KINGDOM OF THE WORKING CAT
In a relationship that goes back thousands of years, cats have proved invaluable to farmers in keeping rodent populations under control
IT IS EARLY morning in June on a working farm in the Peak District National Park, where a small flock of sheep are grazing in a field. A rhythmic movement is visible in the grass: the hypnotic flicker of a long, black-tipped tail. It belongs to a five-year-old tabby cat, patiently stalking a small mouse scuffling around a feed bin.
The cat creeps forward, green eyes fixed and intent; the mouse seemingly unaware. Then, with premeditated speed and precision, it pounces, and so begins a staccato dance of jumping cat and darting mouse.
As is often the case, the cat wins, proudly parading its way back towards the farmhouse with the mouse dangling from its mouth.
But this tabby is not a typical domestic house cat. It is a working animal on Andrea Clarke’s farm, and its principal role is pest control.
Wild origins
Using cats as a natural method for managing rat and mouse populations is not new: research, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, documents feline farmhands from as many as 5,300 years ago.
Discoveries from an ancient village community in Quanhucun, China include remnants of a rodent-proof design of grain store, plus cats’ teeth and bones, excavated from the site. The first suggests there was a rat problem, while analysis of the bones has indicated that not only were the cats eating millet, they were also living longer than a wild cat. This suggests a relationship with humans, and the researchers believe the cats were being fed and given shelter.
Such a route into domestication is what scientists refer to as a ‘commensal’ pathway: the relationship between cats and humans was not intentional, but, as a result of agricultural development, both parties came to identify mutual
benefits. Even with the arrival of technological advances, these benefits still continue today.
“Mice and rats are a real problem for any farmer,” says Andrea Clarke, whose Peak District home, once a working dairy farm, is now an 8-acre smallholding, with sheep, goats, donkeys, chickens and pigs. “They make holes in feed bins, eat the feed and, as they carry bacteria, can spread diseases such as leptospirosis, or Weil’s disease, to livestock. They also chew electrical wires, which can present a fire hazard.”
Fortunately, Andrea has never experienced the latter, but disappearing food and droppings have been an issue. “There’s the financial implication of finding your animal feed has been contaminated by mice and rats, of course,” she says. “But, when we moved here, 10 years ago, our daughters were still young, and finding rat faeces in places where they might play just wasn’t acceptable.”
From feral to farm
Like an increasing number of farmers and smallholders in the UK, Andrea wanted to avoid using chemical poisons to manage the rodent population on her land. “We wanted to encourage pollinators, including bees and birds, to our farm, not harm them,” she says. So, she researched natural pest controls, such as farm cats.
In contrast to a domesticated pet cat, farm cats live outdoors. They are sometimes referred to as barn cats, due to the fact they often make their home among hay bales within a barn. They feed off whatever they can catch, including rodents, small birds and even rabbits.
Andrea chose to install cat flaps to her home, allowing her two cats, Thomas and Henry, the option of entering the warmth of the farmhouse during colder months. Like many other farmers, she also leaves out water and some cat food, should they need it. As is the want of a cat, whether or not they take it is their prerogative. “The cat biscuits I put out are purely a supplement,” says Andrea. “You don’t want to feed
“a dog growls when it’s angry, and wags its tail when it’s pleased. Now I growl when I’m pleased, and wag my tail when I’m angry. Therefore I’m mad” Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
them too much, or they won’t have any incentive to hunt. From spring to late October, they choose to sleep on hay in a shed: in winter, they’ll spend more time inside.”
Sarah Owens has also turned to farm cats to keep rat and mouse numbers down on her husband’s 500-acre livestock farm in Somerset.
“Last year, while our business was being evaluated for the Farm Assurance Scheme, it was discovered that the farm had a vermin issue,” says Sarah. “They were attracted to the feed being used for the cattle.
“Regulations around rodenticide use are strict: its usage requires training courses and licences. It also comes at a cost, both financially and environmentally. We didn’t want to risk the chemicals affecting food chains or water supplies and consequently the livestock. So I suggested trying farm cats.”
Both Andrea and Sarah approached the animal welfare charity Cats Protection, which offers a rehoming service for feral cats as farm cats.
“Our three came to us as six-month-old kittens,” says Sarah. Before being rescued by the charity, the kittens had been confined to a cage since birth. “Because they had never received human contact and were unsocialised, they were unsuitable for rehoming as domestic pets,” she explains.
However, they were ideal farm cat candidates. Once the kittens had been neutered, microchipped and vaccinated by Cats Protection, as part of the adoption process, they were ready for their new home.
“We received the kittens in May 2019,” says Sarah. “They were initially housed in two large cages and placed on top of massive straw bales in our barn so that they could start to acclimatise themselves to the farm and its activities.”
After five weeks, the kittens, named Faith, Hope and Charity, were set free, but they instinctively returned to their straw bale beds every night; quickly developing a routine and each taking ownership of ‘mini-territories’ where they preferred to hunt.
“These cats are part of our workforce, so it’s important they remain healthy,” says Sarah. “We vaccinate them and treat them for fleas and worms, for the same reason. But they’re not lap cats.”
A working day
Like anyone in a new job, it can take time for a cat, however feral, to get used to its new role as a rodent catcher on a farm. With Sarah’s cats, it took approximately three to four weeks for her to see the results of their hunting, although the presence and smell of a cat can be enough to deter rodents.
“Their predatory nature kicks in immediately,” she says. “But like any skill, they needed practice before becoming proficient.” They certainly have, because Sarah’s husband’s farm has since been awarded Farm Assurance Scheme status as a direct result of having successful hunting farm cats.
Back on Andrea’s farm, the cats bring their catch to the house. “It means I get a sense of how much they’re catching,” she says. “It’s typically one a day, but when the mice are breeding, the number will, unsurprisingly, increase. In that way, a farm cat connects you to the cycle of the seasons.”
This is also true in the routine of the farm cat itself. Both Andrea and Sarah’s cats are up at dawn and go to bed when their bellies are full, after dark. Both are prime hunting times, along with daytime livestock feeding, when hopeful
“Cats are a mysterious kind of folk” Sir Walter Scott
mice might be out and about in search of spillage.
“They spend most of the day outside,” says Andrea. “They might be sunbathing in the garden, teasing the donkeys or, when it rains, sitting patiently by our stone walls because they know that’s where the mice like to hide.”
“Ours always come out to say hello when they hear us about our business,” adds Sarah. “They like to ride in the wheelbarrow when my husband goes to dish out the cattle feed. It’s great to see them being free to be cats.”
For both Andrea and Sarah, the benefits of keeping farm cats are absolute. “They are worth their weight in gold,” says Andrea. “Yes, you have to deal with the remains of what they catch, but to see the results of not using chemicals on your land in the richness of the birdsong, the abundance of butterflies and the health of your livestock; you can’t put a price on that.”
“Cat! who hast past thy grand climacteric, How many mice and rats hast in thy days Destroy’d?—how many tit bits stolen? Gaze With those bright languid segments green and prick Those velvet ears”
John Keats, ‘To Mrs Reynolds’ Cat’