Rehoming a Barn Cat

[Hoolahoophop]

Will a rough and ready independent true hunter barn cat ever take to being a house cat?

No

Not a house cat, no. They might come inside for a bit and warm up to some humans but a hunting barn cat will never be like a cat that's been raised as a pet.

haha short and sweet. Thanks!

This cat was originally a pet, then moved out into the barn as it didn't get on well with one of the household. Has now spent more of its life outdoors than in. So living in the barn, still fed, taken to the vets, wormed, flea treated etc. But to me its coat condition looks and very much like a barn cat rather than a pampered pet and it prefers to hunt than eat the cat food provided.

Depends on the size of the house and whether there is a cat flap available to allow it in and out. I think some can adapt but it looks like the cat decided to be an outdoorsy cat in the first place.

The cat voted with its feet to live outside. Trying to make it an inside cat will only make it angry, stressed or unhappy.

We got lumbered with a mature cat that was entirely unsuited to our lives in a city near busy roads. (Owners emigrated, no one would take the cat, rescue centres full so "It's you or getting him put to sleep.")
Everyone concerned - us, the kids, our existing cat and the adopted cat - had a lousy experience.

Rescue cat expressed his dissatisfaction by crapping in the worst places possible, mugging our small children for food, fighting with every animal in the neighborhood and generally being utterly miserable.

That's why my answer was No.

So if we want a Cat, best to go to a rescue and get one that the centre thinks will be suitable for our family then.

When you say "house cat" do you mean "indoor cat"? Or living in a house with access to outdoors?

I adopted a semi-feral and she's turned into the soppiest clingyest (biteyest) cat ever! I was advised to keep her in for 6-8 weeks but she ended up being too scared to go out for about 6 months, now she goes out daily but has a curfew. It's definitely not the same as having a fully domesticated cat, but she is my best cat ever (despite being a bitey limpet).

Yes, almost certainly this is the best option.

Are you thinking of rehoming the barn cat to be your family pet? No, I wouldn't do that - nobody will be happy!

Depends!

What cat were you talking about in the OP?

Yes, absolutely they can. I have a former feral - propery feral - sitting at my feet having a cuddle now, she was feral for 3 years.

And we had one old cat who was feral till 15, I brought him home and he never tried to set foot outside again. He slept on all the beds, loved a cuddle and was a real sweetheart.

I've got a rescue cat who is a pet, but still primarily an outdoor cat in summer. She spends more time inside in winter and she's not allowed out in the dark. But she has outdoor access early morning until evening in summer and that's where she chooses to be. She's never far, usually the garden or the neighbours garden, but she does have to be out. When I first got her home from the shelter I had a little insight into how she'd be if kept indoors. She was pacing, smacking the windows, and staring fixatedly at the garden. Quite unnerving really.

@Shedmistress a local farming family had a pet cat from a kitten, but it didn't get on with their dog. So the cat went and lived in the barn. They would like to find it a home as a pet again so asked us if we would like it as they know we have rehomed rabbits before. I went to meet it and while its clearly cared for and is happy around people it does like the outdoors and was a bit unkempt, greasy coarse fur not nice and shiny and fluffy as I would hope a pet would be. We live in a town but with a decent sized garden and not on any major roads, and about 3 rows of houses from fields so it would have lots of access to the outdoors, we thought let it out in the day and bring it home overnight.

I would rather rehome an adult cat than get kittens. We rehomed a pair of rabbits and they have been wonderful, fitted in exactly as their foster parents said they would. But would also like a family pet (or two if they came in pairs) that lives indoors and wants to sit on laps watching TV (the rabbits are in their shed) if we were going to get a cat for definite.

Depends on the cat! One of mine was a feral living in a barn, the owners were selling and had to rehome so I took him. He is a massive softy, loves cuddles to the point hell get on my lap and wrap his paws around me… but he does cry to go outside a lot.

I’ve had foster cats that were pretty feral and they did come round in the end. It sounds as though the cat you are considering is basically friendly so that’s a good start. The challenge will be the initial period when you will need to keep it inside. That might be very stressful for all concerned, but not impossible. it will be a big help if you have a quiet room that it can be settled in at first with minimal disturbance. The cat’s coat will improve quickly once it is regularly being stroked and brushed. Personally I would give it a go.

It depends on the cat and your set up, really. Some never settle indoors no matter what you try, others are quite happy to have a warm sofa and/or lap to sleep on and never try and go out again.

Personally I think you need to have a set up that allows them to be mostly outdoors if that’s what they want, as some cats can genuinely become unwell if they’re kept inside.

It depends on the cat. They are all individuals. We had one and he hardly spent any time indoors. Although he was also a devil for bringing his numerous kills inside.

He wasn’t a cuddly cat at all but he latched on to my husband and would follow him everywhere he went. Outdoors across the fields and everywhere. DH was devastated when he was killed by a car. The two were inseparable.

Another question, sorry.

When we adopted our rabbits we were told always two. Are cats the same, do they do better as pairs or are they happy as singles. Could you introduce as second to the house if we did adopt the barn cat, or would we be better getting two who come together. There are so many cats out there looking for homes.

I tend to have singletons, but my last 3 rescues have all been older/some sort of issues that lean towards this being their preference. It can be incredibly stressful for a determined singleton to be forced to share space, which can result in health problems.

It's generally advised to get kittens in pairs.

You could look for a bonded adult pair if you want multiples.

It would be a massive risk. It really depends on the cat. I thought mine would be mainly outdoor cats as one was a barn cat and the other trapped as a pregnant semi feral stray. But both have ended up as house cats with no inclination for the outside. They look out the window at the birds, maybe follow me out when I am hanging the washing, but other than that they seem to enjoy their home comforts too much to bother.
Having more then one cat again depends on the individuals, we introduced gradually (2nd cat was a failed foster situation as we fell in love and ended up adopting) and bar a bit of hissing in the early days there have been no issues.
If you are thinking of getting cats, I would go to a rescue and explain what you are looking for and let them advise. They may already have a bonded pair or know which cats have already lived with others so are likely to accept a new house mate and offer you the option of long term fostering before you adopt so that you can be sure they can live together peacefully.

Many rescues prefer to rehome kittens in pairs, as they socialise each other and keep each other company.

Adult cats are fine by themselves - they are not a social species like rabbits and cats aren't usually close unless they're littermates who were brought up together (and sometimes not even then). That said, if you want a pair of adult cats, there are sometimes bonded pairs in rescue, and they are much harder to rehome (as many people don't want 2 cats) so most rescues would be delighted to find someone who would take them both. A bonded pair of cats is a beautiful thing to see.

Introducing cats to each other can definitely be done though it's not without risk. The cats will probably learn to tolerate each other and share the space but there's no guarantee that they'll come to be friends.

I would go to a rescue and look for a pair of pre-bonded cats.

I think if you tried to rehome a local farm cat it would just return to the farm.