You should see if a local shelter has a feral cat program. Our Humane Society (even though it's ineffective and has a high kill rate) has in the past run a "Barn Buddies" program where they spay/neuter and vaccinate unhomeable cats for barn cats. It's important to provide for them though. You'd have to keep water thawed for them in the winter and maybe a neighbour could drop off a bucket of cat food once a week in the winter.

If you're really serious about treating feral cats like disposable trash though, no I don't think that's a good idea, I think it's horrifying.

I would get several cats. I don't see why it would be illegal. They will need a water source tho. Can you install a small pond?

northspruce,

Well the way I look at it is that if the feral cats are going to be treated like unwanted trash by another landowner, they may have better chances on my acreage where there is plenty of food and plenty of space to establish a territory without fear of being trapped and sent to a shelter to be euthanized.

Cats would probably be a good resort for you. If you don't have a whole pile you can get some very large self feeders, I would say you could easily have a couple months of food for 3-5 cats if you picked up a few of them. There are also larger, albeit more expensive, electronic feeders that would put food out at your specified interval.

They are also available for water, I remember seeing one that was about 20 gals.

For insurance purposes don't you have someone checking on your place within your companies allotted period? If so they could replenish food and water, as needed. If not can I get your address? LOL

If you go this route please ensure you spay/neuter them or you will go from a rodent to a cat problem. I have to deal with my neighbours problem cats all the time.

Good luck

SCG

^ What SCG said. They need to be neutered and spayed and healthy, or you're going to have a feral cat problem, breeding out of control and carrying diseases.

I didn't mean to be rude but your original post did kind of make them sound disposable. If you provide food, water and shelter through the worst months you can ignore them the rest of the year and they don't have to have a high mortality rate.

I volunteer at a cat shelter so I have a bit more of a "crazy cat lady" perspective than most.

I would get 5-6 cats, provide them with enough food that they'll still eat the rodents, supply water, and your problem will be much more tolerable. The cost of providing automatic food and water while you're gone must by far outweigh the cost of the damage the rodents will cause.

FWIW, the gravity feeders for both water and food are very cheap ($20 or so). The automatic feeder I was referring too was one designed for chickens and, although quite a few years ago, was $150. I remember it would hold 5 sacks of pelleted feed/corn. Enough to probably last a couple months for a quite a few cats. For water you could step up to the large animal gravity water tanks and have enough as well.

For me it wouldn't be the damage but rather having the disease infected rodents around. Look up hantavirus. It is not something to not worry about.

SCG

My 3 ferals are neutered. One is tame enough to pet and the others look like they wanna be, but they are scared. In 2 years they are getting more used to us and we can get closer. They eat grasshoppers too.

Thanks for the suggestions. I didn't know the feeders would last two months, which is great to know! Now I just need to find a shelter that adopts out neutered or spayed ferals.

I tried to resist, but must post here. First, even feral cats need a shelter in which to sleep, and thawed water, and food. Yes, they will mouse for you out of instinct and need for food. But they still need a dry, out of the wind enclosure in which to sleep and stay out of severe weather. Second, putting out vast quantities of cat food is only going to do one thing: attract more animals, including the ones you strive to get rid of. The cats are not going to sit and guard that pile of food to prevent rodents and other critters from helping themselves. If you adopt an animal, you legally own it. If you are feeding even a feral animal, the law recognizes you as the owner. And if you do not provide food, water and shelter, legal charges could be brought on you, even though you might argue that they were feral. I do not think the law would make this distinction. If you have a rodent problem, you would be better served by analyzing what the rodents are finding so wonderful about your property. They thrive where the conditions favor their survival. Is there abundant food, shelter, cover from predators? Remove their food source and they will find somewhere else to raise their young. A cat is not likely to hang around just because you think the mouse population favors their survival. I would seriously pursue other means of getting rid of your rodents. And please do not resort to poisons because you will inadvertently kill animals you never intended to kill, like domestic and wild animals that prey on these species. I think there are better solutions here.

mylittlefrozenpond

No disrespect but nobody is suggesting leaving these animals in the harsh winter. The discussion was how to keep them fed and watered while the OP was on holidays.

I am not sure if you have ever lived in the country or on a farm but the mere presence of a cat deters rodents. When I don't have a cat I have mice issues, in my food, in my bed etc. When I have a cat, even if not a mouser, I have zero issues. My two cats are so old now can barely catch the food bowl but I still don't have rodents.

You are right in that rodents thrive when conditions are right. By putting up out buildings and gardening you are providing them with shelter from predators and weather plus giving them food. Perfect conditions. You can remove all the buildings and gardens to deter them, but I don't think that is viable.

You are also absolutely right that a cat won't hang around only for the mouse population. They hang around because you feed them or they have shelter, like the rodents.

I think you got the wrong impression from the conversation. If I am wrong I would love to hear how to control rodents without poisoning or trapping without bringing in domestic or semi-domestic predators.

Have a great day

SCG

Voles is usually the main issue here out on the hobby farm, away from home. But neighbors cats, at least two always roam around and controlling the area, still, population is still high and I usually start bating at the first snow fall about every second year.
I put the pellet bait bag, unopened, into a gallon plastic pot, then put another pot inside this pot, no large animal can get to it, only the mice can get in at the drain hole opening. I then shove the pot under spruce trees, wood piles etc. edge of bush, hidden away, this helps from voles getting into nursery and eating bark in winter. Cats don't hunt voles under the deep snow where they breed.

My place is over run with pocket gophers. Every day I check and see if there are more mounds. And since they only come out at night I have to hope the owls get them. Cat would not work as next to me are 5 dogs with only invisible fencing. I do set traps in the tunnels . The poison I used to use is no long the market

The original post states that the landowner goes away for 2 months of a zone 2 winter every year during which the cats would receive no food or water. I don't consider this a holiday. This is animal neglect and is not fair to the cats, feral or otherwise. Poisons do not stay where they are put. They also do not kill immediately. They kill slowly, and stay within the rodent's body. The next critter to eat the rodent, dead or alive, suffers the effects of the poison, which acts to inhibit blood clotting. Rodents relocate food when they find it, so just locating poison away from larger animals' access does not keep it away from them when the rodents eat and then deposit it to be retrieved later. I am not a tree hugger or peta member. I am a small animal veterinarian who sees the fatal effects of rodenticide poisonings regularly. I do live in the country. I treated two cases of rodenticide poisoning this weekend alone. So I stand by my posting and I do know what I am talking about. With all due respect.

I appreciate your concerns, myfrozenlittlepond. First, I was not aware that one could install an automatic feeding and watering system that lasts for two months. I would certainly go ahead and install one - I just didn't know that these things existed. Secondly, I just saw a local ad about feral cats being rounded up and they are looking for farms to take them in, otherwise they will be shot. Do you think it's MORE cruel to house them on my farm, even in the worst case scenario of being neglected for two months, than to be shot on the spot? I think giving them a chance - even with the cold, coyotes, raccoons and lack of liquid water in winter - is more humane than letting them be shot for being varmints.

I would never use poisons - that was my reason for exploring the cat option. Traps are impractical for dealing with thousands of rodents.

This post was edited by Slimy_Okra on Wed, Sep 3, 14 at 22:44

Traps work good for mice & pocket gophers and can be done during the summer,.. still have some out.

I have to protect my nursery somewhat from voles girdling trees under the snow,..still end up loosing some and also many to porcupines.
At least I let the porcupine live,...I talked to a nursery guy,..he goes out checking every evening/dark with light and shoots them.

>>I treated two cases of rodenticide poisoning this weekend aloneMyfrozenlittlepond
It has allot to do how and when people use poison, most don't care. I do make sure, not put poison out before the snow. I think you're wrong by saying Voles are relocating poison,..did you asked them?
Tell me how to control Voles under the snow safe and effectively?

>>mice and voles that take bites out of just about every vegetable in the garden.Slimy
Half-acre is not that much to take care of,.. it might be to some
who are not used to this kind of lifestyle.
I have close to 6 acres but for me, coming from a farm who labored hard early in life makes this a pleasure.
Gardening out in the country has more challenges and is more work, you're not alone, that's just how it is, this is country life. You need to get traps and be persistence.
Vegetables don't grow in the winter when you're going away....so what's the concern?

Uggghhh, yes I have tons of rodent problems too. Voles, mice, pocket gophers, and 3 different kinds of ground squirrel. Sometimes I feel like all the rodents from the surrounding miles of fields must converge on our yard hill. :( It can be very discouraging when you work so hard, and your trees or plants are killed in just a day or two from girdling or having its roots eaten out. We have had weasels around in the last year, especially around the house, so I hope they stick around. The problem is, when they are around I don't want to put out poison, but they don't eat enough to actually control a large population. You can't even put out poison in the winter if you have weasels, because they hunt all year.

Anyway, so I have to rely on traps, which work really well for the pocket gophers(but more move in every spring and fall), and I shoot a lot of the gophers.

I think we need to bite the bullet and get a dog and some cats. The dog would hopefully help with the deer, and the cats could get the rodents(and hopefully not the weasels! They're so cute!) I need to wait until our barn is sealed up properly though, so I can put the cats in at night..we have a pile of owls around!

You are definitely not alone!

Feeders: Put the feeders out of reach of mice. Cats are better jumpers. You may have squirrel issues, but it will take the squirrels a while to find the food dishes. Anything a cat can get to, so can a squirrel. But the cats will eat squirrels too.

Water: This is tougher in winter. We use a heated water bowl for our 3 dogs in winter, and it takes them about a week to empty it, but two of my dogs prefer crunching on icicles to drinking water when ice is available. For cats it would last at least a month. Get a neighbor to refill it. Available at Peavey Mart for about 50 bucks.

Shelter: If you have an outbuilding, build a cat shelter with 6 or 8 straw bales. 3 in a U, two on top, one in front but with enough space. You may need to make it coyote resistant. A sheet of styrofoam underneath will insulate them from ground chill.

Cat alternatives:

1. Bait stations. Best way to make these are T's of sink drain pipe. Fasten upside down. Drop the bait down the center of the t. Warfarin/coumadin based baits can hurt cats and dogs that eat the dead mice. Most of these baits have added sugar to make them more attractive to mice. Makes them more attractive to cats and dogs too. Mice will haul food back to their nest, then die. Dogs will discover the next and eat remaining bait. Best answer to this is to use liquid baits in the appropriate bait station. Another answer is to use zinc phosphide baits. These won't harm critters that eat the poisoned mice, but you still have the problem of the wrong animal getting the bait.

Trapping. Lots of bucket trap plans on the Internet. A thorough trapping program in the fall will cut the mouse population. Resume in spring.

Glass bottle mouse traps, heads up images of dead rodents

Here is a link that might be useful: Glass bottle traps

I've trapped with buckets, the glass bottle trap looks good, ..should try it out, thank you prairie for the link!

It really does work good, have put two bottles side by side, 4 caught so far,..getting some before freeze up will be good.