Barn Kitties, and Do This to Keep Your Cats Healthy

Every barn needs a cat. At least one cat. More is better.

Who else is going to greet you on a cold morning in the barn with purrs and wanting hugs? Who else will entertain you while you wait for your cow to milk by playing with string or licking each other clean of milk?

Within days of building a barn, mice move in. Mice wreak havoc on insulation. They eat livestock feed. They chew holes in walls. If they got in the milk processing room, they would make it unsanitary. Mice are the entropy bringing chaos to a smoothly operating raw milk operation.

I have three barn cats: Hamish, Taran, and Chris. They are death to any mouse that shows a whisker near the dairy, the barn or the house.

I don't claim to be an expert on cats, but I feel like mine are good and healthy. I want to share some tips with you for your kitties that have worked for mine.

Wet Food

One of the most common ailments that modern cats get is kidney disease.

It is entirely preventable.

Cats do not have a strong thirst drive. In the wild, cats eat naturally moist food. If you feed your cat dry food, they will not drink enough to make up for it. This stresses their kidneys.

A vet told me that the best way to keep my cats out of her office was not to feed grain free food (surprisingly), but to feed wet food.

She said that the worst quality wet food is better than the best quality dry food.

So that's what we do.

While I do feed my cats cat food, I encourage them to eat a lot of mice, too. Not only because mice are free, not only because I need my cats to keep the rodent population down, but because mice are the best nutrition for cats. I believe that food is medicine--if it's good food. Food can also kill you, if it's bad food. There is no better nutrition for a cat than a mouse.

Ever get that creep feeling you are being watched? Try to count all three.

Cats Fast Too

I am a BIG FAN of fasting. I have experienced deep healing by going for certain periods of time without food.

Animals in the wild naturally have to fast. Usually this is due to food scarcity, but animals have been known to fast voluntarily when they are sick.

Fasting allows the body to catch up on all the house keeping it's been wanting to do but hasn't had time for while it was busy digesting food. It keeps the digestive system healthy. It allows old injuries to heal.

We fast our cats one day a week. Sort of. They still get milk twice that day. And they still have access to mice. But one day a week they don't get processed food.

Yes, they complain...

But we have been doing it for years, and it hasn't killed them yet. On the contrary, they are robustly healthy.

Limit Food Access

If you want fat cats, keep their food dish full all the time.

Likewise, if you want cats that are not motivated to hunt mice, give them all the cat food they can eat.

But if you want healthy cats that are good mousers, limit how much cat food they get.

Safe from Predators

Sadly, before I had guard dogs, we lost several barn cats.

Even though cats are predators and have mean teeth and claws, bigger predators will eat them.

Be mindful of your kitty's safety if you don't have dogs that keep a safe perimeter around the yard.

Is it OK to Give Cats Milk?

Several people have told me that their vet said that cats are lactose intolerant, so I shouldn't give my cats milk.

Barn cats have been getting milk for millenia.

It's probably true that cats are intolerant of modern grocery store processed milk. Most people are, too.

My cats get raw milk straight from the cow twice a day. I think they would murder me if I didn't give them their milk.

My aunt actually used to order raw goat milk from a farm several states away to give her cats because it is so good for them. She paid a fortune for it.

If you care about your health and you drink raw milk or raw milk kefir, go ahead and give some to your cats also.

Raw milk is great for them. It contains healthy fats and proteins, enzymes, and beneficial bacteria.

I have toyed with the idea of eliminating cat food from their diet and only supplementing their mice with raw milk. Maybe someday...

Colloidal Silver

In fall of 2024, Hamish got 4 puncture wounds right through his paw. Poor kitty, I wish I knew what happened. It was bad.

I avoid using pharmaceuticals as much as possible. I would rather use something natural and holistic to encourage a body to heal itself.

Soon after his injury, his wounds began to ooze and swell. The fur started falling off. I am certain that if I did nothing, it would have killed him.

By the time this photo was taken, the swelling had gone down and the fur was growing back.

Rather than giving him antibiotics, I tried colloidal silver. I gave it to him twice a day in his milk.

I love colloidal silver, I can't say enough good things about it. Not only does it kill pathogens but not beneficial microbes, but it soothes and heals. There are so many good uses for it. You can give it to your family and pets internally and externally. It helps food last longer. You can even put it on your garden soil for healthy, lush plants.

Within a couple days of giving him silver, the oozing decreased and the swelling went away. The fur began to gow back. It took a few weeks, but he has now completely healed.

Chances are, if you come to my farm you won't see my cats. They are shy of visitors. But if one of them graces you with his presence, be sure to say hi to him. They are good kitties.

What do you do to keep your cats healthy?