[QUOTE=Winding Down;8717088]
what if a cat mysteriously appeared at your barn? :winkgrin:[/QUOTE]
Yeah, we had one move in with the 3 others and she/he is called “feral kitty.” We don’t know where she came from, but she must have been fixed. We have no rodents and they also eat Blue Seal barn cat food.
Barn fox.
There are kitties on death row at your local animal control. Go get one or two.
I once got 4 kitties for some rich friends of my father to put out on their South Carolina Plantation. Kitties had PTSWSN on back of their cards, which I turned over and asked a guy about…its Put to Sleep When Space Needed. 3 had been adults but one was a 6 months old who had, according to her owners who threw her out, never been out of the house. All 4 survived for several years being fed daily and killing mice on the plantation. The eagles and gators eventually got them but those kitties got a few good years of life that they would not have had if I’d not gotten them. (The friends had wanted some of my cats I’d taken from a neighbor…no way!)
I use mouse traps. IMO they are better than a cat - cats kill birds and rabbits. I have three cats but they do not go out much - our old cat hangs out at the barn but has never killed a mouse. coyotes and fox are excellent mousers - in fact it represents 98% of their diet. if you research ( as I did ) wildlife biologists who use dna and collars have not found evidence of coyotes killing pets - they eat rodents, grasshoppers, berries and rabbits and occasionally fawns. they do not attack people. they have less rabies than horses! Chicago just started a program where they are using coyotes for their rodent problem.
but, again, we have great luck when we see mouse droppings to use the good old fashioned mouse traps!
In western Mass, you do have sizable snakes - you just don’t see them as there is so much cover available. My dad collected snakes every year for the museum he ran on top of Mount Tom. Everything from rattlers to black snakes. We had relatives that would not visit because he kept snakes in our basement :lol:
[QUOTE=Bells;8722520]
In western Mass, you do have sizable snakes - you just don’t see them as there is so much cover available. My dad collected snakes every year for the museum he ran on top of Mount Tom. Everything from rattlers to black snakes. We had relatives that would not visit because he kept snakes in our basement :lol:[/QUOTE]
I’m not in Western Mass, I’m in Western Washington. We don’t have any venomous snakes on this side of the Cascades and while there may be the odd gopher snake over here, they’re not prolific - in my 25 years on farms and in the forest I’ve never seen one 
Lots of garter snakes, but those aren’t even close to big enough to take care of the rats I’ve got moving in unfortunately.
My apologies - I must have read your WA as MA for some reason.
[QUOTE=dog&horsemom;8719892]
I use mouse traps. IMO they are better than a cat - cats kill birds and rabbits. I have three cats but they do not go out much - our old cat hangs out at the barn but has never killed a mouse…
but, again, we have great luck when we see mouse droppings to use the good old fashioned mouse traps![/QUOTE]
I just found a litter of baby mice in my garage in a box. Two ruined saddle pads in that box. So cute, I couldn’t kill them, but what can I do? If I put out a trap I’d probably kill the mother and then the babies would all starve. Yet I’d like to get rid of the mice since they keep getting in my feed and pooping all over in addition to destroying things.
I’m curious, how does the vet euthanize a wild animal? And can they euth baby mice–so tiny? Now I’m thinking maybe toss the babies in an electric rat trap?
ok, I get being squeamish about it, but seriously. Put a newspaper over them and make it quick with a hammer. A vet’s needle would hurt more.
For the baby mouse situation… i had a similar situation and I just quickly took them out back and buried them in the manure pile, yes they were still alive, but I couldn’t bring myself to crush them… felt bad but couldn’t have them living in my tack trunk and ruining more stuff…
Can’t give much advise on the barn cat situation… but I will say those gruesome metal traps work great for the moles… you push them into the round into a tunnel and basically it cuts them in half when they pass thru… Hate killing them,but they were getting super close to the paddocks and we were worried about a horse stepping in them.
Get a bait box, that way poison isn’t just out and about (and a new SO 
)
Yours is opposite of mine. 3- count them 3 barn cats- I rescued specifically to be barn cats have are now house cats thank to mine. (he’s on his way out the door if he does it to number 4 ha ha)
A teen boy with a pellet gun does good also.
His reasoning for not wanting barn cats is that he thinks they will end up being house cats. The last one wasn’t and I don’t want more house cats (we have 3) so I’m not sure why he thinks that.
To mimic another poster’s idea RE shelter kitties, I have a relationship with my local Animal Control and they contact me when they have a cat that is not quite feral, but not quite domesticated. I’ve found these to be the PERFECT barn kitties because they are tame enough to stick around, but wild enough they don’t become “pets”. We have quite a few predators in North Texas and these cats have been a lot better at not becoming prey than previous more pet-like barn cats were.
[QUOTE=OTTBs;8723550]
I just found a litter of baby mice in my garage in a box. Two ruined saddle pads in that box. So cute, I couldn’t kill them, but what can I do? If I put out a trap I’d probably kill the mother and then the babies would all starve. Yet I’d like to get rid of the mice since they keep getting in my feed and pooping all over in addition to destroying things.
I’m curious, how does the vet euthanize a wild animal? And can they euth baby mice–so tiny? Now I’m thinking maybe toss the babies in an electric rat trap?[/QUOTE]
they would meet a bucket of water at my place.
We have managed to attract a fisher cat and so far, the mouse/rat problem has been nicely contained despite losing the barn cat to old age this summer. The fisher is a concern for the geese and ducks but so far, so good.
King County has an adopt a barn/garage cat program for their feral and semi-feral cats:
http://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/regional-animal-services/special-programs/barn-cats-r-us.aspx
[QUOTE=LauraO;8735789]
King County has an adopt a barn/garage cat program for their feral and semi-feral cats:
Yes, I think I’m going to contact them if I can change his mine.
He set some traps about two weeks ago… I smirk every time he checks them. He hasn’t caught a dang thing no matter what bait food he tries :lol: The kicker? There was a box next to one of the traps and last time he checked it had mouse poop in it, but empty trap. I’m just patiently biding my time until he realizes he’s lost this one.
I can’t imagine any but the largest of giant wharf rats would be a match for BB King Snake, who lives under my barn and snarfs down mice, moles, and toads (not keen on that one, as the toads gobble mosquitoes). As a bonus, he’s incredibly territorial and runs off – or sometimes eats – the odd water moccasin that might wander over from the neighbor’s pond.
Well it is easier to get forgiveness than permission. Maybe just go ahead and get barn kitties.
[QUOTE=OldLadyYoungOTTB;8716510]
Sounds like your SO needs to be in charge of all extermination efforts if he won’t allow the cat.
Alternately, search for a new SO. :lol:[/QUOTE]
I like the second option.
No, no viable substitute for cats, unless you live where black snakes roam. If you do live in such a location, find a gravid female, and invite her in. But I betcha SO won’t like that solution much. 
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