Floyd Loc: Misplaced Texan in Florence, Alabama

Horse barns,without cats, can become overrun with mice and rats. My friend doesn't have that problem. Within his barn there are 7-8 cats all the time. About twice a year he has to gather them all up and take them to the animal shelter because inbreeding begins to bring about problems like the grey one, who is blind in the left eye. Note the color difference of the eyes of the black in front of the grey. Still they are fun to watch.

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Marg Loc: Canadian transplanted to NW Alabama

Pretty cats, Floyd! I miss having a cat but my dog will not tolerate one. 🥴

Floyd Loc: Misplaced Texan in Florence, Alabama

Thank you, Marg for your nice comment. I agree with your dog. I'll take their pictures but won't have them in the house-Thank goodness my wife agrees..

Quixdraw Loc: x

Cats are wonderful in the house, and can get along with dogs well enough to sleep next to or even on top of them. You will never have a mouse that lives long in the house, even in the country if you have a good cat. Problem with cats in a rural area, particularly Barn cats, is though you give them supplemental food and water or milk, they live a hard life. They don't often live long as there are larger predators. You can't get fond of them, and they aren't pets. I'd have a house cat, even with three dogs if my wife wasn't allergic.

vicksart Loc: Novato, CA -earthquake country

Yes, cats are an important addition to any barn and will do a fine job of hunting if they're not overfed. Nice shots, too.

Floyd Loc: Misplaced Texan in Florence, Alabama

Thank you for your nice comment. Being aware of your many fine pictures, I really appreciate your compliment. Cats are very important for rodent control in barns; however, those in barns somewhat out in boonies (at least those few I've been around) seems to out-breed the predators and inbreeding problems seem to rise unless thinned out as I mentioned above.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

I understand the concept, but why not have the cats neutered instead of constantly creating unwanted feral kittens and pawning them off to someone else to deal with or euthanize? I don’t like that, and I don’t like seeing cats treated that way. Any vet care, especially for the cat missing an eye? Would anyone here endorse treating dogs this way? How about the horses? Do they get vet care if they’re wounded in one eye?

Floyd Loc: Misplaced Texan in Florence, Alabama

TriX
I'm not sure you have any concept of, or care, what is involved operating a horse boarding business involving 20-30 horses. I doubt seriously what you like or don't like would matter to my friend who has very little time to do little beyond properly feeding and caring for the horses on his property. In his case, the feral cats came to his barn unasked and he chose to accept their presence. His easiest out at cat thinning time would be to poison, shoot, or bag them up and throw said bag into the Tn. River. Be glad he did none of those options. Your "woke" ideas are unrealistic in the real world.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Or he could trap, neuter and release them. It all depends on what animals you think are deserving of compassion - just horses? How about dogs? What do you see as the difference? My ideas are not “woke” - I spent my youth and teens working a 160 acre cattle farm with a dozen horses, so don’t try to dismiss my feelings as a “city boy” with no idea of your “real world” - they are just kinder with regard to all animals than yours. You apparently believe that horses are somehow more deserving than cats, and that’s where we differ.

Curmudgeon Loc: SE Arizona

First nice shots. Barn cats are necessary unless you chose to use rodent poison. Unfortunately they take a toll of wildlife other than rodents

hettmoe Loc: Rural ND

Very nice!

StanMac Loc: Tennessee

Hear, hear!

Stan

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

We had barn cats also, but we made sure they were neutered, and if one was wounded or hurt, it received vet care. I was fine with the whole story right up to the part where they were periodically carted off to a shelter for someone else to deal with.

The reason I am sensitive to the issue is that I spend time, along with others in my community, trapping feral cats. If they have strayed from a home, we reunite them with their people if we can locate them. If they are adoptable (many are not), we find homes for them after they are neutered, and the rest are neutered and treated for medical issues and returned to the wild. When someone uses barn cats for rodent control, but doesn’t have them neutered, allowing them to breed and then periodically hauls them off to a shelter, in my opinion, they are not taking responsibility for their animals and instead putting it into the hands of people like me and the agencies that run the shelters. They are causing exactly the problem we are trying to solve.

Finally, I would like to hear it articulated as to exactly why cats are not deserving of the same care as the horses and probably dogs at this stable. They are not wild animals - they are self domesticated, and in my opinion if you want to use their talent for rodent control, they deserve the bare minimum of care in return - it’s simple humanity and taking responsibility. And it’s not that hard - most communities have groups or vets that will neuter them for free - you just have to take the time to have it done - the same way you would with a dog or when you call a vet or a farrier for your horse. I know there are many cat haters in the world and those that won’t agree with me, but I ask that you at least consider an alternate strategy for feral cat population control.

AirWalter Loc: Tipp City, Ohio

AirWalter Loc: Tipp City, Ohio