Yard Cat

Ceriann

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I have a small yard at home. Stable block is on garden boundary and includes a tack room, 3 stables and a barn (size of 2 stables) where i keep hay etc. We continuously have problems with mice/rats but living in the middle of owls znd many other birds of prey i hate the thought of poison (which OH insists on). Ive considered a yard cat for a while - idea would be to home cat/cats at yard. Id get a suitable rescue. Pros and cons from those who have them please? Also where do you home them - barn or tack room?!
 

mandyroberts

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Perfect and effective solution. If you mean feral (and so many need homes and can't live in a house), I would feed in the barn unless you put a cat flap into tack room. Most ferals won't be too happy with a tack room as you could 'trap' them. If its an open fronted barn, I would put something cozy for them when its cold (small gog kennel with blanket?). Our ferals have been much better killers than tame cats although they have a tendency to get tame and move into house! You wil need to shut them in something for 2-3 weeks before you release them. We made one of our stables cat proof. They will climb walls so if you have any gaps in a stable they will escape. There are plenty of rescues with ferals.
 

Shooting Star

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All pros as far as I’m concerned, yard cats are great at dealing with rodent problems and if they’re not completely feral then good for a cuddle too.
They choose where they want to sleep so you might be thinking the tack room but they might go for the highest bale of hay or vice versa ... perhaps that is the con - you never really own a cat and if things aren’t to their satisfaction then they find somewhere that is 😄
 

pippixox

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great option- friend has two in her feed room and near where her chickens are, and now never see rats on her yard, the barns where they don't go are regularly nested in by rats.
they are semi feral from cats charity and were just kept in a large cage in the feed room for a few weeks
 

CMcC

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I got a stable cat from rescue 4 years ago. She is a great mouser/ratter, I have no problem with vermin. Although she is not feral she prefers to live outside but will sneak into the tack room for the night if it is very cold. She is mostly no trouble although when it is hot and sunny she likes to lie on the rubber surface of the sand school and refuses to move even when pony is cantering towards her, we just have to ride round her.
 

neddy man

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3 cats at the yard,we provided them as kittens from a farm,all catch mice and rats, they all live out and about nestled on rugs or staw or hay , we feed them a small amount so they are not to fat or tummy full to hunt , we regular see what they have caught but dont see any live m or r so they earn their keep, definatley recommend getting some.
 

asmp

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Many years ago a yard I was at had a couple. They used to sleep on the horses backs to keep warm!
 

TheMule

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I have Ned who lives in my stables shed. He's much happier there than he was trying to live in someone's home and he eats a mouse or 2 every so often (I think I'm too soft and provide too many cat biscuits for him to be a really effective hunter!)
 

MotherOfChickens

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I have two although they now sleep in the utility room. they are fab hunters-I have no issues with mice despite hay and feed shed, ducks and hens etc. They are fed twice a day as well, ime hunger has little to do with hunting prowess-mine often hunt directly after eating. mine are both from farm cat stock-both males. The only downsides are they eat anything-including birds of course, hares, rabbits etc and leave me rows of organs to find and also raid any dustbin they see as having a weakness (yes, they are wormed regularly). Even if its feral and an outside cat, get it insured.
 

SOS

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My YO has two who seem to do their job and are real sweeties. She had them from kittens, and kept them in a large dog crate until they could be neutered (obviously with a rescued cat this would hopefully already be done depending on age). But the dog crate in the barn also helped them get used to sights and sounds of the yard, vehicles, dogs, bangs etc. As she was concerned if not they may run off as soon as they are released! Incidentally the more nervous kitten did run off for a week after release then came back, belly full of mice (they are located very isolated) and hasn’t left since.

They are fed everyday but just under a normal amount. Remember to keep them wormed else they will get quite ill eating all the rubbish they catch. Also watch that they don’t try and make their way home with the farrier with his warm, open van!
 

splashgirl45

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i had 4 feral cats as we had a big rat problem and i didnt like the idea of poison, they were very efficient , ....they kept our stables clear and 3 of them were over 14 when we had them PTS....one of them disappeared and we think she had found a home to go to as she was the tamest...the 3 we had left gradually got tamer but not so we could pick them up. we fed them twice a day , dry food am and wet food pm...and they all stayed very healthy till old age....a very good investment....there is a charity who have advertised in h & h called SNIP cats,they provide all you need to start with, if you google you will find them... also i was told to keep them fed as they will catch more if they dont have to eat what they catch, they hunt for sport....
 

MiJodsR2BlinkinTite

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I've got one cat at my yard who is deffo the "House Cat", she comes in through the cat-flap in the front door and sites herself wherever she pleases, frequently the dogs have to budge up as she's curled up where they want to go!

This cat (she was a farm cat originally, we got her from some friends) has the freedom of the whole place - quite often we go downstairs and there's a dead rodent on the mat all ready for inspection.

Then there's the "outside cats". Farm cats again, but these are a more feral kind of variety. Both were from the same litter, both torties; one cat (Megsie) we hardly ever see, suspect she's decamped and taken herself off down to the village. The other cat (Pepsi) still hangs around here but is a bit of a "needy" sort of cat. We've tried getting her to come inside (felt sorry for her) but she's never ever got the hang of the blessed cat-flap, she just doesn't get it!

There's also a ginger beastie (tomcat) who doesn't belong to us but we suspect comes across from the farm next door. Dogs regard him as The Enemy: one night the dogs chased the dang thing and it went high up on a beam in the barn...... must've stayed up there all night coz it was still up there the next morning yowling. Now, all we have to do is open the door and declare "Ginger Cat" and there is an instant response of Action Stations!

Sorry, I digress! Re. housing. We made a cat-hole in the door of the feed shed (NOT a cat-flap - as ferals tend to mistrust them greatly, as we've found). I usually put down a tray (cats litter tray just the right size!) full of cats biscuits - if you've got greedy dogs, as we have, then you might need to think creatively about where you might put this as otherwise you'll find dogs just gob it down and the cats won't get it.

If the cats can go into a nice warm area such as a hay or feed shed, they'll be fine, they're good at curling up and keeping themselves warm. Oh and don't forget to put down fresh water and change it regularly (sorry, obvious I know).

Cats Protection are excellent and will be only too pleased if you approach them saying you'd be willing to take on some Feral cats: we've just been accepted as Fosterers for them.......
 

splashgirl45

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forgot to say, we made a stable secure for ours and had chicken wire over the top half of the door and we went in via the lower door, they were scared of people at first so there was no danger they would escape as they would see us through the wire and retreat to the back of the stable. we provided cardboard boxes with a hole cut in the front with blankets inside and then once the 2 weeks were over we put the boxes in the barn and that was also where we fed them. worked really well
 

Goldenstar

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We have two yard cats and I think they are an essential part of the team .
However as I type one is taking a nap in a basket of clean laundry and the other is stretched out on a chair in the garden room
 
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