The first step in getting barn cats, is to complete our Barn Cat Adopter Questionnaire. The cats we place come from a variety of origins. Some have been trapped by local animal control jurisdictions, some have been surrendered to local shelters by their owners but are considered unadoptable as “house cats” due to lack of socialization (often times from hoarding situations where there were too many cats to socialize and care for). Occasionally we are asked to place tame cats who have been surrendered multiple times due to poor litterbox habits. Their only hope is a safe outdoor home.
The cats we place are all accustomed to living outdoors at least part time. We screen cats and barn homes very carefully to ensure the best match possible. A friendly or semi-friendly outdoor cat that has outdoor experience can survive quite well if placed in a group of at least four cats that includes ferals that are skilled at evading predators. The ferals generally want nothing to do with people but will readily accept tame cats as companions. In such groups, the friendly is like an ambassador between the ferals and their human guardians. Our “four cat minimum” in also maximizes the physical comfort of the entire colony, since they tend to huddle together to keep warm during the winter. We have also found that a tame or semi-socialized cat is a great mentor for feral kitten who are too old to be socialized.
"I love Elliot!"
"He is the Patriarch of the barn. You can always see him overseeing the three black kittens, sitting authoritatively, watching them play. The three black kittens live in the barn with him and are not afraid of me any more, but they won’t let me touch them."
- a barn owner (who adopted a tame housesoiler and three feral kittens)
