10 Reasons To Have Barn Cats

1A. They’re freaking awesome.

Horse people tend to be animal lovers in general. Whether you consider yourself a “dog person” or a “cat person” here are ten reasons we think barn cats are cool!

10. They make great security guards; nobody’s gonna climb a fence facing all those claws! (um, when they’re not napping…)

Dillon, resident gatekeeper at Starlight Farm. All photos by Esther Roberts.

9. They teach you balance! You gotta stay on your toes to avoid stepping on all those paws and tails at feeding time!

Part of the Starlight Farm CatCrew.

8. They make awesome holiday decorations! Just add tinsel and ‘voila’: barn is decorated and – bonus – the kitties can shred it throughout December and have a blast! #DualPurposeCatToys

Owen, the Big Orange Boss of Starlight Farm, with one of his many minions, Tanner.

7.  They may not wear the pants in your family, but sometimes they do wear the shoes.

Owen, conquering the Crocs! (seriously candid, unstaged photo!)

6. They make catching your horse seem comparatively easy!

Timmy – a.k.a. DoNotTakeMyPicture #StealthCatExtraordinaire

5. They are Jedi Masters at “chill.” And, c’mon now, we could all use a little more zen in our lives, right?

Owen, Chill Level: EXPERT

4.  Legwarmers. Need I say more?

Owen and Blake, a.k.a. WinterWarmerTwins

3. #NoPestProblems

For real: Great barn cats have a list of conquests that read like The Tazmanian Devil’s preferred menu: mouses, moles, voles, rabbits, rats, squirrels, and (sadly) yes, even the occasional songbird.

Hector and Sterling in the tack room: None. Shall. Pass.

2. They’re a natch for barn singalongs and often channel their inner Simba, especially if a friendly shoulder is available.

Tinkerbell as a kitten, “I’m king of da wurld!”

And the number one reason to have at least one barn cat:  There’s nothing cuter to have around a barn because, well, KITTENS.

The one and only TinyMite when she was rescued at about a month old.

Many shelters and cat-centric nonprofits offer discounted/free adoptions for barn homes — don’t shop!

Go Riding!