All cats you receive from MMF (Medina Meow Fix) will need to complete a critically needed 30-day acclimation period, NO EXCEPTIONS! Either you will provide a tack room or large dog kennel (you may borrow a kennel from MMF as well if available) that houses a litter pan, food dish, waterer and in winter a foam shelter to acclimate/contain the cat to the new environment. It takes a minimum of 30 days for a felines mind set to change and feel this is their new home and haven. This is the best chance for the cat to stay at your property, which is our goal, as well as yours. We always try and place at least 2 cats per barn, not 1. Single cats tend to leave, while a pair does much better. During this 30-day acclimation period, you are expected to clean litter, feed and water daily. Get to know your new cats, this will help them become familiar with you and increase their interest in remaining on your property. Spray cat nip or sprinkle it around, give some canned food, treats and make their environment welcoming. Please be careful as they might try to escape and go slow feeding and cleaning, do not try and pet them with your hands, use a cat feather toy or extended back scratcher instead. Keep a weather appropriate sheet/blanket over the top of the crate for the first week, this helps them feel safe. These cats are very nocturnal, and they come alive at night. If you can NOT do this, please do not sign up for a barn cat from our organization.
Upon release of cats AFTER the acclimation period, please leave crate opened for a week so they may come and go from it, and the goal once again is to have them remain on your property, and not roam back to where they came from. You may not see them for a day or they might be right back upon release. If borrowed from us, please clean the crate and arrange with us to return.
All barn cats are required to be fed cat food daily, with a clean, fresh water source as well. NO EXCEPTIONS! They will still hunt and do their job. Most do it for fun anyway, as they are predators.
All barn cats must have a safe place to sleep; straw in a straw loft, enclosed heated cat houses, etc. They must be able to escape predators and be out of the elements. Locking them in a tack room at night is idea or keeping them in a closed barn at night. Many barn cats are killed due to coyote attacks as well as encounters with wildlife such as raccoons and bobcats, or venturing out into roads and hit by cars, etc. This process also helps keep veterinary bills as low as possible, and also helps ensure your new barn cats remain on your property.
MMF has the right to contact any barn home to check up and see how you and the cats are doing. Please always feel free to reach out and call us!! We want the transition to be successful for barn owners and cats placed. We want you to have great cats for many years doing their job!
Flea meds and wormer are truly important for the health and longevity of your new barn cat. We offer them at MMF if in stock or we have a link on our Facebook page as well. You can order a once-a-month edible that you mix in a can of food for each cat and that gives 30-day protection for fleas. The link sells an “all in one” wormer to mix with food also. Hunting cats need protection because most mice have tape worms. It is best to provide this simple, easy to administer treatment which keeps them healthy.
Please make sure you ARE NOT using poison or traps on your farm. We CANNOT allow cats to go to farms that set racoon traps or use bait poison. The rodents ingest the poison, the cat eats the rodent and gets poisoned as well, resulting in a horribly painful, preventable death to the cat. We can always provide more cats for additional rodent protection, if necessary. If trapping for a racoon/possum issue, please contain the cats in a secured, safe area while doing so.
MMF offers this amazing service free of charge. We want you to have a great working relationship with your cat. Many of these cats would be unnecessarily euthanized due to no fault of their own, just because they are not “cuddly cats”, who are not suited for adoption into indoor homes. Everything has a purpose in life, as these cats do, and they will do their job and provide safety into your barn for a long time!
Thank you for your interest in our life saving program! Together, we can save innocent cats lives, provide much needed rodent control, and enjoy the mutual benefits produced through this program. Please feel free to pass this information on to others you may know, who may be seeking the same benefits which brought you here to our wonderful program.