Barn Cat?

[Country Geek]

The keys to a successful barn are the personality and how you introduce the cat.

Not much you can do about the first but for the second, you start off by keeping the cat in a decent sized cage (like a dog cage) in the barn for two weeks. Feed, water, and clean the litterbox in the cage for it, and keep the cat in there. This gets the cat used to to smells and sounds of the barn. Only feed in the morning and pull the food in the evening to get the cat used to eating during the day. After two weeks open the cage and keep putting food in the cage in the morning so the cat gets used to coming back there for food. Do not top off the food at night. Since raccoons and possums are nocturnal, food you put out at night is simply for them. Whatever the cat doesn't eat during the day the other critters get, the cat will figure it out.

This doesn't guarantee success because it also depends on the cat's personality and a lack of coyotes, etc. But it gives you the best chance for success.

 

[ovrszd]

Actually, recent studies have shown that a well-fed cat is a much better hunter than one left to forage on its own. Turns out that cats hunt as a matter of instinct -- not necessarily to gain food. A well-fed cat has sharper vision, better reflexes, and stronger conditioning and so is a much more effective hunter.

Study, schmudy, not buying it. Actually I'd bet those doing the "study" don't know what a "Barn Cat" is.

 

[ovrszd]

my choice ladies and gentlemen, is to go for barn owls and not cats. The only downside I have experienced with owls is nothing. Their box requires cleaning out once a year. There are a lot of barn owl sites on the internet and most the box data is baloney, well meaning, but baloney. They will dump scat at their roosts and will scat on your beautifully painted truck parked in the barn. Easy enough to put a tarp over it. The owls require four rodents each a day. A nesting pair will eat eight, plus the ones they need to feed their offspring. Cat crap in barns goes nuts with cats that aren't spayed. Sooner or later you have kittens up the the kazzoo.

I recommend the Barn Owl Trust web page, and the Cornell University owl cams for information that is sound and solid.

I'll research this. I have a lot of bird nests here where I live. A few at the farm. I'd be interested in having owls to observe. Wondering what type of terrain they would prefer. My buildings are located 100yds from a timber with only a few scattered trees next to them.

 

[SPIKER]

my choice ladies and gentlemen, is to go for barn owls and not cats. The only downside I have experienced with owls is nothing. Their box requires cleaning out once a year. There are a lot of barn owl sites on the internet and most the box data is baloney, well meaning, but baloney. They will dump scat at their roosts and will scat on your beautifully painted truck parked in the barn. Easy enough to put a tarp over it. The owls require four rodents each a day. A nesting pair will eat eight, plus the ones they need to feed their offspring. Cat crap in barns goes nuts with cats that aren't spayed. Sooner or later you have kittens up the the kazzoo.

I recommend the Barn Owl Trust web page, and the Cornell University owl cams for information that is sound and solid.

Great pics, and you are LUCKY to get them in there. Owls are rare in most parts so getting a pair is not a matter of putting up a box. Cats are hunting day & night & target more "species" (birds in the barn or rats) as an example. Chipmunks are a BIG problem around here and I have issue with one under my lumber stack NOW so know where they can be as bad or worse than mice. This one put 20+ acorns into my air box on the SUV as it sat for a few days out front of the barn. I have not seen it inside YET but knowing these dang things it might not take long.

Anyhow I would LOVE to have that pair of birds at my place !!! I DO have some hoot owls in the area & hear them in evenings in summer usually hooting & can hear mates/others a mile or more away hooting back! Fun for sure and would most certainly put a camera in their box so I could watch em at night with a pair & chicks.

Mark

 

[dodge man]

We have two cats and they are fed twice a day and they still hunt. They have nothing else to do all day.

 

[kidr]

The biggest BS is that you must starve an animal to make it hunt. Dogs and cats hunt because they love it. You can't stop them if you tried. you can sure slow them down by not feeding.

 

[k0ua]

Actually, recent studies have shown that a well-fed cat is a much better hunter than one left to forage on its own. Turns out that cats hunt as a matter of instinct -- not necessarily to gain food. A well-fed cat has sharper vision, better reflexes, and stronger conditioning and so is a much more effective hunter.

Our outside kitty, is well fed, and he proudly brought down a big gray squirrel today from the woods to the yard. Ate part of it and half buried the rest. I guess for "later". He is asleep now inside curled up in his box with a tummy full of limb rat. He can kill all the limb rats around here he wants.

 

[ovrszd]

We have two cats and they are fed twice a day and they still hunt. They have nothing else to do all day.

Sleep.

 

[ovrszd]

The biggest BS is that you must starve an animal to make it hunt. Dogs and cats hunt because they love it. You can't stop them if you tried. you can sure slow them down by not feeding.

A predator only starves when there's no food supply. In the context of this thread that is certainly not the case. And no recommendations of starvation have been expressed.

I used to have a Shop Cat. Always food in the bowl. He'd catch a mouse if it was handy. Most times eat it. Then puke it up because he was over full. He'd also sleep and let mice play around him. I don't think that's the goal we are talking about here.

 

[ovrszd]

Our outside kitty, is well fed, and he proudly brought down a big gray squirrel today from the woods to the yard. Ate part of it and half buried the rest. I guess for "later". He is asleep now inside curled up in his box with a tummy full of limb rat. He can kill all the limb rats around here he wants.

My Son has a house cat on full feed. It'll attack a squirrel every chance it gets when outside exercising. Got to watch the battle one day. I was betting on the squirrel for just a bit.