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7 Barn Cat Breeds: Felines to Keep on Your Farm

Written by: Codee Chessher

Last Updated on February 6, 2024 by Catster Editorial Team

cat at a barn

7 Barn Cat Breeds: Felines to Keep on Your Farm

Farm or barn cats are possibly the purest incarnations of a cat. The earliest domesticated felines invited themselves onto our land to take care of our vermin problem, and many today still prefer it to a traditional housecat life.

Not all cat breeds take well to life on the farm, but others are perfectly suited due to their history, temperament, and physical traits. If you’re interested in what types of cats are best suited to taking care of a vermin problem for you, look no further. Check out all the best barn cat breeds down below.

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The 7 Barn Cat Breeds

1. Maine Coon

ginger Maine coon cat
Image Credit: Meriluxa, Shutterstock
Lifespan: 12–15 years
Weight: 11–25 pounds
Colors: Black, white, cream, red, blue, red

Maine Coons are large, fluffy cats that are well-known for their doglike personalities. They like solitude as much as the next cat and will gladly occupy themselves by hunting down rats but enjoy spending a lot of time with their humans too. Maine Coons do well as both housecats and part-time barn cats because of their affable personality and keen hunting instinct. Their thick, plush coat helps them stay comfortable in extreme cold, too.


2. Siamese

siamese cat lying down on green grass meowing
Image Credit: RLapa, Shutterstock
Lifespan: 12–15 years
Weight: 8–15 pounds
Colors: Chocolate point, blue point, lilac point, seal point

Siamese are one of the most popular cat breeds in the world, with a trademark color point pattern that leaves their body lighter than their extremities. Keep in mind that there are just four recognized color point patterns in Siamese.

These elegant, inquisitive creatures do great as highly sociable barn cats, so they’re hardly a cat you can just let loose and expect minimal contact. Siamese are athletic, playful kitties that make excellent hunters to control vermin on your property.


3. American Shorthair

American shorthair cat lying on the couch
Image Credit: Clement Morin, Shutterstock
Lifespan: 12–15 years
Weight: 6–15 pounds
Colors: Solid, tabby, tortoiseshell, calico, bicolor, tricolor

Descended from European cats brought to North America to protect food stores, the American Shorthair is one of the most diverse cat breeds in the world, and the 8th most popular cat breed in the world. These cats are diverse in personality as well as coloring, but most retain a curious, playful nature that makes them excellent hunters. An independent streak helps in that regard too, and they’re fairly low-maintenance cats to keep on your farm.


4. Siberian

Siberian Point
Image Credit By: Gatto Siberiano Murmur’s, commons wikimedia
Lifespan: 10–18 years
Weight: 15–20 pounds
Colors: Brown, red, blue, tabby, silver, white, black

Siberians are big, strong cats with long, triple-layered coats perfectly suited to cold and wet weather, though they love being near people too. This breed is sociable and not likely to bother your livestock or other pets but is definitely self-motivated enough to carve out their own niche on your land and set up shop as the local vermin hunter. They’re playful and sometimes described as a doglike breed and tend to live long lives. As implied by the name, the Siberian cat traces back to ancient, snowy Russia.


5. Chartreux

Chartreux
Image Credit: congerdesign, Pixabay
Lifespan: 12–15 years
Weight: 11–25 pounds
Colors: Black, white, cream, red, blue, red

The rare but instantly recognizable Chartreux hails from France, with a water-resistant blue-gray coat and distinctly aloof personality. They’re smart, active animals that are known to be quiet or mute, and their big muscular bodies make them great hunters for any farm. They’re pretty neutral towards both people and other pets, but don’t expect them to be extroverted.


6. American Wirehair

american wirehair cat sitting outdoors
Image Credit: Fernando Calmon, Shutterstock
Lifespan: 12–15 years
Weight: 8–15 pounds
Colors: White, black, smoke, chinchilla, gray, blue, white, cream, bicolor

The American Wirehair is an offshoot of the American Shorthair, traced back to a single litter of kittens born with a wiry, dense wool-like coat similar to a lamb’s wool. They’re prolific explorers but not the most energetic breed out there, but they do have a strong prey drive that makes them good at deterring mice or rats. Overall, they’re nearly identical to the Shorthair cat.


7. Bengal

bengal cat on wood
Image Credit: Uschi Dugulin, Pixabay
Lifespan: 12–16 years
Weight: 8–15 pounds
Colors: Silver, snow, brown, blue, charcoal

For a more exotic barn cat, consider the mini-leopard Bengal cat. They’re the result of breeding a regular domestic cat with an Asian leopard cat, and the Bengal is a spectacular athlete with a wild prey drive that makes them ideal farm animals. Bengals are fiercely independent and intelligent, and with patience, some of them can even be trained to perform tricks like a dog.

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Conclusion

Barn cats are one of the most beneficial critters you can have on a farm, and they take care of vermin problems like it’s nobody’s business. In exchange for a comfy, warm space to sleep and some food, any one of the breeds above make amazing companions that double as pest control!


Featured Image Credit: Alexas_Fotos, Pixabay

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