# What do you guys do with barn cats (vaccinate?)



## Conhntr (Aug 7, 2010)

So i pickedup a couple cats to help out with my horrendous mouse problem. They both look like 8-10months old i have no idea what the history is but since they dont look fixed id guess no vet at all. 

They will not be going into the house. But i do have alot of dogs and a horse (and more livestock coming) and am thinking runding them up and getting at least rabbies shots would make sense. 

Ive had them about a week and see them every couple days since i let them out (3rd day) i know i can catch the orange one but the tabby im not sure!


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## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

Absolutely do rabies, bare minimum. Most areas have rabies clinics for very little cost...about $5 per vaccine.


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

It is hard to catch the feral ones that show up. If you can trap them, then take them to a spay clinic they can do an IMRAB while they are sedated.


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## Helena (May 10, 2002)

I would and have had them spayed and neutered..plus at least...a rabies shot. If they are sick I will doctor them myself but if it is serious....I will take them to the vet. They all get dry cat food twice a day and goats milk too. They are still wonderful at getting mice and rats but keep warm during the winter in the barn hidden in the hay . Often people don't think they need to feed them...but that isn't fair to the cats.. Mine are all very friendly...and sometimes wander down to the house where they will come inside for a few minutes but then out again on their own. I put a new flea and tick collars on them. They might be the dollar store brand but it usually helps with any ticks. I will check them for fleas and ticks very often though. They might be "just" barn cats but they deserve to be cared for as they do a good job for me and my animals in the barn.


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## Conhntr (Aug 7, 2010)

Yeah i have food for them. Thats how you keep them around! Something helped the male eat no way he ate 2 cups of food by himself in 1 day! So the female is around somewhere! I have the vet coming out for the dogs anyway maybe she can give the cats a rbie shot when she is here


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## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

I would second the spay/neuter, you can always get more kittens if you need them, but you may not want to be over run with feral cats. I'd recommend feline leukemia shots too - even one set of the basic cat shots should give them immunity for a long time (and rabies is very important). Spayed and neutered cats are a lot less likely to roam, fight, spray and otherwise cause trouble. They tend to calm down and stick around more, so are more useful at mousing. You can often get help from humane societies or rescues with the cost of spay/neuter on feral cats.


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

Mine are all spayed/neutered. I do Rabies and Distemper every 3 years. Food/water available 24/7 in the "cat house" that they have a kitty door to access. I use heat lamps in there in the winter. I deworm about 3 times a year for round worms and I deworm for tapeworm as needed. 
Frontline for fleas and ticks.


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## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

Oh, I thought we were just talking about vaccinating. I'd definitely add spay/neuter. If you can't afford to do all animals, then at least spay the females.


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## Conhntr (Aug 7, 2010)

Vet wants 85$ for just the rabies vacc. I guess i need to find a "clinic"!


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

Conhntr said:


> Vet wants 85$ for just the rabies vacc. I guess i need to find a "clinic"!


That is insane...Can you buy the rabies vx and administer yourself? Some states you can some you can't. If not I would call around to other vets. Do you have livestock? Your livestock vet might do it for you on the next farm call.


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## Conhntr (Aug 7, 2010)

I have obe that comes for the horse i board. I will ask next time. I cant imagine a rabbies vaccine cost much.


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

You can buy a 10 dose tank for 12.95 plus shipping on line. At the clinic where I work I think we charge $15 for a rabies shot.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

Do try to tame them enough to bring to a vet. My husband's outside cat is my responsibility so he is neutered and up to date on shots. He hunts, so I also give him tapeworm medicine. Get that female spayed, she is old enough to get pregnant.


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## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

Conhntr said:


> Vet wants 85$ for just the rabies vacc. I guess i need to find a "clinic"!


Yikes! Try calling your local animal control/shelter or your health department. Many times one of those two places will host them. In Maryland, each county often has multiple per year, usually in the summer time.


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## Conhntr (Aug 7, 2010)

Petco said 19$. I will just do that!


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

Conhntr said:


> Petco said 19$. I will just do that!


Yay!! That is more like it! I would deworm them for both round worms and tapes while you have them restrained. Are you hoping that they mate to get more kitties? I have 4 outside right now and I'm looking to get a couple more kittens. (my cats chase any adult cats off) My best hunter was found dead in the fall so I feel like I need to add more. My cats do a great job with the mouse population. My indoor cats do a horrible job though! They just play with them and let them go! But all in all I feel good about our rodent situation due to my cats


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## Conhntr (Aug 7, 2010)

Ehh not sure on kittens. I wouldnt mind a couple for the barn and a couple ariund the house. But none inside!! I hate the smell of literboxes!


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

Conhntr said:


> Vet wants 85$ for just the rabies vacc. I guess i need to find a "clinic"!


We pay $15 at the vet and only about$5 if they go to the feral cat neutering place.


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## foolsgold (Jun 8, 2013)

I just found this... http://www.bigdweb.com/RABIES-VACCINE-10-DOSE/productinfo/348R/

They also have 1 dose vials too.


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## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

We once had a colony of semi-feral barn cats, most of them you couldn't touch. They would run on sight of you. So they didn't get vetted. We had inbreeding and overpopulation, then a distemper outbreak and all but a couple of them died. I don't ever want to go thru that again, or see the animals go thru it. So spay, neuter and vaccinate at the minimum.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

I hate litter boxes too, so my indoor cats were indoor/outdoor.


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## RedDirt Cowgirl (Sep 21, 2010)

Our local animal shelter lends cat traps - that's how I caught a feral tom cat that was beating up on all the local barn cats and hanging around our place spraying just about everywhere. After being "fixed" and vaccinated he turned into a pretty good citizen. Still travels from ranch to ranch, and now he can socialize with the other cats. He was looked at as a mean cat, but I think he was just always afraid from the consequences of his bad behavior.

Our humane society offers credit certificates for neutering, and they have a list of vets that do the "good work" at a low cost.


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## Jokarva (Jan 17, 2010)

The spay/neuter organization I volunteer with will trap stray/feral cats, fix and vaccinate, then return them....all at no cost. It's funded thru grants, but of course donations are always nice. You might call around to see if there's anything like that in your area....just the spay/neuter alone can be very expensive thru a regular vet.


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