Barn Cat?

[Larry Caldwell]

When it comes to rodent control, you can't beat snakes.

 

[ovrszd]

When it comes to rodent control, you can't beat snakes.

Ooooohhhhhhh,,,,, snakes,,,,, why's it always gotta be snakes,,,,,, I hate snakes........ (Indiana Jones)

 

[tcreeley]

We have cats, feed crunchies and wet food. We keep a heated dog dish on the porch for water. The cats have a cat door and go in and out as they please.
We don't have any mice, rats, birds anywhere around the house. They catch frogs and snakes in the summer too. Half of the cats are strays and we can't touch them. They just love to hunt.

We feed crunchies outside in a covered windowbox- too high for roaming skunks to get to. On a table is also good. Only once had a racoon- it was mangy and we never saw it again after that. Get the food and place to sleep up off the ground. They like to lay in the sun during the day and sleep- active in the morning and at dusk.

 

[k0ua]

Ooooohhhhhhh,,,,, snakes,,,,, why's it always gotta be snakes,,,,,, I hate snakes........ (Indiana Jones)

Indie.... Why does the floor move? (Sala)

 

[Tractor Seabee]

King County in the Seattle area runs a volunteer program called Barn Cats R Us Barn Cats R Us They capture and accept feral cats to rehab. They spay them and do rabies shots and all, then find homes only at farms that have barns sheds where they can hide from their predators. They are very successful in placing them and get a lot of repeat calls as the mortality rate keeps up the demand. their philosophy is to not befriend them or pet them, or feed them. they require that you take too of them as they need the company. Only feed if it is obvious they ate not finding enough prey such as winter time. They will need a source of water, natural is preferable. I do not have a barn so did not get them. I think they are doing a great service and when I get my barn will get a pair.

Ron

 

[KiotiKowboy]

As alluded to in a few posts above, cats on farms generally have a high mortality rate. We used to allow farmers to adopt spay/neutered ferals, thinking this was better than spending their lives in a shelter. After learning a high percentage lasted only a few days, we stopped allowing those adoptions.

 

[TomSeller]

We had fox and owls in the barn for years and rarely saw rodents. The foxes got killed off by some idiot neighbor. Coyotes moved in a few years later. Then bald eagles moved onto the property and killed off the owls. I like the eagles and tolerate the coyotes. But neither one will go inside the barn. I would rather have my fox and owls back.

 

[MossRoad]

If you're not going to be there 7-14 days at a time, you probably shouldn't get a cat. If you were around more often, get a cat. You can't leave food out for it or you'll be feeding the wildlife. The cat is subject to disease and predation, more so if you aren't around. And, the cat won't be hunting mice and rats exclusively, but pretty much everything that moves, most likely grasshoppers and other bugs, birds, etc... Outdoor cat lifespan average is 1-5 years vs indoor cat 12-20. Probably less if you aren't around. And, if you aren't around, the cat won't have a bond with you, or anyone else, so it will probably go feral pretty quick. If you find a friendly one and leave it for weeks at a time, well, that's not cool either.

If mice and rats are your concern, target them specifically. You'd be much better served with this, a 24 pack of Jaws model 409 mouse traps for $24.00. Baited properly and set properly, they're on duty 24-7.

JT Eaton 409BULK Jawz Plastic Mouse Trap, For Solid or Liquid Bait (Pack of 24): Science Lab Cleaning Supplies: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

Got rats?
Here's the model 410 rat trap 12 pack for $28.00.
JT Eaton 410BULK Jawz Plastic Rat Trap, For Solid or Liquid Bait (Pack of 12): Science Lab Cleaning Supplies: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

I use the mouse traps. They work really, really well. They take liquid or solid bait. You can put them places cats can't get to. And.... you'll never really know if the cat is working or not, as you won't see the little carcasses. With traps, you know they are working. When they stop getting results, you have pushed back the enemy!

 

[MossRoad]

Oh yeah, and you don't have to spay or neuter your traps. :laughing:

 

[TomSeller]

Thread on these a while back. Cheap, effective. Don't need to reset them after each mouse. These are Internet pictures, the board one is missing the bait.

 

[MossRoad]

Thread on these a while back. Cheap, effective. Don't need to reset them after each mouse. These are Internet pictures, the board one is missing the bait.

I have a friend that uses those for chipmunks that get into his garage. Very effective.

 

[Streetcar]

I would occasionally lose an egg to a snake, when I had chickens. I figured it was payment for the rodent removal. I would move the snake out of chicken coop and not have a problem for months. Rhode Island red and leghorn chickens

 

[joecoin]

When it comes to rodent control, you can't beat snakes.

Agreed, but they won't work in the winter, some kind of union deal.

 

[Looking4new]

Thread on these a while back. Cheap, effective. Don't need to reset them after each mouse. These are Internet pictures, the board one is missing the bait.

Put some beer in the bottom to drown the mice....At least they die happy. Skunky beer will do fine.

 

[TomSeller]

Put some beer in the bottom to drown the mice....At least they die happy. Skunky beer will do fine.

Might even attract them.

 

[JSanders10]

Thanks for all the advice... thinking on it.

I don't like snakes (found 15 rattlers under a piece of tin this summer during a cleanup) and have bush-hogged a couple other rattlers. The non-venomous good snakes, I don't mind. The property has an old farm house on it, as well, I am turning into a family hunting cabin. Rats have had their run of the house for five years. Traps and poison blocks have done their job for now, but I am looking long term.

I like the owl idea... like I said in a post above, I do have two owls in my barn occasionally. Perhaps I need to mount a couple own houses on the exterior of the barn.

When I cut the pastures this past summer, I had a couple hawks perched nearby who fed pretty well on those days.

The rattlers, the 5' mama snake and 13-15 'babies' about 12-15".

 

[FTG-05]

I have four shop cats, one is full grown, probably two years old, the other three are kittens from last summer.

The three kittens follow me around like they're little puppies. They all live in the shop and they have access to both food and water 24/7. I also have a dog and they have access to the dog's water bowls as well. I put in a cat door to the shop and just recently set it so they could go both in and out. I had previously had it set so they could only go in because I would put them up at night. Now I let them go outside as they want. Turns out they like to hunt at night!

And these cats hunt! The time I saw a mouse in my shop was the mouse head one of them left in my tractor bucket.

The "cats hunt especially when fed" theory is also what I've heard. And I heard that from a person at work who has two houses: One for herself and one for her cat rescue organization. So I've decided to ensure my cats have food for whenever they want it.


Cats or Rats: Take your pick. And if it's rats, good luck with the snakes that aren't that far behind.


Now, a question for the owl experts: Can you have both cats and owls or are they exclusive?

Thanks and good luck to the OP.