# Lazy Cats!



## horsecrazygirl13 (Jul 16, 2012)

Hi so we have a bunch of "barn cats" and the problem is they are so terribly lazy. When I go into the barn, the cats greet me with a chorus of hungry meows that could drive anyone crazy. we feed them(every so often)and after they eat, they sit around and sun themselves or snuggle in the straw. What on earth do you do to make those cats catch mice?:-x I'd like to add that if they want something to eat before "dinner time" they just tear open the horse and chicken feed bags and eat the grain!


----------



## deserthorsewoman (Sep 13, 2011)

Feed them on a regular schedule. Then they'll start catching mice just for fun and entertainment. Just be prepared to get rid of the bodies;-), because they'll bring them as a "thank you" to whoever feeds them every day. I always had plenty of presents to dispose of........


----------



## wetrain17 (May 25, 2011)

Well, I would first move all feed so no animal can get to it. Then I would cut back on their food. They'll be hungry enough to start hunting. Ignore them when they won't leave you alone.


----------



## deserthorsewoman (Sep 13, 2011)

wetrain17 said:


> Well, I would first move all feed so no animal can get to it. Then I would cut back on their food. They'll be hungry enough to start hunting. Ignore them when they won't leave you alone.


And exactly that is NOT the case. Only happy cats hunt well, unless it's a momma cat with kittens over 3 weeks old. If they have to make a living, they hunt, eat, then sleep. And hunt again, only, if they're hungry. 
If they get fed, they hunt for sport...., much more efficient.


----------



## wetrain17 (May 25, 2011)

deserthorsewoman said:


> And exactly that is NOT the case. Only happy cats hunt well, unless it's a momma cat with kittens over 3 weeks old. If they have to make a living, they hunt, eat, then sleep. And hunt again, only, if they're hungry.
> If they get fed, they hunt for sport...., much more efficient.


 
Meh, all the feral cats around here do a pretty good job at catching mice.


----------



## deserthorsewoman (Sep 13, 2011)

wetrain17 said:


> Meh, all the feral cats around here do a pretty good job at catching mice.


Of course, they want to survive. But they wouldn't think twice, if supply is less abundant , to leave and find a better place. You feed them regularly, they'll stick around and get the less visible mice and new ones......I've seen that first hand, when a couple of mine went to another barn, with no feed....they stayed there for about a week, then they came back, because the BM there thought feeding them wasn't necessary.


----------



## wetrain17 (May 25, 2011)

So based on your two posts, which is more efficient, hunting for sport or survival?


----------



## RitzieAnn (Dec 22, 2010)

I have one cat in the barn. She adopted us at our last house. We started feeding her. I often get "presents" left for me. She gets wet food sometimes (usually when it's cold out, or if I feel nice. But she gets dry kibble otherwise. Just a small cat food can worth of dry kibble. One time per day, in the evening (usually we lock her in the barn at night, and every 8ish weeks she goes to the vet to donate blood, so we keep her on that schedule so I know exactly where she'll be in the morning when I pack her up )

Sometimes she is very needy and will mewo at me annoyingly. Usually though, she's a really good kitty. When she gets annoying, I put her outside. She scouts out the creek at the back of the property, and we see her carrying things in her mouth. She eats rats, if she finds them, and sometimes voles, but usually she just rips things in half and leaves them for me.

I was at a barn once that had like 8 cats. You had to hang blankets, because they would pee on them if you just folded them up & lef them on your hay or bench. That many was really annoying. They also had huge dishes of cheap crappy cat food, which I think aided them in being lazy.


----------



## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

I totally agree with Deserthorsewoman. It takes energy to hunt and if the cat doesn't have access to a regular supply of energy (ie food) then it reduces its activities to the lowest level to conserve what energy it does have and that means only hunting when hungry therefore ultimately more mice abound. My barn cats have access to dry food (mid range quality) 24/7 as well as a little canned stuff for supper and they hunt for the fun of it all the time - not only do they keep the mice population nicely contained, they'll take on the gophers in the summer (dogs love that because of the freebies they get - ick).


----------



## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Females are better hunters than males. My spayed female had free access to food, wasn't over weight and brought me gifts on an almost daily basis. As cataracts began to develop she'd sit on her perch, dead still and eventually a mouse would run by and meet it's fate.


----------



## PrairieChic (Sep 12, 2012)

Deserthorsewoman and Chevaux are right. We have a lot of barn cats they have an old roaster full of kibble and get kitty friendly table scraps (waste not want not) and there is never a mouse seen around the entire farm. Happy cats see it almost as a duty to patrol and eliminate more than unhappy hungry ones. Ours aren't the petting kind except for ol'momma. So none are a nuisance to have around. And I have watched and counted the girls out catching gophers - each one got at least 3 a day. We have neighbors that couldn't believe that, they weren't feeding their cats and couldn't understand how come they were over run with mice - seen ours - started feeding and whaalaa!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## sillyhorses (Sep 2, 2011)

Our barn cats are fed every evening, in our feed room. They hang out there, which prevents the mice from taking over (I don't recall the last time we've had a chewed grain bag). They think people come to the barn to pet them. 

We have one excellent, active hunter, and the rest just kind of snag things when they run across them.


----------



## Kayella (Feb 11, 2012)

Our barn cat is fed daily and she seems to do a pretty good job of catching the critters. She actually caught a baby bunny once and was just laying in the middle of the aisle with it at her feet. There were no puncture wounds or anything on the baby so we released him near our house where there wouldn't be any cats. She's lazy and loves pets. I think her and Henny have a secret romance going on, though. :lol:


----------



## deserthorsewoman (Sep 13, 2011)

wetrain17 said:


> So based on your two posts, which is more efficient, hunting for sport or survival?


In this case definitely for sport. More time to hunt when they don't have to eat them, clean themselves and contemplate if it was a fast-food-, home-cooked-, or gourmet-mouse....
My observations over the years are barns mouse free, when cats are fed there, and hunting outside for gifts. Somehow the mouse population knows when there are active cats around and leave. My barn-momma-cats would hunt inside for a couple of days, then go to work outside due to lack of prey. I had one bring a very dead, stiff, flat rat once, making the most disgusted face while carrying it, cause she couldn't find anything for her babies who were in "mousing school".


----------



## NaeNae87 (Feb 26, 2013)

My two cats are well fed and I still get presents bought for me. Mice, rats, cockroaches, lizards... they are very good hunters.


----------

