Working Cat Barn Program
Heartland sometimes receives semi-social/semi-feral cats or cats with behavioral issues (i.e., inappropriate urination) that make them unsuitable candidates for adoption into family homes.
Our Working Cat Barn Program was developed for the purpose of finding homes at barns, warehouses, farms and other safe locations for cats that have been determined to be not fit for our standard adoption program for indoor pets.
Why Adopt a Barn Cat?
Barn Cats provide numerous benefits to their caretakers and environment!
They offer safe and cost-effective control of rodent populations without the use of poisons/pesticides for children and pets to get into, or the need to set annoying and nasty traps. Not only will they keep the rodents away, but you will have the rewarding experiencing of saving a life by providing them with a safe and caring home.
All cats in our Working Barn Program receive the following vetting:
Wellness exam
Spay/Neuter
Ear tip (universal sign of an altered cat) and/or microchip
Initial vaccinations (Rabies, Feline Leukemia/FVRCP)
Flea treatment
What is Your Responsibility?
Providing a warm, secure, dry building or space for shelter from the elements and predators is essential.
The space and ability to keep new Barn Cats confined to a sheltered, small, enclosed area or large dog crate (with clean litter box and food/water) for up to three weeks to acclimate them to their new environment before release.
Regular/daily food and water.
Monitoring and providing for the safety and well-being of the cats.
Willingness to vaccinate the cats once every three years (by trapping, if necessary) and provide licensed veterinary care in the event of severe injury or illness.
What to Expect From a Barn Cat
Most of the cats that we place into our Working Cat program have not been socialized around people, so they are likely to be aloof and skittish and will avoid contact with humans. All they want from you is safe shelter and a regular food/water source; otherwise, they’ll mind their own business and focus on their job at hand - rodent patrol.
It’s unlikely that people with allergies will be affected by these cats as they live outside and prefer not to come in contact with people. Over time, they may become a bit more social once they build a rapport with the people they are familiar with, but each cat is different and their comfort level with people will vary.
Adoption Fee
While we do not assess an actual adoption fee for our Barn Cats, we do appreciate donations in any amount to help us cover the costs associated with vetting and care of our animals.
NOTE: Heartland typically adopts out barn cats in pairs, so each Working Barn Cat adoption includes two cats. Single barn cats may be adopted out on a case-by-case basis to barn homes that already have working cats, or if the barn cat needs to be in a single-cat environment.