Feeding "strays" in farm country

[iluvcats3]

I am in rural MN.  I know a lot of cats come thru my yard, because I was feeding them last winter, with my feral cat Mamacat living in an outbuilding. I've moved her indoors. Thing is, those cats were coming into a very nice wood outbuilding, I put cat beds around, and they didn't stay. They just came for food and maybe to hiss at Mamacat thru a glass door.  I think they ripped into a food bag i left out of the area mama was in , or i saw tracks in the snow or something, is why I knew there were cats coming.  

I suspect these are farm cats who have a nice heated barn to live in, else why didn't they move into my property?  If they are kept cats and just like the cat food I provide better, I am putting them at risk traveling in january in bitter cold, and many coyotes live around here and besides, then they already have a home, like in a nice cow barn.

What do you think I should do?  I just saw a lovely tiger tabby with white on it run thru the yard yesterday. There are dumped cats around here because it is an impoverished area, also, but many of those are friendly (haven't had any on this property for a few years, but other folks have taken them in). I dunno whose farm these cats are coming from. The closest farm, I know them well, and they say that Mamacat definitely wasn't theirs, because they'd remember her (she's a pretty calico). Properties are about 1/2 mile apart here, so those cats may be traveling a long way. I don't want to encourage kitties that HAVE a home to travel in the winter, but if they are truly strays, the winters are horrible here.

 

[StefanZ]

Yes, its a dilemma.   The real homeless (and freshly dumped above all!) should have help, food and in the long run TNR or adoption , and the neigbours cats   shouldnt.   Perhaps a few friendly words and a little treat, but not more.

Because of the reasons you mentioned, and also, not to risk they do abandon their  home. Even if its so so, it is still their home and they arent homeless.

 

[ondine]

It seems to me there's a way to tell.  The ones who have been dumped will almost certainly be friendly; the barn cats may not be approachable.

If there is a way to discriminate between them, perhaps you can work on finding help for the dumped cats - be it simply TNRing them or perhaps finding them new homes.

Either way, maybe only putting out food when you see a new cat will help you tell the difference.

If you have the means or there is a no/low cost program near you, perhaps you can spay or neuter all the cats you run across.  Even if they live in the neighbors' barn, fixing them will improve their lives.

Thank you for helping them!

 

[iluvcats3]

All the dumped cats I know of this year, someone took them in where they have a heated outbuilding or will be house cats but these cats I am seeing, they run away. But heck, my mother feeds kitties in her backyard in the suburbs, and those pet cats run away and not much tamer acting than mostly feral farm cats. One thing I can see - the cats in my yard all look well-fed and healthy, so whoever's farm they are from, they aren't hoarding cats to the point of horrible disease. I guess maybe I will leave the formerly feral Mamacat's heated cubby set up and if a stray comes into the outbuilding to eat and stays, I have another cat, LOL!  I mostly don't see the cats but find their tracks in the snow in the winter.  Some cats came to my place when it was 20 below or colder and I hate to see cats out in that kind of weather. Polar vortex and all that. There is no TNR around here, pretty sure but I have to check into it. So far, there haven't been so many cats that I couldn't get homes for them all or keep some.  I only have 3 cats, so another one or two would be possible, although I wouldn't prefer to have any more right now.