Barn Cat Guide

Part 7 : Post Release Care

Feeding - If you want to feed the cats in a different location, put a second food dish in the new location but do not remove the original food dish until they are eating in the new location. Do not leave cat food out at night where it may attract raccoons and other critters. Thewildones.net has an article about raccoon-proofing a cat feeding station.

Alley Cat Allies recommends feeding in the following ways to discourage competitors and predators:

Feed during daylight hours, preferably early to mid-morning, when it is relatively quiet and the air is still cool (during the summer months), i.e. when you are more likely to see your cats, yet not attract nocturnal wildlife.

Gauge the amount of food provided so that it is enough to feed the cats, with minimal food left over to attract wildlife in the evening. Consider taking in the food bowl at night.

Recruit a substitute feeder to feed on your days away, rather than leaving an automatic feeder to cover for you. Outdoors, automatic feeders are emptied overnight, and automatic waterers are dumped by scavenging wildlife. You have only managed to attract critters, while leaving your cats hungry and thirsty.

Litter box - You should be able to wean them from using the litter box but if the weather is bad and they are staying in the barn, you may want to keep a litter box in the barn. If the litter box is not being used it can be removed.

“I still see the fluffy grey female come to eat but she lives in the woods, not in the barn.”

Don’t be surprised if you don’t “see” the cats for a few days. They will be out exploring. If the food in the barn is not getting eaten, try putting food near the barn exit(s). We have found that feral cats spend more time outside the barn, away from humans, while tame or semi-social cats will likely be more visible in the barn.

Keep us posted - Please email us at southcountycats@comcast.net from time to time with your questions, suggestions, observations, etc. We’d like to know if:

you are seeing dead rodents (yay!)

food is being eaten

you hear the cats in the rafters

or there is no sign of the cats at all

Your input helps us improve the success of our barn cat relocation program.

Thank you for helping us save lives!