Homesteaders

[Beekissed]

18 hens, 2 roosters, 1 cockerel, 6 chicks at 5 weeks old, 2 dogs and a cat!! Do barn cats add anything to a farm??? Seriously though, my chickens eat the mice, frogs and other such critters. I'm not sure if hubby got the cat as a pet or another farm item. He's already had it in the house once. If that cat keeps getting brought in I'm locking it and hubby in the barn.

Amen, sister!

I don't like cats living indoors either...they can visit from time to time, but must be outside for their living. Love cats but they can't live fully and well unless they are outdoors doing what cats love to do.

Barn cats can really keep many pests away from the garden and orchard...voles, moles, cicadas, birds, squirrels, rabbits, etc. A good cat or two are invaluable on a homestead. I just got 3 kittens as we have been without a good cat for far too long and the rabbits and squirrels are taking over where the dog's boundary does not reach/cover. Hope at least one or two survive the grey foxes and coyotes long enough to clear out some of the pests so I can actually have an apple harvest.

 

[rancher hicks]

I don't have a cat, BUT I do get voles, moles or whatever in my garden and cat won't eat the tomatoes. Just the pests. So IMHO cats have some value.

The thing is they will use the garden for a litter box and an indoor litter box is out of the question for me. 1. I have a hard time sifting it. B. I'm allergic to cats. III. The litter is dusty and not matter what the ads say it still stinks!

So I set traps in the garden.

Not that anyone asked.

I will say this though about getting involved with someone who has a pet of any kind. If you don't LIKE animals don't get involved with them. It's wrong to deceive them into thinking you do, only hoping to get them to give up the pet afterwards. My ex did this. That's part of the reason their my ex.

Not that anyone here would do that, seeing as we're all pretty much animal lovers.

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

I currently have about a dozen farm cats. They are super useful. They are very skilled hunters and I have very little in the way of mice or moles despite all the grain and food available around a farm.
My biggest problem with my cats are they are fierce and skilled enough to kill my immature chickens. I have a batch I could allow to free range but I know the cats will still pick them off.

 

[beautifulpirate]

I currently have about a dozen farm cats. They are super useful. They are very skilled hunters and I have very little in the way of mice or moles despite all the grain and food available around a farm.
My biggest problem with my cats are they are fierce and skilled enough to kill my immature chickens. I have a batch I could allow to free range but I know the cats will still pick them off.

This morning, we were thankful for the neighboring cats as we found a decapitated mole in the yard that has been plagueing our yard for some time now! Hoping the cats continue their good quest. We don't keep cats ourselves because the husband is allergic but I dont mind the neighbor cats hunting in our yard.

 

[rancher hicks]

We used ot have cats. One year it was not good for cats here.

Merlin and Stubby had to be put down. Puff who was an indoor cat of about 22 got out and hit by a car. I used to deliver mail and was very involved in cat rescue and catch/fix release. We fostered many kittens. The kids would handle many feral kittens to make them people friendly. Stubby was a Manx who was just such a cat.

The next door neighbor's cat got poisoned. One year her cat got caught in a trap or something else happened and it lost part of it's tail.

I take an allergy pill now.

 

[bluto in mo]

Do you take the pill in hopes the tail will grow back?

I don't think that's how it works, lol.

 

[RustedOak]

Do you take the pill in hopes the tail will grow back?

I don't think that's how it works, lol.

HAHAHA!

 

[RustedOak]

We have tons of cats in our neighborhood but they steer clear of my yard because of my Husky/GS mix. Our own cat is allowed to make it, but anything she doesn't recognize as her pack, better be quick.

 

[rancher hicks]

Do you take the pill in hopes the tail will grow back?

I don't think that's how it works, lol.

We have tons of cats in our neighborhood but they steer clear of my yard because of my Husky/GS mix. Our own cat is allowed to make it, but anything she doesn't recognize as her pack, better be quick.

Here in Syracuse we have the Central New York Cat Coalition. They run a catch and release program. They trap feral cats, take them to the vet where they get fixed and then release them where they were caught.

Do you take the pill in hopes the tail will grow back?

I don't think that's how it works, lol.

Clearly you misunderstood what I was saying about my allergies to cats.

 

[Raech]

Im allergic to my animals but my allergies finally got the memo the animals are here to stay. As far as seasonal allergies I just muscle my way through it, all the allergy meds make me sleepy. Dad is going to teach me how to cut hay with the swather when it gets up and running again. So I am excited about that. Got lab results back, turns out I have profound iron deficiency anemia to go along with my depression and anxiety. Yay me, but things are looking up again and the camper is set in its "holiday" location. Boys and I are going to go fishing more this summer and go down more trails to scope out hunting areas for the fall. Teach the bulldogge how to run with the fourwheeler instead of infront of it. Got her pulling light weights around the house in the laundry basket until the wagon is ready. My peas shot up 6 inches in 2 days, so that was a surprise today. Thats all that is going on in my little corner of the world.