03/31/2025
Feral Cats Aren't Homeless. Your Yard IS their home.
When I first heard about barn cat programs for feral cats, I thought it was a brilliant solution. Unadoptable shelter cats or unwanted community cats are relocated to barns to be working cats. Free food and shelter in exchange for mouse patrol certainly sounds like a win.
Molly was trapped and taken to a local shelter when a woman noticed a couple ear-tipped cats living under the deck of her newly purchased home. The homeowner liked cats but felt that it wasn't safe outside. There were raccoons and coyotes and cars, and the weather was so cold in the winter. She tried to trap them both but could only get Molly. She hoped the pretty tabby would find a great home.
Molly was quickly put into the shelter's barn cat program because she swatted at the workers when they reached in her cage to feed her or change her litter box. She was NOT a happy cat. Described as fractious, she was considered unadoptable.
Sheila was looking for a mouser for her small hobby farm and saw Molly posted as a barn cat on the shelter site. The shelter advised her to keep her contained for at least three to four weeks, so she wouldn't take off and try to find her way back home. A shed on the property was a perfect place for her to live while she got used to her new home. She had comfy sleeping spots, a litter box, food and water and a screened window to see her new home outside the shed. Sheila hoped she would settle in right away and want to stay when she was finally released.
A few days after releasing her, Molly disappeared. Sheila figured that she was out exploring her new territory, but when she checked her security cameras for clues, she saw a clip of a neighbor's cat behaving aggressively and chasing her out of the yard. She continued putting out food and monitoring the camera, but the only one eating the food was the darn neighbor cat.
A week after posting her as lost on her neighborhood's mailboxes, an older gentleman commented that he was seeing her in his yard. A bird lover, he wasn't crazy about cats, so he was happy to give Sheila access to his property to set a trap and take her away. It took a few days to get her to go in a trap, but when she finally got her and took her home, she promptly vanished again. Where did she go? Back to the bird-lovers yard. đ. But this time she wouldn't go back in the trap.
Over time, our position on relocating feral cats has changed. A few relocations turned out well with happy updates from the owners even years later. But most of the cat check-ups six months to a year later were not as happy. Cats disappeared, were chased off by resident cats or taken by predators. Now, when answering emails from people asking us to trap some cats and take them to a "nice barn home", we try to educate them on the benefits of letting them stay where they are.
These requests to relocate feral cats often come from a place of caring. People are concerned about predators, cars and inclement weather, but those same risks exist everywhere. The image of a happy barn cat sleeping in the hay loft is appealing but doesn't represent the reality of many relocations. The reason is simple. Feral cats aren't homeless, they are just ownerless. When you take them away from their home territory, you are taking away everything they know about where to hide, how to avoid predators and where to find food. And you may also be taking them away from any cat companions.
Here are 5 reasons why relocating cats is risky and why it is usually more humane to let them stay in their home territory.
1- Unfamiliar Environment
Cats living in residential neighborhoods learn to be savvy about risks in their home territory. They may know to avoid cars, kids and that aggressive dog in the neighbor's back yard. But they are less likely to know about the predators and environmental risks in their new rural environment.
2 - Territorial Cats
People are often unaware of the feral cats already living in their area. Cats can have large territories and may not be visible during the day. They may consider your barn to be one of their homes and chase newcomers off.
3- Inadequate Acclimatization
It takes time to create a secure pen to hold cats for 3 to 6 weeks. Many of our volunteers choose to build or provide their own pens for relocation because the people taking them often underestimate the ability of cats to escape. Cats who escape before the holding period may take off and try to find their way back home.
4- Incompatible Cats
Like people, cats are picky about their friends. Relocations work best when the cats placed there are bonded to each other. Randomly placing cats together simply because they are feral or from the same colony is a recipe for disaster. Cats have killed or injured each other during the holding period. And if they don't get along, they are likely to MOVE along.
5- Lack of Assessment
Tame cats can appear feral or unadoptable in a shelter environment. So, it is common for people to take a barn cat from a shelter or rescue only to find that it is begging for attention and trying to get in their house a few weeks later. It is heartbreaking to see a former house cat who loves attention being forced to live in a barn.
This does NOT mean that all barn relocations are a bad idea, but it DOES mean that relocations should be a last-ditch effort when no other options exist. Most feral cats do best when allowed to remain in their home territory. Relocations should only be considered when you have the time and resources to make sure the barn homes and caretakers are pre-screened, the cats are carefully matched to the environment and a proper acclimatization is conducted. Often it is better to invest that time in keeping them in their home territory.
That feral cat in your yard isn't homeless. Your yard IS their home. Let them stay.
The Animal Clinic of Buena is a full service veterinary clinic that offers preventative care, vaccinations, and surgery.
