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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP, I advise you to call the local stables and ask if they will accept a vaccinated, spayed barn cat (emphasis spayed).  This is a great life for a cat!

I grew up on a horse farm and remember several of my parents' friends giving us their cats-with-issues to live as barn cats, and I named/loved/played with each one.  Our stable had a heated tack room with a cat flap, but the cats loved to nest down in hay, and one of them even slept on top of a horse in the winter.  I would see them hunting in the fields, and we took them all to be vaccinated each year, and had them spayed/neutered.  This is NOT the same as leaving the cat outdoors/to the elements.  Our barn cats lived very, very long lives (the oldest was 18, I think) and were happy.  If you can find a stable (commercial barn or otherwise), this is your best bet.  They won't care about your cats peeing problem because the cat can pee outside.  Every stable needs barn cats to keep the rodents at bay.  You can find the stables listed in phone directories: check equestrian facilities, etc.[/quote]

This cat doesn't sound like it would tolerate that environment. [/quote]

I don't see why not.  If the cat wanted to lounge indoors, it could, and it could also go outside whenever it wanted.  And stables usually have a lot of animal-loving young girls around, so if it wanted some attention, it could have that too.  [/quote]

An elderly, anxious, single cat who has been indoors its whole life? Give me a break.[/quote]

^^This.

I have experience working at barns and taking care of barn cats, and frankly it is not the “fabulous” life for some cats.  Sure, some thrive in that environment, but some do not.  Some cannot adjust to outdoor life.  Especially if there are several cats already living there and end up fighting to establish a pecking order.  Also, not all barns take care of their cats well.  I seriously doubt this cat would adjust to being a barn cat.

OP, I absolutely feel for you.  I recently took in a stray that appears to be a very sweet cat, but come to find out it has a terrible diarrhea problem.  I will throw all the money I can to fix the problem, but frankly if I cannot fix it, I will euthanize him.  I will not take him to a rescue group or shelter and add to their burden.  I have done my share of rescue/rehab and you can’t save them all.

OP, she is 13 years old, you gave her a decent life.  Do what you have to do.[/quote]

It really depends on the barn, too.  If the barn isn't taking care of its cats, it isn't taking care of its horses properly, either.  Horses are very expensive and very delicate, and no responsible horse owner wants to expose their horses to other mammals that are diseased or sick, which is why responsible horse owners also care for the cats.  Barns that don't care for them are also barns that don't properly clean their tack after each use, or groom their horses properly each day, and I've seen that a lot too.  Also, barn cats are not living an "outdoor life": they have a huge building with free access at all times, and a tack room should be heated at a reputable barn.  If the horses are well cared-for and the owners aren't cutting corners there, the cats should be fine, too.  [/quote]

Yes, I know horses are expensive and very delicate....  :roll:

A good barn would also make efforts to limit their cat population to ensure that they could maintain the quality of life for those cats.  So scouting out barns to re-home the cat is not as easy as it sounds unless you are already familiar with the barn, you don’t know how they take care of their animals.  Additionally, I have experienced some barns that treat their horses meticulously but do not extend that to their barn cats.  So is the OP going to “interview” each barn she visits to ensure “5 star care” for her cat??

Lastly, this particular cat does not appear to have the personality trait to live outside.  Why would you subject a cat to the extraordinary stress of outdoor life when it is already has an anxious personality??

OP, I support your decision.  I would do the same.[/quote]

I live on a horse farm.  Please don't listen to that original PP.  I don't want your effing cats.  I have rehomed five drop-offs in the last four years, assholes throwing out their unwanted cats on my driveway, where they wander up to the house a few days later (half a mile away) starved, dehydrated and desperately scared and looking for human help.  If they don't go the wrong way and get hit by a car.

I already have three inside cats and a barn cat, a barn cat that is happy to rip your cat's face off if he finds it in his space, and I don't need to have to take care of yours, too.  Also, I paid to have all of those cats spayed or neutered and their shots done, because apparently people think horse people must just LOVE KITTENS!!!! Well, we don't.  The coyotes around here do, though, I am sure.  I hate people that drop cats off.[/quote]

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