Cats. What to do wit them

[shaper]

Some time in June I noticed a cat in my stored lumber pile. I kept seeing it about once a month. We live in the country where just about all neighbors have acreage. So we figured someone from town ( 8 miles away ) got tired of their cat and dropped one off while I wasn't looking. I'm not a cat person, give me a dog anytime. About two weeks ago I was cutting some sheet rock on what level yard I do have, when the cat came up and started rubbing on my leg. First thought was do I take it back to town and drop it off, or just shoot it now. I was converting the bathroom into handicap specifications because my wife is now in a wheel chair to get around in the house. This cat stayed by my side all day, I figured it was just over a year old. Got to thinking I have often said I need a barn cat because of all the rodents in the barn. The barn is a old chicken house 30 x 86 , converted into my shop and powder coating business. While deciding what to do it just climbed into my lap ( I'm still not convinced). Put it in a carry box and took it to the vet . $99. later found it is female and has been fixed. By this time the granddaughter named her Patches because of the 4 color spots on the white body. She stayed in the barn that night because the temp was to drop below 30. I opened the door and she made a break for it, stayed gone for 2 days. Caught her and the
granddaughter brought it in the house where she stayed under the couch another 2 days. Now she will eat what food I put out outside but she will not get in arms reach. So, I'm still not a cat person but don't want it to freeze either.

[Hannibal]

I have folks dump cats at our house, too. I've no use for people who solve their problems by dumping them on someone else.
The cats stay in the barn. I don't feed them or take them to the vet. And they occasionally disappear. Coyotes or disease, I suppose. Either way, I don't worry about them.

If I wanted a cat, I'd go get one and take care of it.

And the 'dumpers' better hope I don't ever catch them at it.

[JimB..]

Your location is “in a garden” and you mention “in the country” and you say that you have a wood pile. From this I surmise that you do not live in the high desert nor on a raft at sea, but beyond that I have no way to guess at your climate.

I will say that in general if the cat has access to a place out of the weather it is unlikely to freeze in most of the US.

[GaryN]

I live in a rural area also. I also get the dumpers. Sorry but I can't take care of everyone's cats. I try not to let them eat with my cats. If you do they will never leave. Before long you will have too many. Some people are worthless.

[Driver man]

Well , sorry but you are now a cat person undergoing training by your cat. Will be interesting to see what she does to you.

[richhodg66]

We had a big tom cat show up at our place and he was so friendly, we figured he'd been dumped, but now think he was going between us and the neighbors a half mile or so away. He used to come and go, I built him an insulated box on the front porch. Sometimes he'd stay for weeks then disappear for a while, but always loved people and knew he had a place to come. Got him all his shots two years in a row and took as good care of one as you can if they're outside.

He disappeared for the last time in March or April, haven't seen him since. I miss the heck out of him. We're cat people and have three that are exclusively indoors, but I liked my big "wild" one a lot.

[starmac]

Anyone that claims they are not a cat person , just hasn't had one cooked right yet. lol

[RogerDat]

Anyone that claims they are not a cat person , just hasn't had one cooked right yet. lol

I was waiting for someone to suggest a favorite recipe.

Fixed female is less likely to be a dumper and more likely to be a free range house cat. Lot of folks who live in the country let their cats or dogs run, and they will often cover a fair amount of territory and be people friendly up to a point. I think it is more common with city folks that move to country and don't consider life expectancy for an outdoor cat is pretty low, and dogs will tend to pack up and cause problems. Or get hit by cars. Not much traffic is not the same as no traffic.

Last time I checked a loose dog in a field with your livestock was considered vermin. Farmer down the road from us with cows must have buried at least a dozen and he claimed over the years it was closer to 30. Shoot, then use the back blade, scrape a hole, dump in dog, use back blade to cover. Done. Kept a rifle in the barn for either dogs or wood chucks. Livestock break legs in the woodchuck holes, and dogs harass the cows or go after the calves.

Forgot to mention coyotes kill stray or lost dogs, so anyone dumping a dog as far as I'm concerned should be arrested. Cats same thing. You own it then you have the obligation to provide a home for it, or at the least take it to the animal shelter. Maybe it gets adopted, maybe not but it doesn't suffer or become someone else's problem.

I love both cats and dogs but won't own cats because I won't let them run loose, and I refuse to declaw a cat (aka amputate the last joint of each toe) because if they do get out they are defenseless and I don't want furniture or carpet damaged. Cats claw stuff, it is what they do. Dogs as puppies have to be kenneled or monitored to avoid damage but as adults none of ours have damaged stuff.

[JBinMN]

We used to have a few wandering stray house cats around here. Not so much anymore. As a matter of fact, 10-15 years ago we used to have feral cats too. Don't see them much anymore either though...

Funny how the Bald Eagles around here seem to be doing just fine though. More & more every year... Healthy looking too... I like Bald Eagles.

[FISH4BUGS]

Cats are good. We have three, all adopted from ones that somehow wound up here.
The latest one is a female calico and she is a sweetie. Very affectionate.....and pregnant. She was clearly a dropped off cat, and she got out by pushing out a screen while in heat.
The two boys are indoor/outdoor cats and take care of all sorts of vermin, and Girlie stays indoors. If she goes out we are standing close by. They love the barn, the shed, and the stone walls while "on patrol". We will always have at least two cats, and have had as many as five at once.
They earn their keep.

[brass410]

we've got one here to. it seems to show up in late fall just when snow starts, moves into the shop hides from the dog all day sneaks around at night feeds from the dogs water and food. goes in and out with the cars as the overhead door is opend (we're an automotive service) makes sure its in before we close. when first nice days of spring come its hardly ever seen around great part is we never have a squirrel problem anymore no mice or rodents. Its definetly an anti social cat we've never been able to handle it and it never bothers anyone it just move in and then back out we have no clean up issues with it and no maintenece either its a really good relationship.

[Beau Cassidy]

Driver nailed it. You don't pick cats. They pick you. Just be glad somebody paid to have it fixed- or what I call "tuned up". I also refer to the vet as the torture chamber. You are now a cat person. Accept it.

[CastingFool]

One of the nicest cats we've had was a cast off. I tried to protect her from a semi feral female that we had hanging around. My mama kitty adopted me as her human and followed me every where when I was outside. Called her mama kitty, cuz she got pregnant and had 5 babies in our breezeway. Unfortunately, both her and the semi fer female disappeared about the same week, 3 yrs ago. Either coyotes, or a neighbor that once told me they would shoot cats, to protect the pheasants. Haven't heard a pheasant around 15 yrs.

[OS OK]

As long as I can remember our cats have always been 'Drop-off's & Walk-ups'...have 4 now and each one is special in it's own unique way.
The outside cats earn their way in gopher control, they are always laying patiently by a fresh mound in gopher town in one of the pastures...

I'd say...shoot the 'droppers' not the cats.

[MostlyLeverGuns]

I hear they taste like rabbit.

[shdwlkr]

I am a cat person had one in my life since I was 3 weeks old, don't know how many I have had over the decades. I currently have two companion cats and a small dog. I wouldn't know what to do without them. Yes cats do pick their humans, the house I have came with a cat the previous owner wasn't sure what to do with, well she helped us both out on that issue by coming up to me and wanting attention. Yep I am a sucker for a friendly cat. In fact she is curled up with me as I write this and yes she does demand her time each day along with the others. As many others have said you are not a cat person in training, No I don't let my cats out much and never at night or when it is really cold. I grew up working on a farm and found many a cat cold really very cold in the morning when I went into the barn, even if they were in the hay they sometimes were really cold when the temps dropped below zero, but a bowl of fresh warm cows milk sure seemed to help them out and the boss got real mad if he caught me giving milk to the cats so I had secret places they could find the milk. He never did find most and the one time he got rid of all them the rats that showed up made him happy some of the cats came back.

[OS OK]

You know...I was bad sick back in 92 or so, was in bed day and night for a week or so. At that time we had 5 cats and a cat door in that old cabin so they came and went as they wish.

I wasn't awake much or cognizant of my surroundings when I was...but...
My wife recalls that there was always one of the five cats laying on the bed beside me. When one got down only minutes would pass before another got up and kept me company. Most of the time I didn't even know they were there.

Cats? A special animal in many ways.

[gwpercle]

No one is a cat person until one decides to adopt you...moves in and calls what was your house his.
Then you're a cat person....like it or not.

I do like the fact they don't really need you to survive , they bury their leavings (unlike dogs) and keep the place free of rodents. They are pretty adept at training you to do whatever they want.
Gary

[higgins]

In our county you can take an unwanted animal to the animal shelter where they will at least make an effort to adopt it out on their website. They will take your animal or a stray you've caught with no questions asked other than sign the form and date it, check the "stray" box, and you're done. They will even loan a live trap if you need it. I know all this because I've taken two stray cats there this year after checking with all the neighbors and the vet clinic next door to see if they have one missing. We don't need strays around to fight with our two neutered barn cats.

The animal droppers are the same people who throw trash in the ditch. Too sorry to take the trash home, and too sorry to take an unwanted animal to the pound. They probably think they'll be charged with some animal abuse charge if they show up with an animal they don't want.

[CastingFool]

Cats like to show their appreciation by bringing you gifts and leaving them at your door. Usually, it was a dead mouse, or a mole. If you haven't fed them lately, you will only find the heads. Lol