Feeding The Feral Cats
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We have a Manx that is strictly an inside cat, show quality. His name is Hemingway, Henry Hemingway... my daughter named him, but I added the Hemingway, because he loves it when you just put your shoe on him and just rough him up. He goes crazy for it.
But, we also keep feral cats at the barn. You won't want to try to pet them. Once feral, they don't tend to have much to do with people. But, we do toss out a bag of food for them occasionally to keep them around. They keep the pests out of the grains and fields.
We get complaints from the neighbors who think that the cats are eating all of the birds. City folk moving to the country, bringing their twisted logic with them.
I have a great story about hauling a big bag of feral cats to give to a neighbor for their new barn when I was like 13 or so... in an old rusted VW that you had to prime it by hand with a bulb in the cab... which led to me coasting down a hill, pumping that bulb to try to restart ... next thing I know, hundreds of cats turned into spinning chainsaws bouncing around the cab... you couldn't
pry those cats off the seats with a crowbar. I love cats.
But, we also keep feral cats at the barn. You won't want to try to pet them. Once feral, they don't tend to have much to do with people. But, we do toss out a bag of food for them occasionally to keep them around. They keep the pests out of the grains and fields.
We get complaints from the neighbors who think that the cats are eating all of the birds. City folk moving to the country, bringing their twisted logic with them.
I have a great story about hauling a big bag of feral cats to give to a neighbor for their new barn when I was like 13 or so... in an old rusted VW that you had to prime it by hand with a bulb in the cab... which led to me coasting down a hill, pumping that bulb to try to restart ... next thing I know, hundreds of cats turned into spinning chainsaws bouncing around the cab... you couldn't
pry those cats off the seats with a crowbar. I love cats.
I have one I call him a CatDog, he follows you around like a dog, loves my Son, waits for him to come home from work from the hospital, likes to go under my truck. He’s a chow hound, when Buddy my Catahoula gets finicky about his dog food, we feed him outside and CatDog is in his bowl up to his ears, Buddy to his credit shares with CatDog.
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love cats. but whole family's allergic to cat. rescued two puppies 7 yrs ago and still going strong. but i watch ton of cat video!
Our cats love to hunt & kill so much, keeping them inside seems cruel. Then again, eagles and owls love cats. It's a cycle. Only the strong survive, but those that do are happy cats! I go through phases of keeping them inside, and they hate it.
Our indoor Manx, when we first got him, I did sort of have hopes he would be a mouser. But, the one time he found a mouse, we caught him snuggling with it and purring like it was his baby. It was definitely disconcerting.
this is a false thought process. a domesticated cat while wanting to "hunt and kill" can do so with toys indoors. Outdoor cats live miserable, short, disease and suffering-ridden lives. If feral, it can be true that they may not want to be indoors and then you need to offer them some protection from the elements and predators. Many rescues or vets will do a feral spay/neuter for a very low cost ($35?) which can stop the cycle.
That is packed with a lot of stereotype, which while it is true that letting cats go feral is not a very wise thing to do in most worldly situations, is not 100% the way the world works. A barn full of cats, if you took the time to watch them lead a very cool life. They just don't want to have anything to do with humans, which could be argued to be a much more rewarding life than having us and our ways imposed upon them.
But, sure, people being scumbags and letting unwanted cats go into the wild sucks. But, we can't just use a blanket hyperbole to paint over a much more complex situation.
compared to an indoor cat with veterinary care.. they do. period. ?
Ok, you are allowed your opinion. But, I also never said my barn cats don't have veterinary care.
you're right.. if you vet and care for outdoor feral cats it's often the best that can be done. ?
And, they serve an important purpose. A farmer doesn't want diseased cats hanging out with livestock and their family. I'm pretty sure this goes back to the early domestication of cats. You just can't cuddle up with these guys, ha ha. But, it is fun to watch nieces and nephews come over and try to catch them. They learn quickly that you don't really want to do that.
To some degree, cats have domesticated us, both house dwellers and feral, adapting our food sources and shelter to their purposes.
Don't take this wrong, Tom, but I really like your short posts. I know, I know, pot calling the kettle and such, but you've inspired me to be short, concise, to the point, and less ironic... but, I'm not sure either of us would ever implement it, ha ha. so...
A good friend of mine used to have a diary farm with many feral kitties. They were the most beautiful well groomed wild cats I've ever seen. My friend liked to have them around to kill the mice. They hung out in the milk parlour . Eventually he started buying them 50 lb bags of cat food.
Hunting season was the kitties favorite, as they would get fed the deer carcasses. Ravenous little beasts would clean the meat off the bones in about two days....
Hunting season was the kitties favorite, as they would get fed the deer carcasses. Ravenous little beasts would clean the meat off the bones in about two days....
Don't hold back, now. Haha. You probably live in town, and we live miles from anyone else. We lead very different lives.
It seems cruel to keep a live animal trapped in your house for entertainment. Our animals are all well cared for, and they all serve a purpose. We have guard dogs (Akbash & GP) for sheep/goats/hogs/cattle. They cover 12-20 miles a day on their own guarding stock and chasing bears and cats and coyotes.
Horses and cow dogs for working cattle. Cats provide rodent control. Cow dogs cover the same distance helping us feed and keeping cows out of the stack yard. The cats cover maybe 4 sq. miles hunting. They all come back home and cozy up at night and have their fill of feed and water. We play with them all of the time. Our working animals are partners and friends in the whole deal, and they lead the best lives.
My sister is the crazy cat lady who lives in town and takes all strays. They built a rear fence the cats can't escape, and she has 35-40 cats, inside and out. It is disgusting. I feel sorry for cats trapped in houses and dogs trapped in tiny yards, with no purpose other than to entertain humans. Their instincts are buried. They are fat and bored and desperate for attention. To each their own I guess.
I guarantee that your cat would rather kill a mouse/squirrel/bird if they knew how or had the opportunity. When we have kittens, in the evening, the momma cat will bring live or injured mice for every kitten, all within 10 minutes, so that they all can learn and play and eat and not have to share. She does it in the middle of the parking lot, so that she can catch and bring them back when the kittens lose them. It's awesome to watch, and it is 100% instinct based.
The animals come inside and stay inside when they want to. Before guard dogs, I would force the cats inside if the coyotes were around. Now the Pyrenees take care of that. I did have a skunk kill our good momma cat last year, which was heart-breaking. The dogs were on a bear and left the house unguarded, so bad things can happen.
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