There are times when new owners of a farm or homestead find something unexpected and not part of the original property sale negotiations hiding in a barn or outbuilding.

It's a good idea to have a cat or two on a homestead. They earn their keep controlling vermin. When your new homestead has a feline, there are some steps to take when it comes to the animal's health and well being.

If you don't get them fixed, you will end up with 100 cats in a hurry, according to Dr. Christiana Yule at Fort Kent Animal Hospital.

Depending on how many cats there are, it can be difficult. A cat that is not owned is called a "feral cat". They don't like to be touched or picked up by other people.

Yule said that some may be friendlier than others. Cats that were abandoned as adult cats are used to people.

Try to get several live-traps to catch them if they are really wild.

The traps should be set in an area where the cats are used to finding food.

If you want to schedule a date ahead of time to bring the trapped cats in for an exam, you should let your vet know. If the cats are not trapped in time for the original time and date, the appointment can easily be changed.

The staff at the vets will be able to give the cat a tranquilizer so it can be examined.

She said that the cats can get their initial shots, even though it may not be practical to bring them back in for boosters.

House cats and friendly barn cats should get those boosters, but for a wild cat the trauma of repeated trappings is often not worth it.

It's a good idea to check them over and treat any internal parasites. Since parasites can be spread from cats to other farm animals and even to people.

Cats do not like outsiders and live in colonies. The colony's population will not increase if all of them are neutered.

If you live in a place where people dump their pets, you may find yourself with a new cat.

There are two types of barn cats, those who do everything they can to avoid people and those who are eventually won over and become a house cat.

If the cat is tame, you should keep them as a house cat.

Farm cats should have access to food, clean water and a shelter, according to Yule. She said that a myth is that a cat can only survive by hunting.

She said to put out food because cats are not interested in hunting mice.

A shelter with a thick layer of straw on the bottom can be an outbuilding. In cold weather, blankets can draw the heat out of a cat. The cats know where they can always get a meal, so Yule suggests feeding them in regular feeding stations.

Make sure your cats are not wounded if a new cat shows up.

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