what I've heard and so far it has been true for me. They wander around the area and I'm pretty sure any rodents acting in their self-interest wouldn't want to go near an active cat area!

 

[YourRabbitGirl]

Yes they are fixed and get rabies shots too.



That's what I've heard and so far it has been true for me. They wander around the area and I'm pretty sure any rodents acting in their self-interest wouldn't want to go near an active cat area!

Now I start to wonder what type of rodents we have here in the Philippines. the rodents don't fear cats here. Truth be told. I even saw a rat eating along our neighbors cat, SHARING ONE FEEDING PAN!!!

 

[abraeri]

Now I start to wonder what type of rodents we have here in the Philippines. the rodents don't fear cats here. Truth be told. I even saw a rat eating along our neighbors cat, SHARING ONE FEEDING PAN!!!

Wow! Are they scared of anything at all?? The rodents around my place adapt pretty quickly to traps; If I catch them three days I will never get anymore with the same trap). But everything is scared of the cats (except for my ducks haha. They usually run from anything moving that is bigger than a leaf, but they run *towards* the cats)