If you have a barn, shed, or stable but no cats, there’s no doubt that you have mice and rats. Then there are the gophers in the pastures. Catalyst for Cats can help you out with this situation.

Since our trapping season has begun in earnest, we have barn cats available for relocation. These working animals are essential for rodent control on large and small properties.

All of these cats are healthy, have been spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and treated for fleas. In the case of multiple animal requests, efforts will be made to offer pre-bonded pairs or groups.

At our adoption day last fall, one woman took a complete family consisting of a mother and her three teenage kittens. What a coup that was for these cats, to be able to remain together.

Our usage of the term “barn cat” refers to feral and semi-feral animals. They are felines which have had little or no human contact and are not to be considered pets. While many of them do warm up to their caretakers and sometimes even gravitate towards the house and its pleasures, most remain on the job 24/7 in and around outbuildings.

The cats we chose for these situations are short-haired and dark. Hair length is important for obvious reasons with all the foxtails and burrs out there. Coloring is even more important in terms of survival.

A light-colored cat is a beacon at night for coyotes and owls; during the day, hawks.

Pink pigment on nose, ears and pads are susceptible to skin cancers.

Cats are an integral part of any rural or industrial facility. Often depicted in paintings and photos of farmyards, they have graced our lives for thousands of years with their usefulness. They were even valued on sailing vessels for the same reasons they are coveted by today’s ranchers and business owners.

Relocating cats is a simple process, taking about two-three weeks. We bring the cage(s) and the animal(s); you the food and litter. You will also need to provide permanent shelter from the elements and predators to ensure their survival once released, along with fresh water and kibble to encourage them to stick around.

The temporary cages are needed to confine the cats and allow them to become accustomed to the sights, sounds, people and animals where they will be set free. This establishes their new surroundings as home.

There is no charge for barn cats, but if you’d like to make a donation to our organization on behalf of those ferals still on the streets, we wouldn’t turn it down.

Next time you find yourself in need of mousers, I hope you’ll remember to give us a call. We’d like to get all ferals out of the cities and into the country. Sometimes I wish I were a cat….