# Farm cat > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Farm_cat > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Farm_cat.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farm_cat > Source revision: 1354206122 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Type of domestic cat}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}} thumb|upright|A feral farm cat, showing numerous healed injuries The '''farm cat''', also known as a '''barn cat''', is a [domestic cat](/source/domestic_cat), usually of [mixed breed](/source/Domestic_short-haired_cat), that lives primarily outdoors, in a [feral](/source/feral) or [semi-feral](/source/semi-feral) condition on agricultural properties, usually sheltering in outbuildings. They eat assorted [vermin](/source/vermin) such as rodents and other small animals that live in or around outbuildings and farm fields. The need for the [working cat](/source/working_cat) may have been the original reason cats were [domesticated](/source/domestication), to keep rodents from consuming or contaminating grain crops stored for later human consumption. They are still commonly kept for their effectiveness at controlling undesired vermin{{cite thesis |type=PhD| last1=Lambert|first1=Mark|title=Control of Norway Rats in the Agricultural Environment: Alternatives To Rodenticide Use|url=https://lra.le.ac.uk/bitstream/2381/27745/1/2003LambertMSPhD.pdf|publisher=University of Leicester|pages=85–103|language=English|format=Thesis|date=September 2003}}{{cite journal|last1=Davis|first1=David E.|title=The Use of Food as a Buffer in a Predator-Prey System|journal=Journal of Mammalogy|volume=38|issue=4|year=1957|pages=466–472|issn=0022-2372|doi=10.2307/1376399|jstor=1376399}}{{cite journal| author=Wodzicki K| title=Prospects for biological control of rodent populations. | journal=Bull World Health Organ | year= 1973 | volume= 48 | issue= 4 | pages= 461–7 | pmid=4587482 | pmc=2481104 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-feral-cats-rats-abatement-met-20160407-story.html|title=Feral cats weapon of choice for some residents facing influx of rats|first=Alexis|last=Myers|website=[Chicago Tribune](/source/Chicago_Tribune) |date=8 April 2016 }}{{cite web |url=https://kulturehub.com/pet-proof-cannabis-plants/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929030012/https://kulturehub.com/pet-proof-cannabis-plants/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=29 September 2020 |title = Pet-proof cannabis plants? Keep your animal BFFs from harming your crop| date=16 September 2020 }}{{cite web |url=https://www.barncatbuddies.org |title = Non-profit Organization {{!}} Barn Cat Buddies {{!}} Support Cats {{!}} Virginia}} found on [farm](/source/farm)s, [ranch](/source/ranch)es, [greenhouses](/source/greenhouses), and even [drug farms](/source/Illegal_drug_trade), which would otherwise eat or contaminate [crops](/source/crops), especially [grain](/source/cereal) or [feed](/source/fodder) stocks. ==History== Archeological evidence suggests that the earliest [domestication](/source/domestication) of [cat](/source/cat)s occurred about 7500 BC and was motivated by the human need to safeguard grain stores from rodents.{{Cite journal |last1=Driscoll |first1=Carlos A. |last2=Menotti-Raymond |first2=Marilyn |last3=Roca |first3=Alfred L. |last4=Hupe |first4=Karsten |last5=Johnson |first5=Warren E. |last6=Geffen |first6=Eli |last7=Harley |first7=Eric H. |last8=Delibes |first8=Miguel |last9=Pontier |first9=Dominique |last10=Kitchener |first10=Andrew C. |last11=Yamaguchi |first11=Nobuyuki |last12=O’Brien |first12=Stephen J. |last13=Macdonald |first13=David W. |date=27 July 2007 |title=The Near Eastern Origin of Cat Domestication |url=https://www.mobot.org/plantscience/resbot/repr/add/domesticcat_driscoll2007.pdf |journal=Science |volume=317 |issue=5837 |pages=519–523 |doi=10.1126/science.1139518 |issn=0036-8075 |pmc=5612713 |pmid=17600185|bibcode=2007Sci...317..519D }} ==Modern status== {{more citations needed section|date=June 2025}} Farm cats live in a variety of conditions. Some are [feral](/source/feral) with minimal human contact and no veterinary care, deriving sustenance solely from their role in lowering the [mouse](/source/mouse) and [rat](/source/rat) populations. Lack of a guaranteed food supply, internal parasites, and greater physical exertion tends to make these cats thinner than their [house cat](/source/house_cat) counterparts, with a shorter lifespan. Others are kept as free-ranging [pet](/source/pet)s, given freedom to roam, yet allowed inside to eat supplemental [cat food](/source/cat_food) on a regular basis and given routine veterinary care. Others live outdoors or in outbuildings full-time in semi-feral conditions, but are still tamed to be friendly toward humans and may be given basic veterinary care. All are subject to some risks inherent to outdoor life. Their prey may transmit [parasites](/source/parasites) and disease, they may be injured by various means, and they can be struck by vehicles. Also, farm cats often die from poisoning by eating the corpses of poisoned rodents. [Predation](/source/Predation) is also possible: cats are eaten by raccoons, owls, coyotes, and other animals that prey on creatures of their size. thumb|A tame barn cat, neutered, with access to supplemental cat food and regular veterinary care Some full-time outdoor cats are given cat food by property owners, either to encourage them to stay or due to humane motivations of not wanting thin, hungry, or sick animals on the property. Other property owners deliberately do not feed outside farm cats, in the belief{{cite news|last1=Engelhaupt|first1=Erika|title=Homeless Cats Recruited to Fight Rising Tide of Rats|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/feral-cat-washington-dogs-rat-control|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240630171752/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/feral-cat-washington-dogs-rat-control|url-status=live|url-access=registration|archive-date=30 June 2024|agency=National Geographic}} that they will not hunt rodents if they have supplemental food. Without supplementary food, cats will exterminate much of the local rodent population and move on, leaving only a temporary void. However, one concern with providing supplemental outdoor feed is that it can attract skunks, raccoons or other vermin. Farm cats originate from a variety of sources. Sometimes, populations are spontaneously established when abandoned or stray cats, uninvited by humans, move into areas where prey is available, such as [hay](/source/hay)stacks or farm outbuildings that contain stored crops or livestock [fodder](/source/fodder). In other cases, property owners obtain and release a few cats specifically for rodent control. Some animal shelters have Working Cat or "Barn Buddy"{{Cite news|url= https://www.edmonton.ca/residential_neighbourhoods/pets_wildlife/barn-buddy-program|title= City of Edmonton Barn Buddy Program|access-date=30 October 2021}}{{Cite news|url= https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/program-already-offered-elsewhere-in-canada-will-link-cats-with-island-barn-owners-1.6090379|title= 'Born mousers': Program links up feisty cats with P.E.I. barn owners|access-date=30 October 2021}}{{Cite news|url= https://bangordailynews.com/2021/04/02/homestead/barn-cats-are-the-homesteading-partners-you-didnt-know-you-need/|title= Barn cats are the homesteading partners you didn't know you need|access-date=30 October 2021|language=en}} programs that re-home neutered feral and semi-feral cats at barns, warehouses, stores, and more.{{Cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dont-bother-petting-these-cats-theyre-working/ |title=Don't bother petting these cats – they're working |access-date=23 October 2018 |language=en}} These programs have been growing in popularity in cities like Chicago, where rat problems are common.{{Cite web |url=https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20161028/uptown/feral-cat-demand-explodes-treehouse-humane-society-paws-chicago |title=Rat-Packed Chicago Has 3-Month Waitlist For Feral Cats As Demand 'Explodes'|website=DNAinfo Chicago|access-date=2018-10-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181023120335/https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20161028/uptown/feral-cat-demand-explodes-treehouse-humane-society-paws-chicago/|archive-date=23 October 2018|url-status=live}} If a population of feral adult female farm cats is high enough, a farm cat population can be self-sustaining. The females establish permanent homes in barns or other structures and raise repeated litters. Males may stay around if food is plentiful, though they tend to roam over a wider territory. Farm cat colonies can be subject to [inbreeding](/source/inbreeding), as a closed population may mate with one another's siblings, parents, or offspring. [Spaying](/source/Spaying) and [neutering](/source/neutering) prevent unwanted litters, overpopulation, and inbreeding. In some cases, feral animals are [trapped, spayed or neutered](/source/Trap%E2%80%93neuter%E2%80%93return), then re-released to keep their territory claimed and to prevent new, fertile strays from taking up residence. If given supplemental food or where rodents are plentiful, losses from predation or disease may be made up by new stray animals moving into the territory. If given no supplemental food, particularly in areas with many predators, farm cat populations may occasionally become [extirpated](/source/Local_extinction) if there are few nearby strays and a low breeding population. Predators, accidents, disease, parasites and hunger will all take a toll. More often, especially when supplemental food is provided, [overpopulation](/source/overpopulation_(biology)) is common, and losses then occur primarily due to disease or accidents, with predation playing a minor role—all insufficient to make a substantial dent in the population. Where numbers become an issue, some farm cat populations are controlled by shooting, poisoning, or trapping excess numbers. ==See also== *[Ship's cat](/source/Ship's_cat) *[Bodega cat](/source/Bodega_cat) *[Library cat](/source/Library_cat) ==References== {{Reflist}} == External links == * [https://countrysidenetwork.com/daily/livestock/livestock-livestock/how-to-raise-a-barn-cat/ Country Side Daily: How to Raise a Barn Cat Right] *[https://www.maddiesfund.org/how-to-create-a-successful-barn-cat-program.htm How To Create A Successful Barn Cat Program] * [https://timbercreekfarmer.com/the-care-and-feeding-of-barn-cats/ Timber Creek Farm: The Care and Feeding of Barn Cats] {{Cat nav}} {{Portal bar|Cats}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Farm Cat}} Category:Working cats --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Farm cat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farm_cat) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farm_cat?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.