If you like this section, you can also follow the adventures of the Kilmurry Barn Cats at my Barn Cat Lady Blog. See ya there!
These pages were inspired by the large number of questions that Barn Cat Lady has been asked over the years on various Some Holding and Homesteading Lists.
After hours of searching both the web and book publishers, The Barn Cat Lady was unable to find any books dedicated primarily to the care, feeding and support of working Barn Cats. And while there are hundreds of books to aide and guide the owners of pet cats, the purpose and relationship between a human and a barn cat has only been lightly explored. This lack of information can cause a great deal of confusion, since what is appropriate for a working cat, may not be exactly the same as required for an indoor pet. While a pet cat may catch the occasional mouse, often to the surprise and dismay of its owner; vermin control is the reason for having a working barn cat. Like any other laborer, Barn Cats work best when their basic needs are met and their tools looked after. In the past few decades, Barn Cats have fallen out of favor as modern pesticides and vermin control became more widely used by modern farmers. But, with the revival of organic and other low tech methods of farming: the Barn Cat is slowly making a come back: especially among small holders and homesteading farms. These owners often have difficulty locating basic information that is suited to their situation. Most farmers and small holders are just too busy to scan dozens of books, in the hope of finding the answers they need. What is lacking is a one-step place they could go for resources and answers.
To fill this void, the Barn Cat Lady web pages were created. Much of the material is is excerpted from the forthcoming book: The Happy Barn Cat: Farmers’ Friend and Natural Pest Control, by Melodi Lammond-Grundy (publication pending). Which so far has been unable to find a publisher (if you are a publisher or know of one that might be interested please e-mail me!). In the meantime, these pages are being made public in the hopes of improving the lives of barn cats everywhere as well as simplifying the lives of their human care takers.
These web pages are a work in progress and will be started with a basic introduction that briefly outlines: The Happy Barn Cat System. This outline briefly explains the five most important areas Barn Cat Care: Feeding, Birth Control, Medical Care, Shelter and Affection. Future updates of this webpage will provide more information in each area. All amaterial is copywrited to Melodi Lammond-Grundy and is provided for personal use only. If you want to publish it of post it on your website please e-mail me first at disastercat@disastercat.com
Please stay tuned for more updates!
Page 2 Introduction:
Why Barn Cats?
For at least 9,000 years farmers have relied upon the humble barn cat as a primary defense against mice, rats and other vermin. They are a natural means of pest control, vital to agricultural storage. That they also can delight us and be our friends is something that has developed over thousands of years. With a few modern adjustments, it’s possible for a farmer or smallholder to have a happy, useful, and relatively healthy colony of barn cats who hunt for pleasure and have longer and better lives than their forebears. The five basic secrets are: Regular Meals, Birth Control, and Basic Medical Care, Shelter and Affection (spaying, neutering, basic vaccinations, housing and affection). There are other helpful practices, like re-homing non-hunting cats, but these five are the most important ones to follow.
Feeding Cats Regular Meals
Basic feeding is a must. A full cat is a happy cat; a happy cat is a full-time hunter. Whatever you do, do not starve your barn cats in hopes that they will hunt better. It will simply slow them down and leave them open to illness and injury. The easiest way to feed barn cats is to go to the feed store and buy the biggest bag of cheap cat food you can get. Read the directions for what each cat needs per day; multiply by number of cats. You can supplement dry cat food with high protein dog food, scraps of kitchen meat, left over butchering bits, etc. But scraps alone do not provide a complete or balanced diet. Also don’t give them chicken or bird bones: the raw ones can encourage them to see chickens as food and the cooked ones can choke them. And never feed barn cats on high protein dog food alone. It lacks some of the basic nutrients that cats need to stay healthy. Some people prefer to feed their barn cats on meat and kitchen left-overs alone, but most cats do best if they have a least a small amount of commercial cat food in their diet.
Water is also vital for life and health, so be sure to provide a water dish especially in hot weather. And, be sure to break the ice that forms in Winter Time, the same way you would for your horses, cattle and other livestock.
Birth Control
Birth Control is vital for population control within your barn cat colony. On their own, cats do this by a combination of battles, infanticide, and starvation of weaker members. This is one case where “Traditional” is definitely NOT the best practice. If money is tight, start by neutering your chief tomcat. He will still fight off predatory males and protect his females; he just won’t make any more kittens. Spay your females as time and finances permit. Many vets and animal charities provide discounted rates for people in need. Call them and explain your situation. Most farms only really need about five to eight barn cats. One mother cat and her children can create hundreds of kittens over a decade or two.
If you are lucky, you will be able to start your own colony from scratch. The easy way is to call around animal shelters (or farming friends) asking for a mother cat and kittens. Explain you are a small holder who needs five or six cats, so they know you have space for them. You would be amazed how often mother and kitten combinations turn up in these places. Yes, many shelters require you to pay a deposit for vaccinations and altering. But you will really need to do that anyway, so you are just paying your costs up front, rather than later.
Basic Medical Care
Remember, like your plow horse and your sheep dog, these are WORKING animals, not just pets. Having their basic vaccinations (especially rabies) in the US, is not wasting money, it’s protecting yourself and your livestock. Beyond the diseases prevented by vaccination, barn cats are also vulnerable to injury and infection, particularly of the mouth and feet. If one of your cats is limping or seems to be having trouble eating dry food, take a look at it. A strained leg or clean cut on the pad will usually heal by itself; an infected cut requires a trip to the vet – cats can die of blood poisoning or gangrene just like people can. If the cat cannot put any weight on its leg and cries when it is touched, it may have a broken bone, which also requires a trip to the vet. An infected tooth may have to be removed by the vet. This will not hinder the cat’s hunting ability, as the claws are the primary means of catching prey. Finally, thick green or yellow mucus coming out of the nose and cruddy, weepy eyes must be dealt with by a course of antibiotics at once. If a case of cat flu is left untreated and the animal survives, it may remain chronically ill and be a walking reservoir of re-infection for all your other cats and any new ones that wander in. Such a cat (it will continue to sniffle, weep, and drip mucus weeks after it should have recovered) cannot be kept in a healthy barnyard: it must be rehomed as a permanent indoor pet (preferably where it cannot contact other cats) or, sadly, put down. Cat flu is probably the biggest destroyer of cat colonies, and, if the cats have had their vaccinations, is the only problem that will linger to sicken and kill generation after generation if it is not dealt with thoroughly. If you inherit a barn cat colony that already has endemic cat flue, consult with your vet for the best advice for your given situation.
Page 3
Shelter
Shelter is important because cats need a warm, dry place to sleep when they are not busy decimating your rodent population. These do not have to be perfect housing from a human point of view, just suitable for felines. Good places are a barn with hayloft, any protected outbuilding, a dairy, or even a covered porch. Cat colonies will naturally tend to divide themselves into their own “territories” anyway. Just be careful that in very severe weather (bitter cold or snow) they have a warm place to gather. In extreme cases, opening up the garage and inviting in the cats can be a good strategy. Other temporary shelters can be made from wooden crates or old boxes stuffed with worn out wool clothing. Because cats are small animals, providing cozy areas of warmth to snuggle in may be more effective than trying to heat a larger area.
Cats that have good shelter will be less likely to become ill and more likely to recover quickly and completely. They will also be better-rested and hence more effective hunters. And many of the areas cats prefer for sleeping, such as haylofts, are places where vermin deterrence is most needed.
Affection
It’s possible to domesticate adult feral cats. I know, because I have done it. But it’s a very long and tedious process that most farmers won’t have time for. However, almost anyone can tame feral cats. That’s because almost anyone can feed them every day, talk softly while putting down their food bowls, and allow them to feel safe enough to come near. As the weeks go by, some of the cats will become braver and will walk right up to their food source to express their gratitude by rubbing and purring. A few more will ask to be petted and be happy to have their new friend sit down after dinner. If there are kittens, they will often be the first to investigate the large animal on two legs, even if their mother runs behind the hay bale. If you inherited a colony of semi-wild cats, it is worth doing this. Even if you have just inherited the scruffiest, mangiest barn cats you have ever seen, because many of them will come to love you. And cats who love you (even if you only like them) will be easier to catch and treat for illness, injuries, and birth control operations. Over time the health and size of your colony will become more manageable, healthier, and happier. Happy cats = Improved vermin control.
In ages past, a farmer’s children were the traditional tamers of young barn kittens. And they can be very useful to help fully domesticate formally feral barn cat babies. Older children that is, below the age of seven they are too likely to get hurt or hurt the kittens, unless strictly supervised by adults. But kittens themselves, love to play and sense a kinship with these human “kittens.” And if you don’t have any human kittens around, you can imitate them by pulling strings, tossing tiny balls, and playing other games to lure hesitant baby felines. Being hunters, young kittens will enjoy pouncing on a string, which you can pull closer and closer to yourself. After a while they will leap on you (or your child) and then you can begin to pet them. Let the kitten (or older cat) tell you how much attention it can handle at first. In fact, the same techniques work for older cats, except they tend to be much more nervous and taming them is better left to patient adults or teenagers. Cats are more likely to do real damage if they are frightened. A mother cat will watch her kittens if children are playing with them and call them away if it upsets her. Again, children must be old enough to understand that they have to allow this to happen before they become junior “Cat Whisperers.” But it’s a great way for children to learn empathy with animals, enjoy themselves and do a useful farm job; all at the same time. Children can also learn to feed the cats, but if you have a large number of cats you will want to make sure the child is not overwhelmed by the experience.
If you follow these five basic items, your reward will be: a stable, non-feral, healthy barn cat colony of friendly working moggies (non-purebred cats to US readers), well fed and well "paid.” If you show them affection, you also get animals whose company you and your family can enjoy. This will also make retirement easier if a cat becomes too old or frail to “work” outside. An old, but friendly cat is much easier to retire to your own kitchen or that of a friend. A warm stove, a comfy basket and a catnip mouse are all great rewards for service well rendered. And even a “retired” cat will keep the mice out of the house, both by catching those it can and by frightening them away with the smell of cat.
These five steps are intended to be a basic starting point for your barn cat adventure. As these web pages are expanded, they will include many of the FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) that The Barn Cat Lady encounters over and over again. Stay Tuned for more pages as this site is expanded.
CopyWrite Melodi Lammond-Grundy May 1, 2004
The Barn Cat Lady is one of the Many Lives of Disaster Cat
