Mazie and Amos by Adam Kesmetis

 

Spice

 Elmo (photo at Julie Lovely stable)

photo of Fluffy by D Carlisle

Photo of Dougle on tractor by Nancy Richardson

Photos above by Christine Randle

Photo of Whisky, the alpacas  and the barn cat by Shelter Me Inc

Photo of boys and cats by Shelter Me Inc

Photo of barn kittens by Pam Welty

Click here to watch the video: How to acclimate barn cats

We drove over 7000 miles delivering cats to barns (and coordinating delivery) in these locales since we began our program in April 2008.

MASSACHUSETTS

Abingdon, Ashby, Bedford, Billerica, Boxford, Carlisle, Concord, Dover, Fairhaven, Groton, Haverhill, Ipswich, Lincoln, Littleton, Mattapoisett, Mendon, Millet, Norfolk, North Easton, Orleans, Pepperell, Plympton, Sturbridge, Sudbury, Townsend, Upton, Wayland, West Bridgewater, West Newbury, Wrentham

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Bedford, Contoocook, Deerfield, Derry, Hollis and Mason, NH

CONNECTICUT

Brooklyn and Northfield

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Shelter Me Inc assists other rescue organizations and individual rescuers–seeking optimal living conditions for ‘unadoptable’ cats. We make a special effort to match what we learn about each animal’s temperament to the accommodations that individual barn owners can provide.

 The program’s rationale is that barn cats provide a desirable, cost-effective service (rodent control) to barn owners and therefore deserve to receive the same care that every other member of the barn family receives (e.g., veterinary care, fresh food and water every day and special shelter for winter) .

Shelter Me Inc spends a couple hundred dollars for nearly every single cat that we deliver.  Our expenses include the cost of acclimation cages; cat food; litter and litter boxes;  cat beds and houses; cat toys; carrying crates; veterinary bills and travel. 

Donations are optional-averaging $50 to $100 per cat- and very deeply appreciated.

We cannot run the barn cat program without public support.

Click to read, “How does a barn apply for a Shelter Me Inc barn cat?”

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2008

Shelter Me Inc placed 44 “unadoptable” cats in barns

#1-7 are the Gardner Animal Control cats–delivered to Upton (Felix& Tiny), Ipswich (Sketter&Mittens), Littleton (Mushy), Boxford (Max), and West Newbury MA(Tigress);

Felix passed away. Top row below (left to right) -Felix & Tiny, Max; Bottom row (left to right)  Mushy; Tigress

#8-13 came from Second Chance Fund working with Worcester Animal Rescue League (delivered to Fairhaven MA (Greta & Elle); Orleans MA; and Mason New Hampshire) 2 ran off from the Fairhaven barn almost immediately. One cat at another barn was taken by predators after two years. 

Here is Greta (left) and Greta & Elle together (right)

Below is the cage set-up for the cats placed in Orleans - the barn owner named them Romeo and Juliet.

#14-17 are the siblings our friend Lori rescued from the Malden Diner basement (delivered to North Easton MA -right  photo and Mendon - left photo).

#18-19 were two unrelated feral strays from Billerica Cat Care Coalition and MRFRS that we added to a barn we had previously worked with in Upton MA. 2 ran off from the Upton MA barn (We have not had  luck placing unrelated strays together)

#20-27 were ‘unadoptable’ cats from MRFRS in Salisbury (delivered to Groton MA (Clementine & Jewel), Plympton MA (Inky & Daisy), Upton MA, and Northfield Connecticut) 2 from the Upton barn (different from the one above) spent a year living together and disappeared at separate times, believed to have been taken by coyotes.

Photo of Clementine& Jewel in the shelter (below far left).  Clementine (middle) post release in Groton, MA. Jewel rarely showed herself after release. We brought three more kittens (#33-35) to keep Clem and Jewel company-and to catch rodents. Clem and Jewel don’t chase rodents in the barn. A little unusual but true.

Chester (below left) ended up living with a great family in CT. Inky & Daisy live on a great farm in Plympton - that’s Daisy below in the shadow. Hard to get a photo of Inky - she is very elusive - takes after her mama, Jewel, barn cat #22 (whom we placed in Groton).

#28-30 Male & female from MRFRS to Bedford, New Hampshire and male to Contoocook, NH.The male in Contoocook disappeared after six months, believed to have been taken by coyotes.

#31-32 were cats that were returned to MSPCA Methuen because of litter box problems (delivered to Sturbridge MA). Both cats moved out of the barn and ‘went wild’ on the property. Their names - George (left) and Molly (right)- see them below–

#33-35 were male kittens that our president Sara Carlisle rescued and paid to neuter (delivered to Groton MA) That’s them below -

#36 was a feral kitten (a lovely calico) that Morene took home from her vet (delivered to Upton MA). I fostered her for a while on my back porch.

#37 was a stray cat (variously named Sylvester, Mr. Kitty and Smitty) who ended up at the MSPCA in Methuen after Shelter Me paid to neuter him (delivered to Abington MA). That’s him below in his new life with his proud owner.

#38-39 were two black female kittens that Kitty Kats rescued from the streets of Brighton, MA (delivered to Upton MA)

#40-41 were two orange male kittens that Kitty Kats rescued from a dumpster in Rosalindale, MA (delivered to Boxford MA)

That’s Rocky & Tucky below left. On the right one of the kittens is swatting Max - one of our very first barn cats - soon to become the kittens’ mentor. One of the little fellows disappeared after being in place for close to two years and two months later reappeared again!

#42-43 were a grey and a black male kitten that KittyKats rescued from the dumpster in Roslindale (delivered to Ashby, MA). The owner named the black cat, Misha. That’s him below - he chased all the voles out of the garden. In December 2011, we received a note from the barn owner saying all three cats are still in place and doing great. That is after three years!

#44 was a tortie female that Billerica Cat Care Coalition rescued - we placed her with the grey and black male kitten (delivered to Ashby MA)

2009 35 “unadoptable” cats in barns

#45-46 were a black & white male named Don and a calico female named Butterfly that were trapped in Acton, an area we cover, and brought in by a neighbor. Delivered to Berlin, MA

#47-48-49 were an orange female and her two orange female kittens rescued by KittyKats from a DPW site south of Dorchester, MA. Delivered to Newbury, MA. Those are the kittens at left on delivery day - and later….

This former barn kitten made it into the house where she resides happily today.

#50-51 - 2 orange cats male and female rescued by Charles River Alleycats. Delivered to Derry, NH. That’s them in the acclimation cage and free - looking out the hay loft.

#52 - a male black and white cat (Timmy) rescued from the streets of Charlestown by KittyKats  and placed on the farm that has Tiny, Felix and the Calico in Upton, MA. That’s Timmy below -

#53-54- a male orange cat named Marmalade and a black cat named Nira trapped by KittyKats in the South End and Dorchester. Renamed Sonny and Buddy by their new owners. That’s them below -

#55-56 - Found a barn for two cats,  a grey male and a black female, both long-hair and 1 year old. Trapped by Standish Humane Society in Plympton after the barn they were living in was closed down and cleaned out. Placed in Billerica.

#57-58 - Placed Petunia, a 5 yr old Calico with Kiki, a 1 yr old black cat, both females picked up by Animal Rescue League. They had been in the shelter for more than 2 months and were not likely to be adopted for behavioral reasons. That is them below. Kiki and Petunia (unrelated strays) got into fights so the barn owner found another barn for Kiki.

#59 placed a 1 yr old black cat Violet. She has been in the shelter at ARL and was returned for attacking her owner. We attempted to place her with Petunia and Kiki but she growled so much, we took her back and on the way home to pick up  a cage, another barn owner took pity on her and gave her a home. We had a heck of a time getting Violet out of the carrier and finally gave up and put it (with her in it) inside the cage.

Violet sadly disappeared  and was believed to have been taken by a coyote. That is her below - depressed at the shelter (left); her new  animal family  (right); her new human family; and finally, happy on the farm (bottom).

#60-61 - Placed two orange male cats, both named Garfield, unrelated but very fond of one another. They were not being adopted at the Animal Rescue League for behavioral reasons. One of the golden cats disappeared after a year - he appears to have been lost to a predator.

#62-63 - Placed 2 females, a feral white cat and a feral tortie cat,  captured on the streets of Everett by Cindy Dever of Charles River Alleycats, in a barn in Auburn, NH.

#64 -Placed a black & white female cat named Shasta in a barn that houses two very friendly goats and a couple horses. She had been at the Animal Rescue League in Boston since early March when we placed her on June 6th in a barn in West Bridgewater. Shasta was about the unhappiest looking cat we ever saw (see below ). But she didn’t stay that way. The barn owner thought she looked lonely in her acclimation cage (right) and took her into the house where Shasta now lives with other cats and dogs.

#65 - Placed a grey cat named Elmo in the barn next door to Shasta’s place. She also had been at Animal Rescue League for several months. She lucked out big-time in her new home. That’s Elmo below left in the shelter - depressed as can be - and happy on the farm at right.

Elmo again - two years later in 2011 (below)

#66 Placed a black & white female cat named Precious - saved by Laurence Van Atten of International Animal Rescue on behalf of WARL - in Hollis, NH. Precious is believed to have been taken by a coyote.That is her below in her acclimation cage on the farm.

#67 Placed Melborn, a 3 year old male grey tabby (13 pounds) saved by Laurence Van Atten, Delivered to  a barn in Cape Cod. He was featured in the Cape Cod Times in a story titled, “Shelter Me gives stray cats a fresh start.”

Melborn is believed to have been taken by a coyote.That is him below.

#68-69  Kimball & Bushy - 1 3yr old orange male and 1 grey tabby from ARL to Carlisle, MA Bushy ran off after the acclimation period. Kimball stayed. That’s him below-

#70-71 Thelma & Louis - siblings black & white - 1 five month old female and 1 five  month old male. They were too timid for ARL to adopt out - they could be petted but preferred to hide from humans. Delivered to Ashby, MA. That’s them below. Their new owner named them Hansel  & Gretel.

#72-73 Sierra  Echo - 1 yr old grey female and 1 yr old gray tabby male -delivered to us by Jill Sullivan, a volunteer at Scituate Animal Shelter and taken to Ashby, MA Sierra  & Echo ran off. They were city cats that did not adjust to the farm.

#74 Muriel - female black & white 1 yr old female saved by Jill Sullivan, volunteer for Scituate Animal Shelter and taken to Ashby, MA. Renamed Amelia. She made a friend at the farm - a handsome orange cat named Huey. Left photo is of Amelia the day she arrived - the right photo is Amelia and Huey months later…Amelia is believed to have been taken by a coyote a year after settling in really well on the farm. 

#75-76 -two 1 1/2 year old calico kittens, Fiesta and Stella, saved by Julia at Standish Humane Society who delivered the cats to a farm we found for them in Cape Cod.

#77-78 - 2 female siblings - 4 1/2 months old, an orange female (unusual) and a tortie given to us by Jill Sullivan who got them from Quincy Animal Shelter. We placed them in Lunenberg, MA. One cat became ill and died several months after placement. Jill brought the kittens to our house and showed them off -  our dog is looking on worriedly. At right the kittens are peering at their new barn home. middle pic - the barn owner’s son and the orange kitten.

 

#79 - 1 female black & white cat - 6-7 months old rescued  from the streets of Worcester by Laurence Van Atten of International Animal Rescue (bottom left) Delivered to Lunenberg.

 

2010  21 “unadoptable” cats in barns

#80 - 1 black & white male - 3 yrs old former stray  - adopted once and returned to ARL Boston- delivered to Haverhill, MA. That’s him making friends with the white horse - The barn owner named this cat, Sir Martin. After a year, Sir Martin, much beloved by his owner, disappeared - thought to be taken by a predator.

#81-82 - 2 black male siblings - 12 weeks old. Caught and neutered by Feline Friends of New Hampshire. One of these youngsters - after a year - was found hit by a car.He had a good life - at night he and his sibling watched television with the  boys in the picture. His sibling, Lucifer, remains in place.

Lucifer watches television in the evening with the family. Here he is seen next to the Xmas tree.

#83-84 - 1 black female and 1 orange male - 12 weeks old. Caught and vetted by Feline Friends of New Hampshire. Delivered to Ashby, MA. That’s them below.

#85 - 1 black&brown female tabby. 1 yr old. Caught and vetted by Feline Friends of New Hampshire. Delivered to Ashby, MA.

#86-87-88 -  Three male siblings from Feline Friends of New Hampshire - Rex, (grey and white tabby), Skitty (male b&W) and Pikachu (black male) about 12 weeks old. to Lunenberg.

#89-#91 -1 female and 2 males- all feral -  from Feline Friends of New Hampshire to Wilmington, MA.

#92-93 - Two feral female siblings -trapped on the streets of Lawrence with spay/vaccinations and everything else arranged by a heroic local husband & wife team. We found them a home in Deerfield, NH. This is them- After a year, one of the females broke her leg and sadly was put to sleep. Her sibling remains in place.

 

 in foster care Lawrence, MA   at home on their farm in Deerfield, NH

 

#94-95 - Two female feral siblings -  trapped on streets of Lawrence (by same husband/wife team as 89-90) and placed in a barn in Hubbardston.

#96 -97 Two female feral siblings spayed by BVCats in Rhode Island and delivered by the husband/wife team who fostered them to a barn placement we arranged in Sudbury, MA. They bonded with their family; after one year, however, one of the females disappeared, assumed to have been taken by a predator. They found a male cat to bring in as a companion for the female; last we heard they are getting along great.

 

 

#98-99 - Two female feral kittens (unrelated but from the same colony) whom we trapped in Fitchburg, MA, spayed at our expense by our veterinarian and placed in a barn in W. Newbury, MA.

 

 Former Fitchburg stray kittens settled in an acclimation cage in a heated barn office in West Newbury, MA

#100 - one grey female kitten (whom we trapped in Fitchburg, MA) to the alpaca farm in Ashby, MA. This kitten was adopted into the home of the barn owner’s daughter shortly thereafter! Great omen for our 100th placement.

As they got older they remained fast friends.

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2011 - 28 “unadoptable” barn cats

(13 rescued from a hoarder)

#101-103 - Three females - Sissa, Smokey & Baby. Relocated from a farm in Rhode Island that a family is being forced to leave - and placed in Ashby, MA. Smokey, a beautiful grey cat, made it into the family’s house, almost immediately. Baby is hanging around the barn while Sissa seems to have run off. Based on our personal experiences, we think it is much harder to successfully relocate cats that have been long-established elsewhere. The younger cats seem to adapt more quickly - and permanently - when we are placing them in what amounts to their first real home.

#104 - One beautiful dark chocolate brown brown female, about 2 years old, whom we trapped at the Fitchburg colony, spayed and fostered for close to 2 months - until she was well enough to relocate. There were too many cats in the Fitchburg colony to return her. She is a very shy cat; we placed her in Norfolk, MA, with a lovely family. Oddly, she ran off - but not far. She lives under a neighbor’s shed and is feastingly happily on the local rodent population. The person whom we placed her with has promised to look after her in winter.

#105-106 - Two beautiful female calico siblings, less than 10 months old. They were rescued by Sheila Donahue, the ACO of Oxford, MA, from an abandoned apartment. (The owner had left in a hurry to escape an arrest warrant.) We placed them on a lovely property in Dover, MA. It’s a true rags to riches journey. You can see one of the calicos below. She happily lives half inside/half outside the house. Sadly, her sibling ran off. This is the first time we have heard of one siblings in a bonded pair running off. But it appears that the calico who remained was more comfortable with the humans than her sibling who preferred to live wild. 

#107-109 - Three female semi-feral cats. They were living under a porch in Rockland County, NY for several years. They were much loved by the home owner who had sold her home and was retiring to Florida. She was desperate to relocate the cats.

Rockland County is way outside our area. Luckily we had received a call earlier in the year from a barn owner in Saratoga Springs, NY (up in the Adirondacks) who was looking for barn cats. We put the two of them together, paid to have an acclimation cage shipped to Saratoga Springs, and the retiring homeowner drove them up herself. The barn owner raises collies and Morgan horses. The collies, as you can see in the photos below, are very interested in the barn cats. 9 months after these cats arrived, we got a wonderful note from the barn owner….“Dear Sandy,  The story gets better. I am now able when I feed all 3 cats, twice a day — to pet them and scratch them and TLC. I didn’t think it possible but I am their person. And they are loves too. Thanks again for hooking us up.”

#110-#111 Two female grey kittens. Both to a barn in Millet, MA. Shelter Me Inc helped Oxford animal control  rescue them from a hoarder’s house; and paid to test, spay, vaccinate them;provided acclimation cages to the animal control office and purchased food and other supplies for the cats. One of the kittens was blind, unfortunately. (See below - she is a gutsy, graceful animal.) We picked her up and drove her to a lovely veterinarian in Webster, Dr Quisenberry, had her examined, and asked if the vet would keep the kitten as an office cat. (The kitten had a ball running around the examination room.) Dr Q said yes! Later, the barn owner picked up another grey cat from the hoard and brought her back to the barn. 

#112-113 Two grey & white female cats to a barn in Haverhill. Shelter Me Inc helped Oxford Animal control rescue these from a hoarder’s house and paid to spay and vaccinate them. Community Cat Connection of Webster paid to test them.

#114 Three more hoarder cats rescued from Oxford were rehomed here, but only one became a barn cat. There was 1 black male,  1 grey & white female and 1 male Himalayan to Dighton, MA. The himlayan was so sweet, he ended up living in the house as a permanent companion to a teenage boy; the grey&white female seemed unsuited for barn life and was adopted by the owner’s niece and as for the little black fellow - barn life for him has worked out perfectly. You can see the latter two in their acclimation cage and the young black cat sitting happily in a window box enjoying his freedom.

#115-116 One young black male and one grey & white male also rescued from the hoarder’s house in Oxford, MA and doing absolutely great at their new barn home in Lunenberg. This note came from the barn owner at the end of Sept: We are so in love!!!  The black triple pawed boy is Darwin, grey/white one is Watson.  They were let out of the acclimation cage yesterday, tromp gleefully around the barn, come over to get lots of rubs.  We weren’t expecting them to be super friendly, but they are.  They return to their cage for food and sleep, such great cats.  We’re keeping them contained in the barn until they get really used to it.  They’ve even chased off some chipmunks who were eating the chicken feed.  Thank you for such great barn cats. 

2012 update on these cats - they moved into the house!  Watson is seen below with his housepals.

photo of Watson and Friends by Erin Willett, Smaht Fahm

When the family moved out of state they kindly shared this wonderful pic of the roadtrip.

#117-1118 Two grey & white females to a barn in New Hampshire. These also came from the hoarder’s house in Oxford, MA.

#119-120 Two females - a himalayan and a grey cat to a barn in Lincoln, MA. These also came from the hoarder’s house in Oxford, MA. This is one of our sadder stories.These cats were doing great; the himalayan followed the daughters of the house to their friends’ houses and was a crowd favorite while the grey cat, a little wilder, had a ball running around the garden. Unaccountably, after 6 weeks, the grey cat refused to return to the barn at night and the himalayan with whom she was bonded followed her into the woods. They did not return.  

#121-122 one female & one male (her offspring). These cats were brought to us by Jan, a volunteer with Quincy animal shelter. The cats were rescued from the streets of Dorchester. The mother is friendly; the youngster is semi-feral. The rescuers did not want to separate them; did not want to return them but nobody was likely to adopt a semi-feral kitten. We placed them in one of the loveliest barns we have ever seen. Below you can see the acclimation cage we set-up in a heated tack room/office. On the top shelf of the cage, the cats can look out onto the indoor ring.

#123-124 Two feral long-haired females (one calico and one grey and white tiger) rescued by Patty Besaw of Feline Friends of New Hampshire from a Methuen junkhard.

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Photos above by L Bergeron

We placed them  in a barn in Lincoln. We set up a double-cage to give them extra room to move around in the winter months.  The idea is to keep them in the cage and then contain them in the barn to protect them against the elements and also give them time to mature.  The photo at right was taken several weeks after placement - the kitten is eating a treat out of the owner’s hand.  That is quite an accomplishment; these kittens are very feral.

#125-126 Two feral male tiger kittens - 3 to 4 months old. Rescued by Theresa of Billerica Cat Care Coalition from a dumpster in Tewksbury. We placed them in a barn in Upton where their companions will be two pot bellied pigs, chickens, several dogs, a brother and a sister who will care for them and parents who love animals. After a week in the cage, the young girl is able to pet them. (She spends hours sitting outside their cage reading to them.)

#127-128 Two three-month old kittens - a calico and a grey tiger rescued by the homeowner in Fitchburg whom Shelter Me has been assisting for the past year and placed on a dairy farm in Littleton, MA belonging to one of our most favorite veterinarians. Lucky break for these kittens; they would not have survived the winter outdoors. Last we heard, the barn owner was able to pet the kittens through the bars of the cage.

2012 We placed six barn cats.

We put most of our effort into education—publishing a ‘how to acclimate barn cats’ insert in Equine Journal, thanks to a grant from the Red Acre Foundation. It reached a circulation of more than 10,000 people.

#129 One incredibly energetic male cat named Newton.The animal control officer of Westford gave him to Sara Carlisle to foster. There was some worry that he would survive  - he was so small. But these worries were misplaced. Newton turned out to be an incredibly energetic cat - far too much energy to live indoors. Although he lived happily in three homes, he wore out his welcome in all of them. We found him a terrific barn home in Bedford.

Newton as a youngster.         Coveting the outdoors.

Newton at home on the farm.

#130-131 2 male siblings. A very nice man in Pepperell asked if Shelter Me Inc could find a couple cats to place in his barn.We asked around and Feline Friends in New Hampshire wrote us about a pair of feral siblings who needed a home. They were found in a Walmart parking lot eating out of a dumpster.

Only two days after they arrived, both cats are comfortable enough in their new environment to come out of hiding in their acclimation cage to watch their new owner make his rounds. Beautiful cats.  They got a lucky break.

#132  1 male cat named Buddy placed in a therapeutic riding barn in Bridgewater - The Bridge Center.  About 10 people were involved in rescuing Buddy. That’s a record. 

Two families were taking care of Buddy in Bridgewater; one of them even brought him into the house but he wasn’t happy inside. The families live on a cul de sac and they loved sharing Buddy’s care but his hunting prowess (he killed mice and other rodents) disturbed the neighbors.   This is Buddy- eating outside at his home in Bridgewater.

One of the families contacted Shelter Me and asked for help. We didn’t have any barns available; barns have been few and far between for us this year. But we know a barn owner in Bridgewater - Julie Lovely of Wild Hearts Therapeutic Riding Barn, so we sent her a note asking if she knew any barns who might offer Buddy a home. She sent out a plea and got a response back from one of her colleagues at a neighboring therapeutic riding barn in Bridgewater called The Bridge Center. What a great place!

We setup Buddy in an acclimation cage near the entrance of the barn.

We put free feeding water and dry food dispensers in the cage…actually it is a double cage. We were a little concerned about an active guy like Buddy being restrained in a cage. We put it in the entrance so he could watch the horses and kids in the riding program coming and going. 

The family left some beautiful quilted blankets for him. 

2 weeks later, we got this lovely note -

Buddy is doing wonderful – he is talking A LOT and is really showing signs of being okay with us. He lets me pet him now when I go to change food or litter. I think he is ready to be released but wanted to ask your thoughts before doing so. Today is his two-week mark.

~ Judy Johnson
Riding Center Coordinator, The Bridge Center

So far, so good. Then, 10 days later we received this note after we advised the barn owner that it probably was not necessary to keep Buddy in the acclimation cage for the full 5 weeks…considering he is a friendly guy, we thought 2 weeks might be okay–

Great news to share about Buddy – we did let him out last week and he is just loving life. He has fully explored all parts of the barn and discovered which offices have comfortable chairs to sit on. He has walked into the arena during lessons and meowed his approval. He has even left us presents already (one squirrel and a mole).

The cage is open for him to eat and drink out of at will – but he prefers the horse troughs for water. We have started to try to transition him to find his food and learn about the heated laundry room and the grain room (where it is safer to place food out of the reach of natural scavengers like raccoons). He is getting there….We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect cat. He is fitting in wonderfully.
Thanks again

#133-134 1 female & 1 male Black&grey&brown five month old siblings from Marcia a rescuer in Lawrence. The kittens were rescued in Pelham, NH and ironically ended up back in New Hampshire in a swell barn where they have chickens and horses for neighbors. 

Photo by Alyssa Harkness

2013

#135 An unadoptable male cat named Raven from the Medfield shelter to a barn in Billerica.

Raven wasn’t handling shelter life very well. They wrote us that the shelter stressed him out; he didn’t like to be petted and after three months he was pulling out his fur. We sent out some email queries and Raven caught a break. One beautiful Sunday in May, we picked him up and drove him to his new barn home. Check out the view-

We setup a double-cage for Raven. He is a pretty big cat and we felt he needed plenty of room.  He settled in pretty easily or so it seems. We brought along some Fancy Feast canned food and the minute we put it in the cage, he began to eat.

#136-137 2 female cats, 1 year old black and white stray and a 7 year old white and brown tabby from Animal Rescue League of Boston through Shelter Me Inc to a barn in Wrentham. Neither cat could handle shelter life. Here they are seen being greeted by the farm’s resident King Charles Spaniels.

We set the cats up in a double-acclimation cage-combing a kitty playpen with a dog crate.

The white and black cat happily began to eat almost immediately after entering her new temporary home. The older cat sat hiding in the corner.

But the cats were not too happy in the cage and the incredibly resourceful barn owner moved them into a room in his barn with a lookout onto the property. He placed chicken wire over the doors and his one of his dogs formed an attachment to one of the cats (and vice versa).

Photo credit: AKesmetis

People often ask  us how to keep their barn cats (and other outdoor cats) warm in winter…Below, we have gathered together information we received from our barn owners and from knowledgeable animal professionals who graciously share advice on Masscats.org (sources are cited)

Photo credit: Jeff Worth

By the way, if you click through to amazon - from our site - to order any supplies described below , Shelter Me Inc receives a commission at no cost to you. But please note that shipping can be incredibly expensive unless you join Amazon Prime (we paid $79 per year) That is the only way we could afford to buy 40 lb cages, for example, and many of these other supplies through Amazon: 

1a.Differences between hay and straw (advice from Susan on Masscats.org)

Lots of people accidentally use the terms “hay” and “straw” interchangably, but they are really two different things with different uses.I use both hay and straw on my farm. The hay is used for food, and the straw for protection from the elements. I bank bales of straw around the barns and various area to cut down on the cold, and I spread it on the ground to keep my flock from freezing their feet. I also use it in the barn to “bed” the goats and ducks. Straw is totally nutrition less, and thus I can not use it for food.

Hay will not provide the insulation feral cats need to help them keep warm. Straw, being hollow, traps the heat from the cat’s body and helps them keep warm. Similar situation when you dress in layers - you create pockets of trapped air that are filled with your body heat. Providing a place for them to get out of the wind/rain/snow, that has some insulation, and preferable where they can snuggle together is ideal.

(Some barn owners place these igloos in barns and stuff them with straw. The straw works really effectively as an insulator per the recommendations).

A heated disc warmer under the straw will help them build heat on those really cold nights. The discs do stay warm for a good long time.. . IF you can afford one! They are pretty pricey.

1b.  Where to buy the straw (advice from John on Masscats.org)

Any farm supply or horse supply like agway or natures best farm stand. I build the shelters for ferals and a bale should cost about 7 dollars and it will last a long time. use straw not hay.

 

 1.c. One of our favorite stories about keeping outdoor cats came to us from Susan Hoffman, a lovely woman in upstate New York who used the plastic dog houses to create a kitty condominium (so to speak) under her porch for three feral cats. 

Susan got three plastic dog houses and stuffed them with straw.

She also stuffed the straw under the crates and behind to insulate the cages from the concrete.

She wrapped plastic around the porch to keep the wind out.

About a week later, the cats burrowed in and made nests. The cats lived under her porch for eight years. 

When she went on vacation, she had friends who fed them every day.  When she made plans to retire and move to Florida, she was terribly anxious about what would happen to them. She contacted Shelter Me Inc and asked if we could find her a barn to relocate her feral friends. Would you believe we found one in the Adirondacks?  Click here to read the full story and see pictures posted in the video features section of our site.

2. Where to buy a snugglesafe Disc (advice from Judy on Masscats.org)

You can get the Sugglesafe Disc through http://www.jefferspet.com/ssc/product.asp?pf_id=998 This is a better price than Petsmart which has them without the cover for 39.00.

Amazon.com also appears to sell them for a decent price

2a. Shelter Me Inc bought these Lectro heated outdoor mats from amazon.com (on the recommendation of a barn cat owner and thought they worked great!)
They only warm up when the cat is actually sitting on them. They have a nice, long steel-wrapped cord. We placed a heated mat under the cat condo that the brown cat is sitting in. It warmed the rug-covered wood floor inside.

We are very fond of these cat condos. We have bought them time after time to place in acclimation cages and the cats fall in love with them and live in them long afterwards. They are very solid; rug covers a thick wood frame.

2.c. We are great believers in free feeding for barn cats. We buy these free feeders inexpensively at Amazon.  

 

3. Build an insulated pet house…or buy one already (partially) constructed… Visit FeralVilla.com.We took photos of the following flip-top shelter at the animal control shelter in Oxford, MA. Someone donated this neatly constructed house anonymously. The shelter staff found it at their front door; it is currently occupied by the resident outdoor cat, a calico who prefers to live outdoors.

Another helpful link: http://www.indyferal.org/index.php?page=shelters

4. Heated water bowls are really great for winter. You can buy them for as little as $20 on amazon.com and they are very low voltage and have steel insulated cords, which appears to make them goat-proof.

5. We have bought more acclimation cages than we can count. We loan them out to barn owners. Numerous articles and videos on our website share insights about where to place the cages in the barn (e.g., near fresh air, light, a window for visual stimulation and in the midst of barn traffic to get the cats acquainted to life in their new environment) and for how long (about 5 weeks). 

The barn cage pictured in the middle below combines two crates- the large kitty playpen (52×36x26) lower left - and a smaller double-door cage lower right– to provide a separate area for the litter box, heated water bowl and food. In this case the cage was to hold two feral kittens for 8 weeks or more in the winter time and we wanted to give the cats more room to play.

We go to great lengths to ensure that the cats have all they need in the cage during the acclimation period…
Check out these puffy cat beds. They are a great value - especially when you compare them to the much flimsier beds that the pet chains sell at higher prices. We place these in the cat crates whenever we can.

If you purchase any of the items below after clicking through the listings

– Shelter Me Inc. will receive a commission AT NO ADDITIONAL COST TO YOU and we will put the money back into our barn cat program.

Here are photos of the set-up of the acclimation cage (in use) that we loan out for barn cats - cages are 52 inches high x 36 inches wide x 26 inches deep…We also use them for fostering semi-feral kittens in the house.

Heated drinking bowls are essential for barn cars in winter. Our barn cat owners recommended these; we tried them ourselves and like them a lot. Right around $20 seems a fair price to us for a 1 quart bowl. Cats drink a lot of water, so that is a minimum size-wise and we change it every day to keep it fresh.

One of our barn cat owners recommended the Lectro brand heated outdoor pad. We bought two and are using one right now in an acclimation cage for two cats. They seem to like it a lot. It stays just warm enough to be cozy; uses a minimal amount of electricity and has a wire insulated cord. We placed it on one of the shelves in an acclimation cage - we wanted to keep it away from the water bowl. We bought the small one.

Very recently, we bought a free-feeder for an acclimation cage. It works really nicely. The cats were really underweight and too shy to eat in front of us, so we wanted to make the dry food as accessible as possible. There are lots of different brands. We would not recommend anything over $25. These are plastic and do not have to be fancy. After you let the cats out of their acclimation cage, you can continue to use it as long as it is placed on a shelf (per the example) and not on the ground.

Whenever we place kittens or any cat, really, in an acclimation cage in a barn in the winter, we always feel like we are overspending when we buy special houses like these in the big pet chains. They can cost us $40 or more; that is a lot of money and we give them away to the barn owners because we know the cats love them. Lately, we have been purchasing a couple of these at a time in advance on Amazon for $15-$20! Same quality; big saving. The cats love these and they last a long, long time. The double condo is a great price- much cheaper than buying two and stacking them.

On his way to examine an acclimation cage for a barn cat.

Singlehandedly stopping a stampeding horse.

Greeting a new barn cat and the resident cocker spaniel.

Barn owner showing him a pet rabbit (who isn’t interested in a meeting).

Telling a Yorkshire Terrier to get lost.

A veteran cat rescuer shows us a new barn kitten. He looks worried.

Trying to intimidate a tough Boston Terrier in the park. Those little terriers don’t scare easily.

Sparking the curiosity of a Great Dane.

He came to us with the name Whisky. We adopted him at the grand old age of 8. 

We were able to pull his original cage card from a shelter in Indiana–thanks to an assist from the Canine Express. They saved him from being euthanized in Indiana by driving him all the way to the Baypath Humane Society in Massachusetts. Somebody adopted him from them and kept him for a couple years before they surrendered him to an animal control office; we took him home from there.

If you want to send us photographs of dogs you have rescued (jpegs via email to sandy@sheltermeinc.org)  we will be glad to post them here.

Shelter Me, Inc. helps other licensed rescue groups place their ‘hard-to-adopt’ cats in barns. The “barn” cats  typically fall into two categories-

Strays, semi-feral, ferals. These animals do not/cannot adapt well to indoor life.

Cats that are afraid of people. Scaredy cats.  They are not lap cats. They have a limited tolerance for petting.  

Can individuals surrender cats with behavior problems to Shelter Me, Inc?

·       Unfortunately, we don’t have the capacity to “vet” cats ourselves and can only take them in from licensed rescue groups. We have helped many different licensed rescue** organizations place their ‘unadoptable’ cats in barn homes. (Many of these groups also have their own barn cat programs.)

     **Animal Rescue League of Boston; Billerica Cat Care Coalition, Charles River Alleycats; Feline Friends of NH; International Animal Rescue; Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society; MSPCA/Methuen; Scituate Animal Shelter; Standish Humane Society; Worcester Animal Rescue League.

Are the barn cats spayed/neutered?

·      Yes. Cats in the barn cat program have papers that certify that they are spayed/neutered, vaccinated for distemper and rabies, and double-negative for FIV/FELV. We give these papers to the barn owners who adopt the cats to ensure they have complete medical records.

How does Shelter Me, Inc. find barns?

·      The barns are not easy to find. Essentially, they find us through equine sites, through the videos on our website, and through word-of-mouth from other barn cat owners.

How we determine what cats go to which barns…

·       The barn may have a cat already established on their property; if it is a male, we have found it is useful to bring in a submissive female and vice versa.

·         In barns with lots of activity, we have found that young cats, especially sibling pairs or bonded pairs, seem to be able to adjust fairly well to challenging new circumstances.

·         Frankly, all kinds of cats have adjusted well in our barn program – as long as they are bonded pairs (or singles that don’t like other cats).  We have not had much luck with unbonded pairs.

·         We specialize in finding barn homes for hard-to-adopt cats, but not cats we know to be actively aggressive toward people.

Can a barn request a specific color or age of cat?

·       It never hurts to ask if we know of a coon cat that needs a barn home or an orange cat, but if someone has a very specific requirement in terms of color – we are not likely to be able to help. We are trying to save cats that have no place to go. The most important things are that they not be aggressive to people and have lived outside before. We place them in barns that have rodent problems with owners who are prepared to provide lifetime care.

What about (feral) barn kittens?

·      We are always very cautious about settling kittens in a barn. Kittens require quite a bit of attention – kittens need to be fed high-protein kitten food until they are six months of age – four times a day.

·      We prefer to place kittens in a barn with lots of animal traffic and humans coming and going to increase the intensity of the acclimation process. We often try to place kittens where there is an established adult cat to ‘show them the ropes,’ so to speak.

There are many more posts in our barn cat series - click any of the following titles for additional information -  acclimating barn cats - releasing the cats - how to apply for a shelter me barn cat - keeping cats warm in winter - providing raccoon proof feeding -  items to purchase for the acclimation cage for the barn cats