Anyone have experience w/relocating barn/feral cats?
When I was managing a big boarding barn, I had 4 barn cats, 2 very tame, 2 less so.
Over the yrs, I adopted the one w/vestibular disease as I wanted to give him a soft place to land/spend the rest of his life.
One disappeared 
One decided the move into the barn next door, I did not take it personally :winkgrin:
The last one was my absolute favorite. He had been there before I took over the job, had a wonderful personality, would spend time w/me in the ring while I gave lessons, and visited spectators during horse shows. When I left the place, I did not want to take him from his home, and was promised by the new managers that they would take care of him. Found out later, their own/arriving (unfixed) cats were turned out in the barn, they cornered him and killed him. I still want to wring their necks/have so much guilt about it. 
I did not want barn cats on this property as we have lots of coyotes. But about 4 yrs ago, 3 showed up anyways :-o VERY feral. I started feeding them (of course :D), trapped them, had them vaccinated/fixed. Now one is super friendly, loves being picked up/sit on your lap, being brushed/petted. One other has also turned up quite friendly, loves to be petted, and tolerates brushing/brief stint of being picked up. The last one is almost there. I can touch her at feeding time (and treat her for fleas) and sheâs always willing to sniff my hand when I offer.
Weâre moving!
Looking for horse property 4 states away
I know I may luck out and find buyers who love cats, butâŠ
Who else has moved barn/feral cats? How did you proceed?
Not feral barn cats, but I moved 4 house cats and have adopted a few feral catsâŠdoes that count? 
Iâd snag the kitties by whatever means necessary (trap if needed!), put them in large dog crates with litter, food and water and go for it. Keep them crated for a few weeks in the new barn to let them settle in. You may also want to leave a bowl of kibble out to see if you have any wandering cats who visitâŠprobably best to trap them before turning your own loose.
When we moved, the house cats went in large crates that went up in the gooseneck of my trailer. It really worked wellâthey stayed cool, and we didnât have to listen to MEOW! MEOW! MEOW! from Colorado to MN. They stayed crated through movers delivering stuff. Once everything was fairly settled, they got to explore.
I have done this very thing successfully.
Once you get to where youâre going, treat them like any other cat - e.g., put them in an enclosed place (tack room/feed room/bathroom) where they can be undisturbed but easily fed and watered and talked to. Turn the lights off and on for daytime/nighttime if itâs without a window. Itâs best, I think, if they do have access to a window. Maybe Iâm a weirdo, but I think being able to see outside and see the sun as it moves across the sky helps them acclimate to their new bearings.
After at least a week (or more if you have that luxury), open the door and they should stay put. When we first moved absolutely feral cats to our barn - and they were as wild as mustangs - we kept them in the barn for one month before cutting a cat door in the back door. Worked great.
We moved a dozen cats, some house/pet cats, some barn cats. The barn cats were tame. I set up a large pen, with a top on it, using the kennel panels. Tarps for shade/rain. There were no people houses on the land, yet, so I put several little âdogâ houses in the pen for them. Lots of food and water dishes.
I kept them locked up for about 3 weeks, I think and once there was a shop building and houses, everyone decided where they wanted to live and all were fine. Once the barn went up, the cats who had lived in the barn on the old place, moved right into the new barn.
Thank you for this thread and the success stories!
Hopefully it will help others concerned with moving and taking barn kitties along.
Thank you for this thread and the success stories!
Hopefully it will help others concerned with moving and taking barn kitties along.
As a note, I do think that barn cats adapt fairly easily to a new place-especially if you can put them back into a barn. Leaving them âclosedâ up for a few weeks is excellent, and planning ahead re: put out little âbedsâ for them now in your current barn with little treats in them so they associate those beds with food/comfort, so they are familiar with them whether they use them or not, then during the move, they will have that âfamiliarâ thing to ground to.
I do that with our barn kitty when we have to move, and her bed/pillow is her âsafe zoneâ. It doesnât matter where we are, but if she has âthatâ, she is OK.
