I have worked at a historic site with cats. I can attest that guests will literally pick up a cat and take it, so cats being too friendly is an issue. We caught them many times walking out with the cat they "found" even after we put signs up and other times had a couple of cats disappear, one was found about 50 miles away when it was turned in to a shelter somewhere months later. We had mixed results. A couple of the cats were great hunters and cleared out the barn rats, others weren't. A couple would bring us headless squirrel presents in front of guests which did not always go over well. They did require flea and worm meds as well as other routine care. One of the cats had skin cancer that got expensive and a thyroid issue. Any cats that are outdoors will require more vet care. Ours all came in at night and had litter boxes and cat beds. They had some training and ate dinner inside, so they were good being on a normal schedule and only outside while we were there. The barn cats were most effective when staying in the barn at night (One used to take naps on one of the sheep, it was kinda adorable.). I think cats with the right personalities and care can be great for this, their scent is certainly a deterrent. On Tue, Nov 8, 2016 at 8:11 PM, Mark Janzen <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Hi Stephanie, > > I know this is a late response, but hopefully a useful perspective. > > I would propose that under no circumstances do you create a "feral" cat > colony. That would be both cruel as well as potentially dangerous to > visitors, staff, local fauna, and the cats themselves. > > Feral cats, as noted in another response, are a poor choice for pest > control. You can never guarantee they will actually hunt the mice, and will > often as not ignore them in favor of other sources. Most will simply move > elsewhere, and vet care would be challenging at best. They are after all > feral, domesticated cats, not wild cats. Big difference. > > If you want cats on site, you should develop a program of tame cats on > your site. Feed them, care for them like outdoor cats, and give them a > home, albeit a large outdoor home. While they will do little mousing, they > will provide something of a deterrent to mice, as well as an interesting > element for visitors. Supplement with traps and other IPM measures. > > The cute factor should not be under-estimated regarding such a program, in > addition to the historic discussion potential. However there are potential > drawbacks. If they are too friendly, and they will become more friendly > over time, they will love going into your buildings and get trapped there > periodically. They will also have a tendency to go home with visitors, who > will sometimes assume they are just lost strays. There is also a financial > cost, but animal-loving volunteers are often useful on that score. > > Feel free to contact me if you want more info/details. > > Mark Janzen > > > On Mon, Oct 31, 2016 at 2:52 PM, Stephanie Gilmore <[log in to unmask]> > wrote: > >> Hello Museum-L Community, >> >> >> >> Does anyone have experience with feral (i.e. wild) cat colonies on your >> site to help control rodents? Perhaps if you work at living history >> museums? I am looking for an environmentally friendly way to control >> rodents around my museum, which has a lot of outdoor space and thus a fair >> amount of rodent activity. >> >> >> >> Here in Colorado, we have several shelters that participate in a >> trap-neuter/spay/vaccinate-release program for ferals, so I imagine it >> might be possible to “relocate” some of those cats to the museum grounds to >> help control the rodents. I’ll certainly contact the shelters but I wanted >> to know if anyone out there has specifically had experience with feral cats >> at a museum or living history site with significant outdoor space. >> >> >> If you have experience with feral cats at your museum or institution, I’d >> appreciate any advice you might have about it. Anything from how you >> started the program, how you provide vet care, whether you have noticed a >> great change in rodent activity, etc.? Any unforeseen consequences? >> >> >> >> Disclaimer: I am an animal lover. If my museum goes forward with >> something like this, I intend to make it as humane as possible. I would >> ensure that our museum can provide shelter, food, and vet care. Also, I am >> referring to feral cats- not domestic ones. I will not proceed unless I >> know my museum can properly care for these animals in a humane way. >> >> >> Thanks for your advice! >> >> >> >> Happy Halloween! >> >> >> >> Stephanie Gilmore >> >> Curator of Collections >> >> Colorado Railroad Museum >> >> ------------------------------ >> >> To unsubscribe from the MUSEUM-L list, click the following link: >> http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa-HOME.exe?SUBED1=MUSEUM-L&A=1 >> > > > ------------------------------ > > To unsubscribe from the MUSEUM-L list, click the following link: > http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa-HOME.exe?SUBED1=MUSEUM-L&A=1 > ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). 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