useless cats

[Carlos D.]

Went to the barn ===hole chewed in the wall; insulation pulled out; then big healthy rat comes out the hole . I said to my daughter where's those cats ? Oh! she says, those cats dont come to the barn ( just stay on the door step and beg for food ) I am so sick of town people sending useless cats to the farm. I have a lot of respect for those mangey old wild cats that use to live here and done there job well , they didn't come near me,and I didn't bother them . I use to put out cheap dog food and when they got hungry they would eat that. but mostly they just hunted.

carl

 

[Frankie]

Move the cat food to the barn and cut down on the amount available. They'll hunt when they get hungry. They'll kill mice or birds if they're around, hungry or not. The trick is getting them to the barn.

 

[Dusty Britches]

I have one worthless cat just like you describe. Hubby's parents begged us to take him b/c they are allergic to cats, but they liked this one. He's a Blue Point Siamese.

The other cat I have came from a feral cat and he was found at 3-4 weeks of age in my hubsand's warehouse. That cat will kill mice, birds, and snakes.

I feed both of them just enough that they empty the bowl before the next feeding. Worthless has even lost weight. Feral is killing everything that is smaller than him. Feral will often go the 1/2 mile across open field to get to the barn for fresh meat.

 

[Fly-guy]

Thought all cats (or most all) were worthless!

 

[ga. prime]

Whyever in the name of love would you want a cat running around killing birds? You don't need a cat for rats. There are very effective poisons available for rat control. If you gotta have a cat, keep it in the house. And , as some don't realize it, you could and should shoot and kill thrown away cats, feral cats, and any other stray cat you see running loose. Same goes for dogs.

 

[Frankie]

Whyever in the name of love would you want a cat running around killing birds? You don't need a cat for rats. There are very effective poisons available for rat control. If you gotta have a cat, keep it in the house. And , as some don't realize it, you could and should shoot and kill thrown away cats, feral cats, and any other stray cat you see running loose. Same goes for dogs.

I don't want them killing birds. But they do. We only have two, though I'd like to have a lot more. I won't because they're too hard on the birds. No, I won't keep them in the house. The barn cat is a working animal, just like the cows. She earns her keep by killing rats and mice. If she gets an occasional bird, it's probably a bird that shouldn't pass it's genes on to another generation anyway. ;-) I'm not going to put out poison when a good cat can do the job. The Tim kitty is too lazy to do much hunting but the spayed female is a very effective form of rat and mouse control.

 

[msscamp]

And , as some don't realize it, you could and should shoot and kill thrown away cats, feral cats, and any other stray cat you see running loose.

And the reasoning behind this is?

 

[preston39]

Them cats have work to do. Don't harm them. They kill rats,mice,moles,snakes and lizards with a large bug or two throw in.

But, not if you feed them too much and allow them to become lazy. Hello!!!

Someone dropped off a cat from the nearby city and it found a home on our doorstep. After returning it to one of the barns 3 times. My wife and I set up a program. She would be ...assertive with the cat at the house....broom swooshing...hollow at him,etc.,with just a little feed. I would give it a good feeding and a lot of loving at the barn. After a few days...no cat at the house.(he's getting my young wild rabbits and a quail or two tho...geesh)

 

[msscamp]

I use to put out cheap dog food and when they got hungry they would eat that. but mostly they just hunted.

carl

Might want to consider putting out cheap cat food if you want them to stay around - dog food lacks taurine and will cause them to go blind. I also agree with Frankie - if you want them in the barn, feed them in the barn.

 

[Bama]

I use to put out cheap dog food and when they got hungry they would eat that. but mostly they just hunted.

carl

Might want to consider putting out cheap cat food if you want them to stay around - dog food lacks taurine and will cause them to go blind. I also agree with Frankie - if you want them in the barn, feed them in the barn.

I'm lost here
Cats must eat cat food or they will go blind??

 

[Vicky the vet]

I use to put out cheap dog food and when they got hungry they would eat that. but mostly they just hunted.

carl

Might want to consider putting out cheap cat food if you want them to stay around - dog food lacks taurine and will cause them to go blind. I also agree with Frankie - if you want them in the barn, feed them in the barn.

I'm lost here
Cats must eat cat food or they will go blind??

Absolutely....They need taurine for vision, and carnitine for heart function. Without those being supplemented, you'll have a blind cat with Hypertrophic CardioMyopathy (aka HCM)

 

[ollie']

I use to put out cheap dog food and when they got hungry they would eat that. but mostly they just hunted.

carl

Might want to consider putting out cheap cat food if you want them to stay around - dog food lacks taurine and will cause them to go blind. I also agree with Frankie - if you want them in the barn, feed them in the barn.

I'm lost here
Cats must eat cat food or they will go blind??

Absolutely....They need taurine for vision, and carnitine for heart function. Without those being supplemented, you'll have a blind cat with Hypertrophic CardioMyopathy (aka HCM)

That clears up alot of mystery for me. I've had old barn cats for year but sooner or later, they get run over. Now I know. They were actually blind from all that dog food and couldn't see the road. :lol:

 

[chrisy]

never knew that about cats, and dog food. I knew that they should not be feed on it but not why. you live and learn. I always buy cheap cat food for the strays. My own cats are on a special sensitive diet, that is to expensive to give to strays. @ $40 a bag. that lasts two cats a fortnight.

 

[VanC]

@ $40 a bag. that lasts two cats a fortnight.

For those of you without English blood, that would be 2 weeks.

 

[Frankie]

But if the cat hunts, he gets taurine?

 

[MikeC]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taurine

 

[chrisy]

just been on that site, very informative. There are a lot of sites on goggle about cats and this need for taurine.

 

[msscamp]

I use to put out cheap dog food and when they got hungry they would eat that. but mostly they just hunted.

carl

Might want to consider putting out cheap cat food if you want them to stay around - dog food lacks taurine and will cause them to go blind. I also agree with Frankie - if you want them in the barn, feed them in the barn.

I'm lost here
Cats must eat cat food or they will go blind??

Absolutely....They need taurine for vision, and carnitine for heart function. Without those being supplemented, you'll have a blind cat with Hypertrophic CardioMyopathy (aka HCM)

Thanks Vicky - I didn't know about the carnitine or the HCM, I very much appreciate the info!

 

[Bama]

I use to put out cheap dog food and when they got hungry they would eat that. but mostly they just hunted.

carl

Might want to consider putting out cheap cat food if you want them to stay around - dog food lacks taurine and will cause them to go blind. I also agree with Frankie - if you want them in the barn, feed them in the barn.

I'm lost here
Cats must eat cat food or they will go blind??

Absolutely....They need taurine for vision, and carnitine for heart function. Without those being supplemented, you'll have a blind cat with Hypertrophic CardioMyopathy (aka HCM)

Thanks Vicky - I didn't know about the carnitine or the HCM, I very much appreciate the info!

Learned something new here.

 

[Vicky the vet]

But if the cat hunts, he gets taurine?

Yes, it can. It's cats that are fed dog food or mostly dog food that will have the problem. Dilated cardiomyopathy is caused by lack of taurine, as is blindness. Carnitine has been linked with HCM, but most cases are genetic. Research continues into it tho.....