Aa
Sucess relocating cats as Barn cats
I wanted to put this up here to tell others of a small success they may want to try .Where I live there are many cats dumped and many strays, I have had success with placing a few, as Barn cats.I looked up and found one person in the local ads, who needed one to keep vermin down.. I always go out first to make sure they are bona fida and I go back at a later date to check them out, usually rural areas.I do know that if any strays are taken to the pound here they are put down immediately as there are so many and no one here seems to get their cats fixed ,I hate that, they didn't ask to be born .So I guess what I am saying is check out any ranch or farms as they always want cat or two hanging around, they get some food and have to catch the rest.PS I make sure they are fixed and shots first or that the new owners will do it .
Best Answer
hahah I get it Jade I misunderstood ...I should have known thats what you meant I know you love cats ..yes actually I don't like those traps ..just read your last post and I feel the same I see so many here , the dh and the neighbors say dont feed them...the cat at the front of my house may not be feral I think there's a chance that the rotten family that keeps getting kittens and puppies, then when they grow up chucking them out, was its owner... PS I have called animal control on these people 3 times ..all they do is come out and warn them . I see animal control as part of the problem if they slapped big fines on these people it wouldnt happen
COMMUNITY LEADER
I don't know, I'm not that far into the situation yet. I'm going to walk the neighborhood in a day or so and ask around if someone knows this kitty. It just seems too healthy to be a stray. It's eyes are bright and no discharge - looks young and healthy. I think as an alternative to anything such as calling A.C., I'll simply clap my hands and scare it away. My mistake was feeling sorry and letting it eat and trying to make friends instead of discouraging it. It breaks my heart to scare a cat; I love all cats, all animals, but I love Jade more and usually use this humane method to discourage other cats in our yard...except Tipsy (Neighbor Cat who I refer to occasionally). Tipsy showed up a few days after Jade did and they used to be friends, but not anymore - Jade doesn't want her here and makes that clear. She usually chases other cats away too but not this one for some reason. So stupid me, temporarily felt like that was a sign we should keep it, but that's not happening.
COMMUNITY LEADER
Oh no, Margy, I didn't mean YOU trap them - sorry. I know you're placing them with people who will use them as barn cats - check out the situation first, then follow up later...which is awesome and I love that! I meant *I* would hate to trap this little kitty since that would only mean it would be either sent to a shelter or destroyed. Sorry, honey - guess my post came out wrong.
sorry jade I dont understand what you meant I dont send any cat and I mean an/.;.;...... off to be destroyed maybe you wernt reading what I said .
COMMUNITY LEADER
Hi Margy and Everyone. Like all of you, I am finding myself in a predicament with a stray - or what I believe is a stray. There's been an obviously young, tortoise shell/tabby eating Jade's left over food. The bowl sits outside the back door, so I've come upon this kitty many times in the last month. (I know the solution is to feed Jade inside, but she won't eat inside - insists on outside. Has even trained my husband to take her food around to the back - something I can't/won't encourage and make her come to me). I believe this cat's been around for months - just ran when it saw me so was only a blur. Keeps it's tail down, so can't tell it's gender, but I want to say it's a male.
Today, it finally, and with great hesitation, let me pet it while it hungrily ate the few morsels left in the bowl. Kitty has mild food issues - growled just a little while I pet. Has a small squeak for a voice. Since I touched it (when will I learn???), now poor thing just stood there looking at me as if to say, "more?" and I was *this close* to giving it some Wellness dry, but stopped myself in time. Dh is admiring it too; he loves cats, but we cannot afford to feed a stray or take on another cat even though Jade doesn't seem to mind this kitty at all.
Another reason I don't want to encourage this little kitty is, first, I will fall in love, and second, we have literally spent thousands and thousands getting Jade well and who knows what kind of health this stray is in although it looks young and healthy. I pick up the bowl immediately when it's done since I don't want dh to mistakenly refill the bowl and have Jade follow.
My husband thought it might belong to some relatively new neighbors, so I'm going to knock on a few doors once I'm able and see if it has a home. He thinks it might have owners who feeds it like Jade was fed by her previous owners...just *whenever* they remember, but watching it eat, it's clearly very hungry.
I can't follow up like you do Margy and I would hate to trap it and send it off with A.C., but if no one claims it - what to do and live with myself? Oh, it is SO cute! :)
Today, it finally, and with great hesitation, let me pet it while it hungrily ate the few morsels left in the bowl. Kitty has mild food issues - growled just a little while I pet. Has a small squeak for a voice. Since I touched it (when will I learn???), now poor thing just stood there looking at me as if to say, "more?" and I was *this close* to giving it some Wellness dry, but stopped myself in time. Dh is admiring it too; he loves cats, but we cannot afford to feed a stray or take on another cat even though Jade doesn't seem to mind this kitty at all.
Another reason I don't want to encourage this little kitty is, first, I will fall in love, and second, we have literally spent thousands and thousands getting Jade well and who knows what kind of health this stray is in although it looks young and healthy. I pick up the bowl immediately when it's done since I don't want dh to mistakenly refill the bowl and have Jade follow.
My husband thought it might belong to some relatively new neighbors, so I'm going to knock on a few doors once I'm able and see if it has a home. He thinks it might have owners who feeds it like Jade was fed by her previous owners...just *whenever* they remember, but watching it eat, it's clearly very hungry.
I can't follow up like you do Margy and I would hate to trap it and send it off with A.C., but if no one claims it - what to do and live with myself? Oh, it is SO cute! :)
We have a neighbor across the way it is said to own dock tailed barn cats. Well, one of them had kittens and I think part of the litter died. But at least one lived. It comes to our back door for a snack now and then (fully grown). I call it Blaze because it has a white blaze on it's black face.
A neighbor up above us has a shed where it is said she puts scraps of food for ferrals. Well, she decided to adopt one roaming cat, got it fixed and called it hers.
There is another cat we thought was a stray who kept coming to our back door for snacks. We called it Bold as Brass, largely because it would go in the yard with the two great pyrenees living there, seemingly unafraid. Well, I learned from the neighbory lady who lives there that her husband, who works at a fire station as an EMT had adopted that cat after it had been hanging around the fire station. I now call that dark grey cat "Smoke" or we sometimes call it "Smoky", even though the neighbor lady told me his name, which I don't remember. I told her we had been giving him snacks, but she didn't mind at all about that- he still comes around. She said he had been leaving presents at their place, once, it was a squirrel! We wondered when we found a dead opossum in our back yard if that was is gift to us! (We had holes in the yard, so he did us a favor, if it was, though a gross one!)
We have another neighbor with a female cat, but an allergy arose in the house. They made her an outdoor cat and she's said to be a great mouser. Once a cat was on our porch with kittens. It looked so much like this neighbor's cat, I spoke with the guy about it and even showed the pictures my sister took. He agreed it looked like their cat but said it couldn't possibly be, because their's was fixed!
A neighbor up above us has a shed where it is said she puts scraps of food for ferrals. Well, she decided to adopt one roaming cat, got it fixed and called it hers.
There is another cat we thought was a stray who kept coming to our back door for snacks. We called it Bold as Brass, largely because it would go in the yard with the two great pyrenees living there, seemingly unafraid. Well, I learned from the neighbory lady who lives there that her husband, who works at a fire station as an EMT had adopted that cat after it had been hanging around the fire station. I now call that dark grey cat "Smoke" or we sometimes call it "Smoky", even though the neighbor lady told me his name, which I don't remember. I told her we had been giving him snacks, but she didn't mind at all about that- he still comes around. She said he had been leaving presents at their place, once, it was a squirrel! We wondered when we found a dead opossum in our back yard if that was is gift to us! (We had holes in the yard, so he did us a favor, if it was, though a gross one!)
We have another neighbor with a female cat, but an allergy arose in the house. They made her an outdoor cat and she's said to be a great mouser. Once a cat was on our porch with kittens. It looked so much like this neighbor's cat, I spoke with the guy about it and even showed the pictures my sister took. He agreed it looked like their cat but said it couldn't possibly be, because their's was fixed!
Wow spirit thats a great story I know how you feel as I am the same about animals.funnily enough I have a feral cat comes by the front of my house for food, he has become rather bad tempered , and tries to scratch me when I try to put the food down , if I can relocate him I will but he may have to be trapped if anyone has any ideas how to train him to not be aggressive I would be grateful as I wont be able to place him the way he is behaving now .. .
Just a story-somewhat relevant. Ed's (my fiance) bike shop is located off the side of a busy road and behind are alot of woods..he noticed a stray kitty one day. Of course, there's more than one and we've started feeding them. They're feral and won't let you near them but by putting some food out we keep them away from the road. He's given them charming names: Itty Bitty, Go-Go (she has boots) Teeny-Tiny and 2-face who has the most remarkable face markings I've ever seen-literally right down the 1/2 perfectly her face is black on one side and torty on the other w/a little french mustache-amazing in perfection!!
I'm lucky my partner is as much of an animal lover as I..or he'd think me nutty!! I think all living creatures deserve best chance we can offer. (He even gives the woodchucks his pizza crust...)
I'm lucky my partner is as much of an animal lover as I..or he'd think me nutty!! I think all living creatures deserve best chance we can offer. (He even gives the woodchucks his pizza crust...)
thats a wonderful story furball and kee s me doing it , its not ideal but the black one I tried to adopt and Tweety would not have in the house went to a good place ..I went back last week to see how he was doing,in fact the neighbors like him at the barn place and he may well be on the way to being kept by them..the only alternative here where i live is death and I cant do it..thanks opus for the postive feedback many think I am nutty...lol
I think it's a great idea to get these little guys in areas that need barn cats and that these are people who actually want the little kitties for catching vermin. Not only that, once they've been spayed and neutered, they're not contributing to the population explosion of more unwanted cats. And, they will still be fed and nurtured in this way. I once lived in a rural area where a pretty little feral cat moved in. We had domesticated cats. I was a kid, so I can't be held responsible for my parents having not spayed and neutered our domesticated cats. Anyway, she did trust us enough to have her little kittens in the house in a box. I got to keep the blue/gray boy who looked very much like his father. She taught him well how to catch mice. All the cats, including her, were always fed well, but her instinct was very fine-tuned. There were a lot of field mice and shrews right by the house. The old man found a nest and the feral noticed. She caught the mother right away. One time she brought a mouse into the house for her son. I already knew what the commotion was when I heard my mother screaming. My instincts from knowing her so well were very fine tuned as well. I was in the basement in my bedroom with my cat, the son. I had already been bringing him up the stairs when I heard my mother tell me to bring my cat. Like I didn't know what to do, of course. As soon as I could reach the door I opened the door and let my cat go and he caught the mouse right away before I even finished getting up to the landing. The feral mother had taught her son very well.
Anyway, feral cats, semi-feral cats and domesticated mousers will all work for this. My kitty that I had kept that was the feral cat's son was domesticated, even though his mother wasn't, and he turned out to be a great mouser.
Anyway, feral cats, semi-feral cats and domesticated mousers will all work for this. My kitty that I had kept that was the feral cat's son was domesticated, even though his mother wasn't, and he turned out to be a great mouser.
excellent job margy.....you go the extra mile for these poor little ones and thats wonderful..I especially appreciate the fact you are ensuring these barn homes are safe and these kitties will be spayed or neutered...its wonderful ppl like you who go out of their way to make a difference. congrats to you!!!
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Cats Community
Members of our Pet Communities share their Halloween pet photos.
Like to travel but hate to leave your pooch at home? Dr. Carol Osborne talks tips on how (and where!) to take a trip with your pampered pet
Ooh and aah your way through these too-cute photos of MedHelp members' best friends
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
One lady has a first floor apartment and she has an indoor only cat of her own, but she also feeds a feral cat. No one else is willing to say anything to the management, because the management would be unfair to her and accuse her of owning the feral and letting her cat roam the property, which is not allowed, when all she is doing is ensuring the little white female is going to survive. The lady even found a cat bed to put on the first floor balcony for the feral cat. I have seen the feral cat curl up in the cat bed, too. One would never know by looking at such a scene that this gorgeous cat is a feral cat. I don't know if the little feral cat has ever been humanely trapped then spade and released, but there are trap and release programs in my area, too. Most are simply volunteers, such as my neighbor.