Farm Cats

The Derby & District Branch carries out a lot of welfare work in rural areas. In these areas you will often find feral colonies. Feral cats are not stray cats, this is a common misunderstanding. A feral cat is a wild cat and will be wary of humans and are very hard to handle for this reason they cannot be homed as pets. Some feral cats will become semi-domesticated, especially if they are treat well, this means they will interact with humans but may still back off being handled and prefer living outside where they hunt.

• It is a misconception to think that farm cats should not be fed and then they will hunt better. On the contrary, farm cats cannot live a healthy life on vermin catches alone and an unhealthy, malnutritioned cat will be susceptible to becoming ill, weak and unable to hunt. Therefore it is important that people with a feral colony are in a position to give them regular food. It has also been shown that a well-fed cat actually hunts more as it will hunt for fun.
• Feral cats need a warm, safe shelter. Feral cats will often make themselves a sleeping area in a warm barn or out house. It also a good idea to have a permanent food and clean water station close by to build up a feeding routine; this will help you gain the cats trust and if you build up a routine any break from it will alert you immediately should any of the cats need assistance or are missing etc.
• A settled colony will keep away outside cats who may not be neutered or who may carry toxoplasmosis (see below)
• Farm cats should be wormed regularly to keep them healthy. Worming treatment can easily be administered in their food. Many farmers also find they build up a good enough relationship and trust with their farm cats and can administer flea treatment. We recently helped at one farm where the owner would administer flea treatment onto the cats whilst they ate and he would also spray the bedding area he made for them. I have to say they were some of the healthiest and happiest cats I've ever seen! We ask colony overseers to ensure the cats receive any treatment necessary and where cats are difficult to handle we have a number of humane traps.
• Neutering: to ensure the colony does not become over populated it is vital to neuter/spay all the cats and we are here to help! We have a small number of field workers who will help trap cats, transport them to the vets to be neutered and returned.

Castrated males will spray less and are less likely to wander as they no longer have the urge to go and find a mate. This makes them more settled. Neutering male cats also has positive health benefits reducing the risk of certain ailments.

Spayed females will not fall pregnant and will therefore spend more time hunting. Spaying female cats also has positive health benefits reducing the risk of certain ailments.

Male and female kittens can be spayed from 6 months onwards, sometimes slightly younger on the veterinarian's advice. Adult cats can be done at any age. When we liaise with colony overseers we will ask for their co-operation to ensure the whole colony is neutered, a small nick is made in the ears of the cats to show they have been neutered and do not need to be trapped again. If necessary we will return at a later date to trap kittens when they are at a suitable age for neutering. If possible we will take very young kittens, as handled at a young age they can become domesticated and rehomed however due to such limited spaces in our foster homes and the huge demand placed on them we cannot guarantee removing any cats to be rehomed or relocated but we always try our best.

Toxoplasmosis: one concern raised in the farming community is the disease toxoplasmosis which can cause abortions in sheep. This can be passed in cat faeces. However cats who have toxoplasmosis become immune to the infection after approximately two weeks, after which they are no longer a threat to sheep. As such the main risk is from new, susceptible cats and kittens. This is why having a neutered and controlled colony will reduce the risk of toxoplasmosis dramatically AND the cats will keep rodents to a minimum which can also carry the disease.

Relocating and Homing Feral Cats