Raising a kitten into a Barn Cat

[Sublight]

It's not that I don't enjoy kittens, but not in my barn!
Mary

Personally, I HATE cats. But I would allow them to live in my barn if they would catch mice/rats. I would even give them a bit of food to supplement them.

 

[Crazy for Chickens!]

Oh, just keep in mind. This is from personal experience. We have 7 barn cats. Two or three hunt. One of those three practically lives on mice, rats, frogs, etc. she doesn't even hardly eat food at all. The others hunt some, and eat some.
Now, the rest, except one, pretty much live on cat food, and just enjoy life on the farm. The last one, specifically a white female called Marshmallow, is a different story. She spends her days laying in the sun, laying on your favorite lawn chair, sitting on your front step, laying on the porch swing......you get the idea. She also devours about 75% of the cat food. No wonder she spends her days laying around. If you go to pick her up, she feels like a feed-sack!
So, the point is, some cats are hunters, some are not. You can't just say, feed the cat less, it will catch more mice. Probably it would just end up leaving.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Oh, just keep in mind. This is from personal experience. We have 7 barn cats. Two or three hunt. One of those three practically lives on mice, rats, frogs, etc. she doesn't even hardly eat food at all. The others hunt some, and eat some.
Now, the rest, except one, pretty much live on cat food, and just enjoy life on the farm. The last one, specifically a white female called Marshmallow, is a different story. She spends her days laying in the sun, laying on your favorite lawn chair, sitting on your front step, laying on the porch swing......you get the idea. She also devours about 75% of the cat food. No wonder she spends her days laying around. If you go to pick her up, she feels like a feed-sack!
So, the point is, some cats are hunters, some are not. You can't just say, feed the cat less, it will catch more mice. Probably it would just end up leaving.

 

[tuesdaylove]

Make sure to spay/neuter it! The kitten can still grow up to be a good barn cat, but won't have as many irritating behaviors, will live longer and have less health problems, and won't be contributing to cat overpopulation.