Not every cat is meant for this type of lifestyle. Some personality traits, such as enjoying the company of humans and other animals, might mean your feline is more suited for the housecat life. Certain health issues also might warrant keeping your kitty indoors.

It’s important to determine if your cat is actually cut out for the barn cat life or if they should head indoors for a housecat retirement. By evaluating your feline friend’s health and behavior, you’ll have a pretty good idea of where your cat should live.

Consider Your Cat’s Personality Traits

Usually, cats who end up as barn cats are either feral or wild strays.

“Feral cats are truly a wild animal and are born to be an outdoor cat,” says Sandra C. Mitchell, DVM, DABVP, owner of All Creatures Veterinary Services in Bangor, Maine. “On the other hand, wild strays may be familiar with people and handling but can become stressed by too much contact and may panic at the sight of a closed door.”

Some cats also might show up at your barn and be extremely friendly right off the bat. In those cases, Dr. Mitchell recommends scanning the cat for a microchip at her first veterinary visit. This will help determine if the cat is lost and has a loving parent looking for her.

While each cat is unique, Dr. Mitchell provides some general traits to consider when determining if your cat is meant to be indoors.

Common Traits of Indoor Cats

• Social
• Craves attention and interaction
• Likes to play with people and other cats
• Treat motivated
• Comfortable with handling

Common Traits of Barn Cats

• Does not enjoy spending time with people
• Not social; prefers to avoid other cats and animals
• Rodent hunter
• Difficult to handle/prefers to not be touched
• Stressed by captivity/closed doors

Use this as a helpful guide to determine barn cat behavior traits, but remember, there are exceptions to every rule. In the end, it comes down to what makes your individual cat happy.

Evaluate Your Cat’s Health

Cat health care is extremely important, and there are several health issues that might preclude your pets from being barn cats. With certain illnesses, you’ll want to convert your feline from the outdoor life to the indoors for good.

“The big ones that cats should not be allowed out with are Feline Leukemia [FeLV] and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus [FIV],” Dr. Mitchell says.

Both conditions are transmittable and can affect other cats in the area. Dr. Mitchell recommends getting your working cats tested for both of these illnesses every year. If any of your barn cats end up contracting either condition, immediately transition her to an indoor-only cat.

Other health issues that need regular medical attention and would require your cat to stay indoors are:

• Conditions that require medications on a schedule. Examples are diabetes, hyperthyroidism and cancer.
• Kidney disease and other conditions that can worsen from heat or cold stress.
• Heart disease and other health problems that can change rapidly.

Even if your barn cat’s health is excellent, Dr. Mitchell recommends staying on top of preventative care just as you would for an indoor cat.

“To have healthy barn cats, these animals should be spayed/neutered, receive all of their vaccines and receive monthly anti-parasite drops,” she says, adding that “sending a cat outdoors does not mean the owner is not still responsible for good health care. Cats that are put out to work in the barn need as much [if not] more care than the average house cat.”

Since barn cats are exposed to a lot outdoors—from predators to illness to injury—they may have a higher risk of illness and parasites.

Transitioning Your Barn Cat to the Indoors

Have you decided to move your barn cat indoors as your new roomie? If so, Dr. Mitchell says “cold turkey” is the best way to convert an outdoor cat to a house cat, especially if she has a contagious disease like FeLV.

Another option is to wait until the winter to convert your barn cat to an indoor-only cat, because cats don’t mind staying in to keep warm. Yet another way is to gradually work on keeping her indoors. In this instance, you would allow your cat to spend her days outdoors but bring her in at night. Extend the duration you keep her inside until you’ve fully transitioned her from an outdoor cat to an indoor cat.

“There is no perfect way [to transition a barn cat inside],” Dr. Mitchell says. “And, no, it isn’t always a smooth transition…it just takes fortitude to know you are making the best decision for your cat.”

It all comes down to your cat and her current situation. You can speak with your veterinarian to help decide on the best way to transition your cat.

If you want your newly indoor cat to still enjoy all the outdoors offers, consider transforming your patio into an enclosed catio for your cat. You also can get cat supplies to help your cat safely enjoy nature, like a cat window perch from which to view the outdoors or a cat stroller for walks around the neighborhood. And if your cat isn’t suffering from a contagious illness, you can try walking her on a leash and harness for outdoor adventures.

Caring for Your Barn Cats

If your barn cat fits the outdoor lifestyle she’s been living, take a minute to evaluate how you’ve been caring for her. She needs provisions for a warm and dry place to sleep, a safe shelter, thawed water and accessibility to cat food.

Make sure you have the necessary cat supplies, such as cat litter boxes, food bowls and cat beds, to provide your barn cat with a comfortable, safe place to come “home” to when she’s not out working. The more spoiled your barn kitty is, the happier she will be, Dr. Mitchell adds.

Keep potentially hazardous horse supplies and other farm items out of your cat’s reach.

“I’ve seen cats poisoned—sometimes fatally—by ingesting some of the very concentrated medications [that are] designed for large animals,” Dr. Mitchell says.

Prevent this by keeping medications indoors or in an enclosed area your cat cannot access.

Whether your pets are barn cats or house cats, the best thing to do is to pay attention to their behavior and be proactive about their health. This will enable you to determine the most suitable lifestyle for your feline companions.

The post Is My Cat a Barn Cat or a House Cat? appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Dog, Horse and Rider Safety Concerns

It makes sense for your barn to cater to your horse’s needs more so than your pup’s. But, if your barn is not set up with your dog in mind, your dog, your horse or even you could end up injured.

The biggest concern is when the dog is not respecting the horse’s space, which can cause your horse to bolt, shy away or hurt the dog, explains Dr. Katherine Albro Houpt, VMD, Ph.D., DACVB, a semi-retired veterinarian with Cornell University and Orchard Park Veterinary Medical Center in Buffalo, New York.

Both visual and auditory stimuli, like your dog barking and running toward the horse, can result in your horse instinctively reacting to the situation, Dr. Houpt says.

This concern is not something to take lightly, says Irith Bloom, a certified professional dog trainer and owner of The Sophisticated Dog training company in Los Angeles, California.

“A dog chasing a horse puts both animals—as well as the rider on the horse—in a very dangerous situation,” Bloom says. “A spooked horse may bolt, throw the rider, or injure himself. Some horses will even attack when threatened. A horse can kill a dog with a well-aimed kick, or simply by trampling it.”

If there is any risk that a dog will start chasing a horse, Bloom recommends keeping the dog far away from your horse at all times, for both of their sakes.

So, how does one do that? Dr. Houpt suggests setting up an invisible fence at home so your dog cannot get to your horses. Or keep your dog on a leash or in a secure area. Training may help, too (more on that later). Bottom line: If you can’t control your dog, Dr. Houpt says it’s best not to bring him to the barn.

Potential Hazards Around the Barn

In addition to your horse, there are a number of items around the barn that could harm your dog.

If left unsupervised, your dog might eat some horse supplies, which may upset his stomach—or even worse, could be toxic if ingested.

“Horse medication could be toxic,” Dr. Houpt says. “If a 10-pound dog ate a 1,000-pound horse’s medication, it could certainly cause serious issues.”

Other items that your dog might sample include hoof trimmings, horse feed and manure, she adds.

There also is a possibility that your dog could run away or get hit by farm machinery, like a tractor, if left unattended at the barn. Farm machinery can be extremely unsafe and can severely cut or crush your dog, Dr. Houpt warns.

Because there are so many risks that come with having your dog unsupervised while on the loose, the smartest thing to do is to confine him in a safe space.

“You shouldn’t leave your dog unattended at the barn,” Dr. Houpt says. “If anything, you should leave him in a box stall to enclose him when you cannot supervise him.”

She suggests giving your dog a toy or chew to keep him occupied while confined.

“If you are going to confine your dog, I would leave him with something he really likes, like a KONG filled with cheese or something really good that will take him a long time to really finish,” she says.

Beyond preventative measures, there are also training techniques you can work on with your dog to help keep him safe.

Training Your Dog to Be Barn Ready

The best thing to do to get dogs ready for the barn is to properly train them for any situation that could occur. Here are some training commands Bloom recommends for barn dog safety:

Barn Dog Safety: Reliable Recall (aka coming when called)

“A reliable recall is useful on trail rides, so you can call the dog back to you,” Bloom explains. “It’s also useful in other contexts, since you may need to call the dog away from a horse or other animal.”

Start with your dog on a leash and say your dog’s name and the command “come.” Give your dog praise as he starts to move toward you. Provide treats as a reward upon arrival. Increase distance as your dog improves.

Barn Dog Safety: Waiting for Permission

You should also teach your dog to wait for permission before going through gates or entering paddocks and stalls, explains Bloom.

To teach your dog to stay, ask him to sit and then give him a treat when he listens. Repeat but delay the giving of the treat. Once your dog can hold a sit for at least 15 seconds, use the command “stay” or “wait.” Then, after the appropriate amount of time, say your release command (e.g. “OK” or “Go”) and toss treats so that your dog has to get up to retrieve them.

Barn Dog Safety: “Leave It” Cue

“A good ‘leave it’ is a great skill for any dog,” Bloom says. “When trained, it can be used to keep a dog out of a lot of trouble.”

You can use the “leave it” cue to keep a dog from ingesting things like horse poop, rolling in manure or chasing other farm animals, Bloom adds.

Hold a treat out in a closed hand off to the side. Wait for your dog to look away from the treat (or better yet, make eye contact with you). As soon as your dog looks at your face, click and reward with a treat from the other hand. Once your dog has gotten used to looking at you, not the treat, add the command “leave it” when you put your closed hand out with the treat inside. So, say your leave it cue, you put your arm out to the side, your dog looks at you, and you click and then reward with a treat from the other hand.

Trust Your Instincts and Know Your Dog

As much fun as it can be to hang out with dogs and horses at the same time, some dogs just aren’t cut out for the barn life.

“Dogs that have a strong prey drive aren’t always great around the barn,” Bloom warns. “While some of these dogs confine their predatory behavior to appropriate targets, such as rodents and coyotes, others will chase anything and everything, including horses.”

Another indicator that your dog may not be meant for the barn is if your dog gets anxious and barks a lot. This type of behavior can create problems around the barn, Bloom says.

If you’re planning to bring your dog to the barn for the first time to see how it goes, you must take the time to prepare your dog for the barn beforehand.

“Before bringing a dog to the barn for the first time, train a great recall and a strong leave it. And the first time you visit, keep your dog on leash, just in case,” Bloom stresses.

As long as you trust your instincts, know your dog, plan ahead and prepare the barn for everyone’s safety, there is a good chance that your dogs and horses could be at the barn together in peace and harmony.

The post Keeping Your Dog Safe at the Barn appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.