Thoughts on barn cats

[surya]

I think the cat would stand a better chance if you keep it on your street and look after it, because you care about her so much and that is her territory. Barn cats programs are not always what they are cracked up to be. I would be ok with it only if I personally knew the people who will be caring for the cat and the kitty would be properly acclimated by keeping it caged for at least two or three weeks before letting it loose. Even with good caretakers, barn cats don't typically live too long. I'm not a big fan these programs, but they are better than killing the cats. It is often a death sentence, but It does give them a chance. But It should be a last resort.

If you own a house, the best way to keep her safe would be to build a catio to keep her in. Then you could probably socialize her.

 

[solomonar]

I friend of mine takes care of many barn cats (I do not know the exact number). He mentioned that adult cats manage to "get old" - again I do not have the number, but I imagine it is about 6-7 years old.

Foxes heavily predate on the kitten, so he never managed to have sufficient number of "replacements".

On the positive side, he is a very nice cat lover and takes great care of his cats, as well as the entire family.

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Another friend - cat lover- lives in the countryside. He is a very caring person and his cats have an wonderful life. There are foxzes to, but for mysterious reasons, there is no sign on predating cats (cubs or adults).

The negative side is that his neighbor is a terrible horrible cat-hater. I do not want to enter into details, just say that "human" kills cats for no reason.

In the same area, some feed cheese to cats, some through stones to the cats if they get closer.

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The only difference I can find between the 2 areas is that first is plain - no trees, while the second is hilly and plenty of trees.

To conclude, cats belong to wildlife, they are not pets. The are predators and prey in the same time. Some manage to survive in wilderness, some don't. We, humans, judge cats like furry humans. They are not.

Predating is crucial to cats. When the are indoor, they dont predate - they can't kill the toys, they can't feel blood.

Imagine you are re not allowed to watch TV and to use smartphone and confined to two rooms for 60 years from now. Then imagine some day somebody comes to you and invites you outside, gives you a smartphone and a TV, allows you to make friends, to love and to have kids. But in exchange you will survive only 5 years. What would you choose: stay safe and alone confined in 10 x 10 meters for 60 years or live in freedom outside for 5 years?

It is difficult to imagine how it is not to have freedom, when living free entire life. "If you love me. set me free!".

I do not make value judgments here, what is bad and what is good for a cat in general terms. The above are just my very personal opinions and I truly respect the opposite ones (OP asked for personal thoughts :-) .

 

[KittyFriday]

Not saying this is a one-size-fits-all, but I do feel that earning the trust of any living being goes a long way toward making him or her feel comfortable enough to be nearby/with you. My Baby Su was born feral. She was wandering around on our land as a tiny kitten. I brought her into our 12x12 "kitten cabin" where she could have everything she needed but not have to stress out. As time went on, my frequent visits seemed to give her confidence. I tried introducing various cats in our secured barn compound to her, and one of them seemed to be a good fit. At the time, one of our "house" cats was very ill, so I didn't want to stress her out by bringing in a wild newcomer, however young. After she passed, I brought the kitten in. She came in swinging, of course, but little by little, she adapted. The cat who had been her companion in the cabin also came in. She passed in 2016. Baby Su is now 15, only bonded to me, but living a very comfortable and loved life with me, my roomies, and my other two cats, 16 and 12.

That's accurate, I'm certain. My parents' barn cats have always been well loved and cared for, so are very tame. The ones they have now love people and I'm sure would eventually adapt to the indoors but it would be a process. My parents are also not especially keen on indoor cats + those cats do provide a good pest service for them. I'd love to take their newest cat as a house cat for myself but he's young and full of energy - not a problem for me, but I fear my dog would have too much fun chasing him and something bad would happen.

We did have a cat show up at our house once when I was younger. He was definitely feral. It took about 2-3 years but eventually I got to the point where I could pet him and he seemed to enjoy it. However, most cats that just turn up out there are very friendly former pets that have been dumped.

 

[dahlia]

Thank you for all your thoughtful replies. They have made me feel better. I guess a big thing I need to learn is to let go of the need to feel in control of everything and the assumption that I always know what is right. One of the kittens I caught was younger and was adoptable. She was adopted out to what seemed like a good home with a person that loved her but,unfortunately, they let her play with their dog unmonitored. They found her dead when they came home from work one day. I guess any option has risks and sometimes you just have to hope for the best. I am unable to care for the cats in any significant way as they are not on my property and I am currently sneaking onto other people's property to feed them and try to trap them. They are on a busy street and several have been killed by traffic. There are also dogs and sometimes owls so I don't know that it is necessarily much less risky than a barn environment.

 

[basscat]

In "most" cases, barn cats live outside and basically wild due to lack of human contact.
Are they happier than their in-home cousins? That's hard to say because generally they don't know that life. They only know the life they have.
Here's an opposite example:
Bobcat: Wild cat that's a member of the Lynx family. Found roaming the forests of North America. Hunts rabbits, squirrels, small rodents, birds, and have been known to take down deer when conditions are favorable. Life expectancy: 5 years or so. (Nature just isn't a very forgiving place.)

Bobturd: Tame cat, member of the Lynx family. Found roaming my living room. Hunts tennis balls, purple fuzzy things, blankets, other various small objects, and has been known to take down sofa's and recliners when conditions are favorable. Life expectancy: Highly dependent on what I catch him eating next. (You mean there's no pillows and blankets in the woods. And those other woodland creatures won't bring me fresh meat twice a day.......Wha???)
Picture of "Bobturd" for clarity.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Edited because it was long and derailed.

Instead of reacting with sarcasm, simply being informative would go farther to teaching someone you may disagree with. The link is to a site with a clear bias and the page no longer exists. Tagging me would have been more effective as well.

If you read my post, you can see that I mention what humans have done to alter the landscape.

But, I'll get off my soapbox, sorry to the OP for derailing the thread. If the original commenter would like to discuss this further we can take it to PMs.

Pardon. I am probably Asperger's and what you see as sarcasm was intended absolutely seriously.
No, I don't see a need to labor the point except to offer this:
Who killed 2.9 billion birds since 1970? Not cats, says a look through the glass!

 

[KittyFriday]

Well, it probably depends largely on the cat, but if you asked my boy (who has known both lives) he would 100% prefer to be indoors, hunting the dangling balls on his cat tree and taking naps in my bed. Even when he goes to my parents' house he scoffs at the open door.

 

[tarasgirl06]

IMHO most everything in life is contextual. It's so hard sometimes to make a decision when you care for someone else and have a variety of choices, none of which is perfect, and have to make that decision hopefully based upon what is best for THEM.
I was raised from conception, literally! "with cat". My family did not know any better and let our cats out. They were neutered males. One of them was brutally murdered by coyotes. Over the years, my ex did not let me bring some of the community cats we worked hard to gain the trust of, get vetted, get spayed/neutered and innoculated, and adopt, inside. Two of them, both babies, were murdered by dogs.
I will NEVER let a cat roam outside again. As long as I am their family and their caregiver, I will deal with it as I would having toddlers. Those that let toddlers outside unsupervised should, IMHO, be educated as to the inappropriateness of this, and if they do it again, they should face legal action including possibly having their kid(s) taken away from them. CPS is abysmal, I know. But allowing people to neglect their kids is WRONG. I feel the same about cats, who are family to me. People need to be educated, which is so easily done with the internet, as to good cat care. If they choose not to follow it, that is neglect and most probably abuse, and they should not be allowed to have cats in their care. Feral cats are a different situation, and I advocate for TNR/TNVR/NVR and when possible, adopting kittens and any other cats who will accept it, into human housing and care. But each situation is unique and I would never attack anyone who truly cares for cats as long as they attempt to do the best for the cats.

 

[tarasgirl06]

In "most" cases, barn cats live outside and basically wild due to lack of human contact.
Are they happier than their in-home cousins? That's hard to say because generally they don't know that life. They only know the life they have.
Here's an opposite example:
Bobcat: Wild cat that's a member of the Lynx family. Found roaming the forests of North America. Hunts rabbits, squirrels, small rodents, birds, and have been known to take down deer when conditions are favorable. Life expectancy: 5 years or so. (Nature just isn't a very forgiving place.)

Bobturd: Tame cat, member of the Lynx family. Found roaming my living room. Hunts tennis balls, purple fuzzy things, blankets, other various small objects, and has been known to take down sofa's and recliners when conditions are favorable. Life expectancy: Highly dependent on what I catch him eating next. (You mean there's no pillows and blankets in the woods. And those other woodland creatures won't bring me fresh meat twice a day.......Wha???)
Picture of "Bobturd" for clarity.

THAT is a mighty big CAT.

 

[basscat]

THAT is a mighty big CAT.

He's such a good boy

 

[tarasgirl06]

He's such a good boy

You can tell that he is! What a sweet boy.