We have always had cats since I was a kid. Cats do a good job of dealing with rats and mice in New England. All of our cats have been strays, or the kittens from strays. We neuter/spay the strays. We find that once a group settles in, it is pretty stable- no new additions. We use a double cat door into the house. We feed our 2 fighting males outside (and they stay out), but the others come and go as they want. They never mess in the house- always go outside. We only use a cat box when one is too old to get around. Our cats will meet us at the car and walk us in to the house. They will walk with us to feed the horses, and go for walks with us to the back field. Cats show gratitude when helped out. Here is one (Angel)
View attachment 310517 we found as a kitten in an old shed- and another who showed up as an adult male (Sneakers).
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