Would He Make A Good Barn Cat?

[susan denning]

As those of you who have followed my posts know, I have been struggling to get to place where I am at peace with my two kitties (one a senior, mild CKD girl, and the other one a young boy with a history of crystals). My feeling is that I should limit myself to one cat (especially if it's special needs) in the future. However, I don't want to give the little cat back to the shelter if I can find another option (The staff is nice, and the shelter does have a policy of not putting down adoptable animals. However, they are the main receiving shelter for our area, and so don't have as many options as others).

I wondering if my little cat might not make a good barn cat, since he likes being outside chasing squirrels and patrolling our fence. If so, I might try seeing if I can find someone in my community who wants one. However, I did get him a 12 weeks, so I'm not sure if he has the experience to know what to do with a rodent if he caught one. Also, I'm aware that rodents can carry nasties (like leptospirosis and plague), so might not be the best life for a cat that can accommodate himself to living with people (this cat can).

My questions are:

Does he sound like he would make a good barn cat? If not, I will find some other solution.
Is the patrolling behavior anxiety related (like defending territory)? In which case, he might not be as happy outside as I think he seems? Or is it pretty normal for indoor/outdoor cats?

 

[talkingpeanut]

He does not sound like he would be a good barn cat. He did not learn the appropriate survival skills and has been in a house his whole life. You would be kicking him out.

In addition, no one would be able to monitor his health issues. Crystals can become painful and then deadly. Someone needs to watch him for nuance in his behavior.

 

[susan denning]

I figured as much. I will find something else for him.

 

[susan denning]

I was thinking barn cat mainly because I think he will be a hard one to find a home for otherwise. But I agree he doesn't have the skills to do well at that.

 

[talkingpeanut]

It’s also the health concerns.

 

[susan denning]

Yes, I dare say that once he's blocked, he's more at risk of blocking again. I'm hoping the food he's on now will do the trick, but there are no guarantees. That's actually one reason I'm stressing about keeping him, as I don't have the funds to treat him again (and my parents have said they would not be willing to help pay for treatment more than once). I'm thinking someone else might be able to do more for him. But at least I can monitor and detect if he's in trouble again.