Outdoor Cat. Tips?

[4 Georgia Hens]

Hi all!
So my family is considering getting an outdoor cat to help minimize our rat problem. This is not a definite decision, so I'm trying to do as much research as possible to see if this is a good idea. 2 members of my family are allergic to cats, so it would need to have minimal contact with them. I need ideas/tips/suggestions on where it would sleep, training it not to eat/attack my 6 chickens, food, where to get it (I live in GA), and anything else an outdoor cat owner should know. If anyone can/would help, I would be SO greatful!!!! Thank you all!!

 

[4 Georgia Hens]

Anyone?

 

[theoldchick]

A lot of people have cats around chickens. The most successful barn cats who respect chickens are one who were raised with them. Most barn cats won't bother an adult bird but those chicks are sooooo tempting to a hungry feral cat. The broody mama will take care of her chicks and can repel a cat attack. While barn cats are fun to have around the barn they are not a guarantee of them reducing the rat population. Most people feed the cats too much, and leave too much feed around that tempt the rats to move in and stay.- If you need to control the rats, get some traps, rat-proof your food storage containers, and if you use poison you will need to make sure other non-target pets can't get to it.

 

[PirateGirl]

I have been working on this myself! I got an outdoor cat a few months ago to help with rodents, he admittedly spends a bit of time indoors too. At first he would stalk my chickens (which are fully fenced) but now he doesn't care about them. If your chickens free range hopefully others can offer more advice, but they may need to be penned for a period while your cat is desensitized. Make sure your cat has all his shots if he is outdoors, even feline leukemia (if I'm thinking the right one) which is optional, but outdoor cats are especially prone to it. My vet also recommend a wormer annually since the cat is actively catching and potentially eating rodents (this was all new to me). I was told a spayed/neutered cat will wander less and is more likely to stay around. I was also told black cats may live longer because it's easier to hide from nighttime predators. Make sure your cat knows where food/water is, he will come home for it. I initially would carry my cat around the property or have him on a leash and I showed him hiding spots and where he can climb to safety (I don't know if it's necessary, but it made me feel better). My dog found voles in the wood pile and I put the cat right in the mix for his first kill. Now he gets something on his own several times a week. I don't know what else to say about training, it seems mostly instinct. Mine doesn't go far, I can usually see him from the window, and he's naturally caught many rodents without a mama cat to learn from. Good luck!

 

[4 Georgia Hens]

 

[PirateGirl]

Also I got my cat off Craigslist, there are often barn cats in the farm and garden section. Check if any of your shelters has a feral cat program. Some shelters will adopt out cats not suited to indoor life free or cheap with all shots to people who will give them farm/barn life and don't expect them to be indoor cuddle bugs. These are cats that would otherwise be "unadoptable" and euthanized, so it would be a great program to support if one exists near you.

 

[LinnyChx]

Have you considered any of the ratter/terrier breeds like Jack Russell Terrier? It might be an answer to the cat allergy problem and a dog could be trained to consider the flock part of his pack.

I have one cat that's an indoor/outdoor. We started introducing him to chicks when he was a kitten and now he doesn't pay them much attention. If he gets too close the head girl gives him the side-eye We also have a big dog that takes good care of everyone (even the cat!) and keeps an eye out. Nothing gets past him.

Another thing we do to reduce pest problems is dust with food grade DE. It at least keeps bugs out of the food supply if not rodents. But that's what the cat and dog are for!

Good luck!

 

[4 Georgia Hens]

Have you considered any of the ratter/terrier breeds like Jack Russell Terrier? It might be an answer to the cat allergy problem and a dog could be trained to consider the flock part of his pack.

I have one cat that's an indoor/outdoor. We started introducing him to chicks when he was a kitten and now he doesn't pay them much attention. If he gets too close the head girl gives him the side-eye We also have a big dog that takes good care of everyone (even the cat!) and keeps an eye out. Nothing gets past him.

Another thing we do to reduce pest problems is dust with food grade DE. It at least keeps bugs out of the food supply if not rodents. But that's what the cat and dog are for!

Good luck!

My family is allergic to dander.

 

[imnukensc]

My cat, that is an indoor/outdoor cat and an absolute murderer of anything that skitters, slithers, crawls, crabs, or flies was introduced to the chicks while they were still in the brooder. I have no doubt she would have killed them then. At about 10 weeks old when I started letting the chicks free range under my supervision, they quickly let the cat know who was boss---and still do just like today when she went into their run while they were out. One of the pullets went into the run and chased her out. My chickens free range all day now without me watching them and I don't worry about the cat at all.

Make a little "cat cave" outside for your cat and feed and water him/her in the same place every day. It'll be fine. Cat food can be bought at any grocery store. We feed our cat dry cat food. She gets an occasional treat of wet---only about a tablespoon.

 

[res]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my ferals! I have SIX feral barn cats that keep my property rodent free. They were all brought to me by local feral cat adoption programs. Fully vetted, vaccinated, spayed/neutered and free of charge - these programs are desperate for homes and bring the cats to you, and also will rent crates/shelter to you to acclimate the cats. The employees also act as mentors and answer any questions you have.

I kept my ferals locked up for ~1 mth before turning them loose, and they have all stuck around. I do not know where they hunker down and sleep, but they eat on the front porch and show up like clockwork at meal times. A few like to sleep on the rocking chairs on the front porch but they scatter if you get close. They drink from the horse water tanks, which I heat in the winter so cats and livestock have ice-free water.

We live in the sticks, and before the cats came along, we would catch half a dozen mice PER DAY in our garage. We haven't caught a single mouse in the 5 years we have had the cats. I did stagger the cats in age - 2 young adults in 2012, then 2 more in 2014, and 2 more in 2016. I didn't want them all to get old at the same time.

I would strongly encourage you to look into a feral cat adoption program, and DO NOT get a free/cheap random female cat and have it live outside, unless you want your property to become over-run by a kitten explosion.