We have questions about getting an outdoor cat for our farm house. what do we need?

Answer 1

cat food
coller
brush
bath soap
litter box

Answer 2

Having grown up on a farm where we always had cats, I sure hope my answer can be of help. First off, all you may need to do is wait. Almost all the cats I've had have been strays that have shown up and stayed around. If you want to actually pick what cats you have, I would suggest either looking at the local SPCA or pound, or see if there are any farms nearby that have the obligatory "Free kittens!" sign out. Also, regardless of where you get your cat, please pull a Bob Barker and get the cat either spayed or neutered. For males, it will make them less agressive, and for females, you don't need to worry about them getting pregnant and having a litter of kittens. If you keep food and water out for them, they should stay around. Also, in cold weather, we had a large doghouse and strapped a heater to the top (from the inside), and that ended up being a favorite place to stay. If there are fields and woods around, there is a good possibility of coyotes being around. We have coyotes, and we bring our cats in at night. Also, if your house is surrounded by fields, keep a close eye on your cats when harvest time comes. Best of luck to you and your new kitty!

Answer 3

Outdoor shelter:
Preferably something with a small door and entrance that must be climbed to, to afford the kitty some safety from predators, and warm dry place.
Outdoor water and feed system:
Get an automatic water system, one of those huge plastic bottles that turn upside down on a dish so the water's available but kept clean. You might want a system lke this for the food also, or just a food dish. During the winter, when ice is forming, the water must be checked daily to make sure it is not frozen and the kitty has available drinking water. Try wrapping the water bottle in insulation of some type.

Answer 4

You need to adopt a neutered kitty or 2. That way you won't find yourself with a semi-feral cat colony in the next yr or 2 (cat's reproduce very quickly). & for some reason there are plenty of irresponsible folks out there who haven't nuetered their pets and allow them to reproduce without a thought as to where all these animals are going (most get dumped off in rural areas -> like your farm house, or forest preserves....).

All cats have a hunting instinct, so your covered there if you are wanting cats for pest control. But you might want to consider a pair so they can keep each other company. And you will want to give them some sort of shelter at night for when it's cold or wet out.

I'm assuming that by saying farm house you mean a rural area. You need to be aware that there are animals depending on where you live that might consider eating your cat(s) like coyotes. I personally wouldn't allow the cats outside at night for this reason (and because of weather conditions).

Answer 5

You might consider checking with a nearby animal shelter to see if they (or if they know of someone) who deals with feral cats; once they are used to people and know they have a steady meal coming, they tend to be excellent mousers! Cats acquired this way are generally spayed/neutered just as any other adoptive cat, but they are better adapted to an outdoor life. They may not ever be as much a "pet" as the average rescued cat, but you will be providing a home to cats that might not otherwise have a chance.

Answer 6

First off, for this I have always gotten cats form my local animal shelter. Skiddish cats are often put to sleep for bring so skittish and this provides them with a chance at life and a chance to prove their hunting skills for you in return for feeding them.

Now, to answer your question: what you need for this really depends on your geographic location. If it gets exceedingly cold there, it would be wise to make sure there is some form of heat, though a barn is proabbly okay. Make sure you put out food and that the cats know where the food is. Make sure it is in a dry place and that rats and other vermin can't reach it. Though it doesn't much matter since the cats will get the vermin anyway.

If you're simply talking about a house in the country that's on a farm, I would recommend building a "cat house". I built mine for under $200 dollars. It's basically a gigantic doghouse, large enough for 7 or 8 cats. The roof is hinged so that you can clean it out. Draw up your own plans, I used a basic design of a dog house. Before adding the roof, I insulated it. You can use whatever kind you want. I used styrofoam in one of the ones I've built and it stays amazingly warm. Next, cut your boards to cover the walls and nail them on. Just remember that they will have to be shorter to account for the fitting. There is no need to insulate the floor, as the ground will do this, but do as you will. Now, in mine I make boxes( with hinged rooves of their own) and removable shelves, for easy cleaning. Before adding these, line the whole thing with plastic. Don't worry, it will be fine. This is only necessary so that you can sweep it out. Now the roof. You will need to cut teh appropriate pieces for this and allow for the cross beams of the house. Hinge the roof in a way that it will be easily opened. There are certain things sliding hinges you can use that, when opened to a point, will hold the roof open for you. There are a number of commercially available heaters available:

http://www.gundogsupply.com/cranddoghohe.html

If you're not wanting to shell out that much dough, simple heat lamps can be used. In the winter, a customer of mine uses two 60 watt clamp lamps. One regular bulb and a heat bulb. Lastly, you'll need to cover the door hole with plastic. To keep down moisture and smells, I use cedar bedding. You can use what you want though, just make sure it's not toxic. I've seen people use cheap rugs that they just wash but these get wet and dirty easily, so you have to wash them often. I build them large enough to allow for automatic feeders and waterers that I check periodically. I have found this to be the easiest way to keep outside cats. In the summer, remove your lamps and open the roof to vent heat, but so that rain will not get in in case of a surprise shower.

Also, I recommend vaccines and Frontline Plus Flea Medication for all pets in general, especially if they're outside pets.

Hope this has helped.

Answer 7

all cats need to be neutered if they are going to be outside roaming around. If you don't do this the male cats will fight and you will have vet bills for infections, and of course you will have kittens if you don't get the female fixed. All cats need to have their shots and kept up-to-date. Outside cats seem to need more care than indoor cats as they walk across rabbit droppings and other animal droppings that have worms. A safe place to sleep, and food that is safe from other animals such as raccoons. You could be feeding the neighborhood wild animals otherwise. Fresh water is a must also. Cats that are left to fend for themselves outside usually have flees and often visit places where other cats are fed. So taking care of a flee problem from time to time also takes place....do I sound gloom.. well I don't think people should have outside cats and not take care of them.

Answer 8

Most of the time you can just put some food and water out on the porch. You could attract a stray and he'll decide to stay around. If he is going to be strictly an outside cat, putting out food and water is really all you gotta do. If he is going to come inside sometimes, then you can get some supplies like a litter box and a few small toys and stuff.

Answer 9

Get an adult cat that is used to being outdoors. You can adopt cats at any of the following sites (many let you search for cats by your city name or zip code so you can find ones close to you):

petfinder.com
pets911.com
1-800-save-a-pet.com

Make sure it's properly vaccinated and spayed/neutered so it doesn't spread disease or make babies. Get it a collar or microchip it so you can get it back if it wanders off. Make sure you can feed it somewhere without feeding all the wild critters in your area at the same time. Make sure it always has clean water available.

Answer 10

You need a good mouser, and you want him to be sort of big, and probably male. Maine Coons are GREAT mousers, and they love being outside. They're also people-friendly, so he'll be happy to hang out with you when you're mucking stalls or cleaning tack. I suggest going to the local SPCA and checking out what they've got. Get an adult cat, because kittens are a pain. They get into everything and they can't be outside alone. Toss a ball or a furry toy for the cat, see if he'll chase it. He'll either have the instinct or not. Have fun!