How To Set Up Your Barn Cat For Success

Releasing cats into a barn without proper acclimation can be a death sentence.

Imagine if someone drove YOU to the middle of nowhere and dropped you on 100 acres and said "This is your home". Or someone dumped you into a barn and said, "This is your home!"........ What would you do in that situation? You would probably try to leave, right? Maybe, you would try to find your old house? Or your friends? Or family?

Cats do the same.

Cats MUST be acclimated before being released. It is recommended to do a full 4-5 weeks of acclimation before releasing them... Acclimation is where you give the cats everything that they could need to settle in safely: Food/water/litterbox/warm place to snuggle up and sleep at night. The cats need to be able to see where they are so when they are released, they know exactly where they are.... Caring for them during this time, allows the cats to build trust with you.

Cats should be placed in groups of 2 or more. The cats are more likely to stay put if they have friends or family with them.

Here are a few examples of acclimation crates. The larger the crate the better (zip tying two crates together .... makes for a roomy stay!).... The smallest crate that we recommend is 48 inches. You want enough room that the cats can, safely, move away from you while you clean their space. I find that it is MUCH easier to care for the cats if the crate is off the ground. On a table/desk so you can avoid crawling on the floor. Also cats just really prefer to be up higher

The setup is almost always the same.... You want their hidey hole/cozy sleeping spot (a cat carrier, a box, a cat house) facing away from the door so when you clean, the cats do not feel trapped or unsafe. You want their food/water/litterbox close to the door for easy cleaning. Large heavy bowls for food/water so the bowls do not spill. I prefer a high sided litterbox. Use pine pellet litter...instead of clay litter....  as it is easier to clean and it costs $12 per bag.

As always, barn homes should be a LAST RESORT. Never a convenience - Barn homes should only be utilized for cats without options.