Ferral Cat

it will keep the rats and mice down

feral cats are just that, feral, you will be hard pressed to make it stay put, unless you feed it well and supply somewhere warm to sleep and generally make it WANT to stay, but hey, why not, if you balance the cat poo against keeping birds off and mice down, its a neat idea.

unless its very near a main road, in which case no.

Feral cats just turn up at our site, some just stay for a week or two, some hang around for years and it's their only home. I know of one cat who charmed an allotmenteer so much he did put a flap in his shed along with a bed, feeds it and has paid for veterinary treatment. I always keep a box of cat-biscuits in my shed, but even though all the long-term residents know they can get a meal there they only avail themselves of the service on rare occasions, so I assume they feed themselves by catching mice (and probably birds, which is not so good). Either that or someone is feeding them posh pouches and they're just slumming it when they come to me. I don't believe that anyone has deliberately introduced a cat to the site though, ours seem to be strays who discover that life on the lotties isn't too bad.

We have a colony of about 15 feral cats on our site. Plot holders are divided on whether they're a good thing or not but we certainly seem to have less mice, rats etc than is usual and although my plot is quite near where they all seem to congregate, I've yet to find any 'cat mess'. Ours are fed everyday by a couple of the old boys and get regular treats from a lot of other people. I suspect they'd move on if they weren't so well looked after!

As far as I know it will have a bed in the shed and the intention is to keep it in for a couple of weeks as you do a normal cat feeding etc. Then put in the cat flap and hope for the best. At the moment we dont have any problems with cats doing their thing ( not that I have found ) but we do have a lot of rats and rabbits and thats why its being introduced.

A Ferral will keep vermine down that's for sure - but please ensure that be it male, but especially if female, that it is neutered. Otherwise your trusty mouser will give rise to untold numbers which will become a pest in their own right in time. Even a lone, intact Tom will attract a few queen's in time.

If it is kind of being 'looked after' then it will have to have regular feeding - at least 3/4 times per week to keep it a little lean and mean, watering and checks for injuries, diseases - just like a full-blown domestic. It may start as a ferral but will get used to some luxury being provided that it would otherwise not enjoy.

In theory it should be a good partenership between human and cat. Try a local rescue service as they often have cats, usually neutered before homing, which are as wild as hades which can be difficult to place - often looking for farms or smallholdings. Depending on how wild he/she is - you may want to consider if it is appropriate if the allotmenteers are accompanied by young children. They, the kids, must understand that this will not be a fluffy pussy like the ones they may have at home and will almost certainly 'reward' any act of human kindness with a stripe across the hand - so will have to leave alone.

I adopted a cat who had been very badly treated at some point in his past. I was the only one out of me and my son who could pick him up - with caution - but I was scratched to pieces by him during his first weeks with us. My son dubbed him the old war horse! I had a lot of time for him though - he never asked for the ill-treatment and I wasn't going to let him go because he felt put out. Great little fellow.

Now I have a mother and her 2 kittens (now 5yrs) who were sired by a former farm cat and rather ferral in much of his behaviour. The female is a ruthless killer - sometimes returning up to 4 tributes per day. The boy is rather lazy and the best he can do is to scoop a pair of nestlings from a nest - not nice I know - althgough he has managed the odd mouse/rat. Their mother will simply be so gentle with anything she brings in and I'm sure would treat it like a kitten of her own.

It will be coming from cats protection as the person who is getting it has a sil that works there. I will not be involved in looking after it as there are two people that have come up with this idea so I will let them get on with it. There are a few young children but dont see them very often.
Will it leave its prey lying around or as I dont want to turn up and find dead rats birds etc as Im very sqeemish when it comes to things like that, if I found anything on my plot I would have to go home again as I am usually the only one around during the day.