Question:
I have about 15 barn cats that are in the barn with my horse and they are starting to loose hair around there hind legs. Some of these cats I can't catch and some of them are pregnant. What could they have? Is there anything that I could give them that wouldnt cost too much? Would this spread to my horse and my dog? Also I have a male, part siameese, cat that I have to hid the kittens from because he will eat them alive? Is that normal cat behaviour?

Answer:
Originally posted by sweetie_0428
I have about 15 barn cats that are in the barn with my horse and they are starting to loose hair around there hind legs. Some of these cats I can't catch and some of them are pregnant. What could they have? Is there anything that I could give them that wouldnt cost too much? Would this spread to my horse and my dog? Also I have a male, part siameese, cat that I have to hid the kittens from because he will eat them alive? Is that normal cat behaviour?

Not normal human behavior. Sorry, could not resist.

I would start by spaying/neutering the cats. Trap them if you have to. You have a good start on over population going on in your barn....odds are the more the cats, more problems.

Your male siamese may be trying to do this himself!

What area are you in and do you have a flea problem? losing hair in the hind region could be from a flea allergy. Could be many things ....a skin scraping is in order for these cats.

Answer:
Originally posted by Laura05
spaying and neutering 15 cats would be quite expensive. Sometimes people see a barn and just drop cats off. That happens to us all the time. At one time we had about 20 cats outside. No they were not our cats.. we did not want 20 cats. There is no way I would spend all that money and s/n a bunch of wild cats. I don't know what the prices are where you live but here neutering is $30.00 and spaying is $55.00 ... so say all of the cats were boys... that is $450.00 and if they are all girls it would be $825.00!! That is a lot of money!! Like I said some of us just get these cats dumped on us. I realize there is a pet population problem... but I am not going to go broke trying to solve it. We neuter/spay our pets... the ones we pick out..not the ones someone decides to dump on us.
You do realize the problem will only grow, right? I see your location is in the us, there are programs in place, "barn cat's" without sterilization, testing for FELV/FIV and Vaxs WILL only mass produce and become other peoples problems....you are only adding to the problem. Please check into these programs offered through HS or your local Universitys.

Answer:
Yes, several municipalities have in place a TNR (Trap, Neuter, Release) programs to deal with feral cats.

I too live in an area where cats are regularly dumped on farms and in barns. You can start by calling your city hall and finding out about help with this.

Check on the net for TNR programs in your area.

If these cats are left intact, they will multiply faster than you can imagine.

Answer:
I'm sorry Laura05 but, quite frankly, you confuse me. In the General Forum you boast about all of the rescues you have taken in and how good of care you take of your animals but in this post I sense more than a hint of "not my problem" going on. Once you accept that an animal is living with you (barn or otherwise) it is now your responsibility - this includes feeding and vet care (including spaying and neutering). If you are not willing to accept responsibility for the animal, then it must be trapped and sent to a facility/resuce group that can provide work with it, try to adopt it out and ensure that it is treated properly. Oh, and before you tell me that I could not possibly know what it is like to have a barn with animals that are dropped off/strays since I live in the city, I will let you know that I was raised in the country (and my parents still live there), with a barn and barn cats that were/are all spayed/neutered, receive all shots, are fed premium food and are completely socialised. This included strays that stayed around for more than a week.

Sweetie_0428 - you have received some very good advice from the others on this forum. If you do not get your barn cat population in check now, you will certainly have a problem in the near future! As far as your horses catching what your cats have, I have never heard of this before but I suppose anything is possible. I have seen horses with flea problems (although rare) and they are certainly susceptable to skin problems such as ring worm. A vet will be able to answer this question to your satisfaction far better than I can.

Michelle

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Sweetie, I can't answer your question about whether or not the problem can be transfered to your horse. You would need to get at least one of the cats to a vet and find out what the problem is before anyone can tell you it's likelihood of danger to horses. About the last question, it does happen, male cats killing kittens. I believe it's a residual practice from when they were wild. Lions, tigers, cougars, and other large cats kill the kittens of other males and protect their own. It seems to be an instinct of theirs to want their genes, and no one else's, passed down.

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This- in the wild - is not that unusual. That is why mothers will chase and fight with their lives at stake to run off males from their young. A male lion will kill the young, even his own, if he can catch them unguarded by the mother. By killing the young the mother will stop producing milk and will cycle back into breeding mode faster. Mother nature's way of producing many young to replace those who don't survive, even their own parents.

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