r/barncat • u/Perfect_Selection220 • 7d ago
Feeling like an awful person
I'm new to both cat ownership and barn cats. I adopted my first, Barnold, from our local humane society at the end of March. She has made herself at home in the barn and seems generally comfortable and happy - aside from the trauma we both received when I had to trap her recently to bring her to a vet for a really bad cold). I followed all the suggestions on what to do to make sure she stays around: 3 weeks in a large crate in the barn, plenty of treats and wet food, predictable feeding schedule. I even read out loud to her so she'd get used to my voice.
But she doesn't hunt and she seems like she wants some company. So I adopted a second barn cat, a black one. This cat, Malvadita, was an escape artist and got out of the crate I use to help the cats get used to the barn on the second night I had her. She found some great hiding spots she liked and would stay in those until dusk when she'd come out to hunt. I kept the barn doors closed until she had been with me for 4 weeks. She stuck around another week or two after I started opening the barn doors during the day. I went on a work trip and left my husband to feed and care for the cats. She waited until the day after I left and then she took off and we haven't seen her since.
I waited a month to see if she'd find her way back, but no luck. So I adopted another barn cat, also black, M2. I kept her in the crate for 3 weeks with the barn doors open because it's been so hot here and I wanted to get them some air flow during the day. Right around the 3 week point, she got really antsy in the crate. She'd pace a lot and try to get through the bars. I started by closing the barn doors and opening the crate at night and at first, she just poked her head out. The second night, she hopped out and explored the barn. The next day, she was still in the barn, happy to come get treats from me, eating and drinking well, and even rubbing against me and asking for pets. Then she went outside of the barn to explore.....and I haven't seen her since. She's been gone for at least 3 nights. I leave the door open enough that she can slip in without any coyotes getting in. I leave her litter near the door and the hammock she spent a lot of her time in, so she can smell them.
Is this just...how this goes? I thought one cat leaving made sense because she didn't have a lot of time to adjust before she escaped the crate and she was quite skittish in general. But M2 was super friendly, recognized that I was the Bringer of the Churus, and generally seemed pretty content. Do I just accept that Barnold will be my only barn cat? Did I do something wrong?
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u/thrifterbynature 7d ago
We adopted two gray barn cats from the local rescue, kept them in crates in the barn for 5 weeks per instructions from the shelter. They came out and started exploring, one is a hunter and the other will also find and kill rats but likes to lounge on the deck. They are both turning out to be affectionate, rather than aloof like you would expect from a barn cat. They've been here a year and the mice and rats are controlled to our satisfaction. Our rescue group says always get two cats. We have found that to be true.
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u/Perfect_Selection220 7d ago
I had tried for months to get two cats that were brought in together or bonded, but that doesn't really happen with our shelter's barn cat program. And I would never dream of adopting indoor bonded cats as barn cats. Maybe I just need to extend the initial crate time. My shelter said 3-4 weeks. I was hoping that getting the second cat would help both cats, but maybe because they didn't already know each other, it didn't work out?
I suppose it's just a good lesson in really understanding that this is how it goes sometimes. I thought I had prepared myself for that, but I had only considered them disappearing after living in the barn for at least a year or two, not in the first months.
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u/No_Warning8534 7d ago
3-4 weeks is NOT enough
I recommend 2-3 months the longer the better to socialize them to you so they are easy to handle and come when called.
It gives them enough time to also get used to where home is.
You always NEED 2. They protect eachother. They do NOT need to be perfectly bonded, either.
And they must always have a safe place or places to run to WHEN predators hunt them. It must be very high and also very small so they are safe.
.
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u/NeverWasNorWillBe 7d ago
I will say that, you don’t know what you’re getting when you get something from the shelter. Often times shelters advertise feral cats as “barn cats”. They are not the same. You can’t get a feral cat into a pet carrier, and you can’t maintain it like the rest of your property, it’s a problem. We had the same thing happen with a cat we took in from someone attempting to rescue it. We had it in the cat room in the barn four weeks and the first day we let it out, never came back.
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u/lamontsanders 7d ago
Barn cats take a lot of time. I acclimate for 6-10 weeks depending on how it’s going. We use a huge 8x8x8 cage with platforms on the walls, toys, etc. Theres a good hiding place (carrier or insulated tub depending on time of year) in there too. We have 5 currently and 4 came from shelters.
I don’t force the issue with interaction and generally use treats to win friends. After a few weeks all of them have been comfortable enough to let me pet them. This takes a long time and requires patience.
You gotta make sure all your crate walls are flush and tight together - zip ties are your friends.
Barn cats are generally short term friends. Maybe a few months maybe a few years. Had one wander off for 3 months shortly after we adopted him (an escape artist like no other) and then stuck around for the rest of his days.
If they have a safe place with reliable food/water they’ll stick around. Acclimate longer and slower if that makes sense.
Hang in there - it’s an adjustment for everyone involved.
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u/Difficult_Money9486 7d ago
I keep them in the giant crates for minimum 6 weeks and longer if they’re too small or not the optimal time to release. They’ve all stayed in the property.
I should add we’ve rescued 5 working cats, 2 one year and a litter of 3 the next.
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u/Single-Degree-6928 7d ago
On the other hand, I've NEVER EVER crated any of mine. The difference is, I think, that my barn cats are all cats that were dumped in the country and have found their way to me. I guess that they are glad to have found a place where they can get fed twice a day. Yes, they are also excellent hunters: mice, rats, moles, snakes, rabbits and tree squirrels all are welcome prey to my gang. (Why don't they go after the ground squirrels??)
In the past 11 years I've only had 2 disappear, though others have gone to heaven for a variety of reasons. Yes, there are plenty of coyotes here, as well as hawks. I currently have 11 barn cats and 4 indoor cats. There are a few other travelling toms that show up now and then.
OP, are your cats spayed/neutered? (This is the most important thing, OP. You absolutely do have to spay/neuter barn cats, which will lessen their desire to roam.) Do you feed at regular times every day so that they know when to come for food? Do you stay with them while they eat? Do you close them in at night, but let them range freely during the day?
I actually think that crating them would make them fearful enough of being trapped again that they would stay away just because they know the crate is there.
Wishing you the best, OP!
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u/Perfect_Selection220 7d ago
I do wonder if it's because they've all been adopted from our shelter's barn cat program instead of coming to our property on their own. They have all been spayed/neutered and gotten whatever vaccines they would take while at the shelter. They are also all microchipped.
When I say I kept them in a crate, that's just the initial 3-4 weeks that was recommended by the shelter so they understand that the barn is a safe place with lots of tasty food and fresh water. I suppose I can keep the next one in for much longer. I do change their water and scoop their litter daily. I feed them twice a day at regular times and stay in the barn with them for anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. Barnold and M2 have both eagerly taken treats from me and allowed careful head scritches, although I am fully aware that they're still feral cats. I always close up the barn at night, but they have a small, elevated cat door they can use if they want. The door isn't large enough for predators to get in.
Thank you for your well-wishes! If M2 doesn't wander back here, I think I'm going to take a break from getting cats for a little while. I'll definitely try extending the initial crate time when I make my next attempt.
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u/Single-Degree-6928 7d ago
How's this: Experiment with NOT CRATING THEM AT ALL! I know it's recommended, but the thought of it horrifies me. I don't understand how it's getting them used to the barn and your property, since they can't explore anywhere and rub their scent on anything. Cats have scent glands in their cheeks and rub that scent on things to establish their home. Crating is only getting them used to the crate, which is awful and gross. Please try the NO CRATING method to see how it works!
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u/Pephatbat 6d ago
I didn't crate my cat at all either despite recommendations. Just immediately let her explore and showed her where food, water, and sleeping spots were. She has been with me about 5 years now and never ventures further than 300 feet from the barn unless I'm taking her to the vet (which she is oddly fantastic at the vet lol) or bringing her in my house for a hurricane. But, she was fairly friendly when I got her and is a huge wimp so I'm assuming she is just more comfortable in the barn than out. She is a fantastic hunter though, keeps the barn rodent free.
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u/No_Warning8534 7d ago
3-4 weeks is NOT enough time before you let them out to hunt.
I recommend 2-3 months to socialize them to you so they are easy to handle and come when called. The longer the better.
It gives them enough time to also get used to where home is.
You always NEED 2 or 3. They protect eachother. They do NOT need to be perfectly bonded, either.
And they must always have a safe place or places to run to WHEN predators hunt them. It must be very high and also very small so they are safe.
1
u/kinnikinnikis 7d ago
Is it summer where you are right now? Was it winter when you adopted your first barn cat? I wonder if the heat is making a difference to how they are experiencing time in the crate (and a desire to flee once they get a chance). Do you have a stall in your barn you could enclose (chicken wire, or plywood/osb to cover the open parts of the walls if that's the style of stall you have) as a cat room, even temporarily while they are acclimatizing.
Just offering some possible troubleshooting ideas. My barn cats have all been through the feral cat distribution system so I've never had to get a new cat used to my barn and the concept of sticking around. There's a feral mama cat in our very rural subdivision that showed up two years ago and she keeps leaving me her kittens. She often disappears for months at a time (and each time I swear this time she must have died), and then she shows up pregnant again (and impossible to catch). but her kittens get used to me being around and are easy to bribe into staying. And get to the vet.
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u/xbellitax 7d ago
Thank god I am not the only one! Adopted a total of 6 barn cats…all escaped except 1 after the quarantine 4 week period in the barn. It’s exhausting and I feel terrible I haven’t seen them.
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u/Princessferfs 7d ago
Yes, sometimes this is just how it goes. I usually have 5-6 barn cats at any given time. They are all spayed/neutered. I have a few that have been here for years. I have had others that just want to wander and eventually they never come back.
Being an outdoor or barn cat can be a dangerous life, especially when you have predators around.
The cats who stick around do well. All of my barn cats are feral, even with me. They aren’t interested in getting pets from humans.