Best way to kill cats? *Yeah I think the cats could have done it*

[callieisspooky]

If protecting your flock is your only reason for eliminating the cats, then it is only logical you make sure the cats are the ones threatening your flock, and not some other predator. I still think the cats may not be responsible for the missing ducks - cats, skunks and and raccoons leave plenty of feathers and body parts behind, almost like the animal exploded - where a fox, hawk or owl would take the bird cleanly away. Good luck and I wish you and your flock well.

I've been thinking about this. Shooting is probably the most humane way to go. Set out some tuna cans at dusk and wait. I am an animal lover AND for that reason euthanasia (or whatever you end up doing) is more kind than letting them breed and suffer a life of starvation and fighting. I have done cat rescue, the cats' lives are awful, and some crazy cat people want to trap and imprison these animals for the rest of their lives when euthanasia is really more humane for an animal that has always been free. I would not use poison for the reasons I have already listed but I think the OP's thoughts of shooting are probably the most humane of any given here, as long as any that weren't killed immediately were taken care of.

 

[Christabelle]

A couple of things- I got a couple of altered cats for my property (outside only), to control the mouse population. Since I now have cat food out I have several more that showed up. I don't mind feeding them, but they are now having kittens all over and I don't want this many cats. I still have yet to find a solution to this since I won't pay 2-3 hundred to alter every cat that moves in. I can't kill them though, I like cats.

None of the cats have ever molested one of my chickens- even the little ones. I've never had an incident. I also have no mice to speak of so I enjoy the feline occupancy of my property. Reading this thread has made me decide to talk to my neighbors though. I don't want my explosion of cats to be upsetting them.

I don't think the OP should have to lock up his animals to protect them from predators if he is ok with the risks. If the cats are aggravating him on his property I believe it is his right to eliminate the ones who are trespassing. I am glad he decided to forgo the poison however. I do think he needs to have a back up plan for if the felines turn out to not be the duck killers... Because I sincerely doubt that they are.

 

[rancher hicks]

A couple of things- I got a couple of altered cats for my property (outside only), to control the mouse population. Since I now have cat food out I have several more that showed up. I don't mind feeding them, but they are now having kittens all over and I don't want this many cats. I still have yet to find a solution to this since I won't pay 2-3 hundred to alter every cat that moves in. I can't kill them though, I like cats.

None of the cats have ever molested one of my chickens- even the little ones. I've never had an incident. I also have no mice to speak of so I enjoy the feline occupancy of my property. Reading this thread has made me decide to talk to my neighbors though. I don't want my explosion of cats to be upsetting them.

I don't think the OP should have to lock up his animals to protect them from predators if he is ok with the risks. If the cats are aggravating him on his property I believe it is his right to eliminate the ones who are trespassing. I am glad he decided to forgo the poison however. I do think he needs to have a back up plan for if the felines turn out to not be the duck killers... Because I sincerely doubt that they are.

Is there no association that can help trap and spay or neuter them. The CNY coalitions goal is to decrease the feral cat population and it is working.

 

[Christabelle]

Is there no association that can help trap and spay or neuter them.  The CNY coalitions goal is to decrease the feral cat population and it is working. 

I have contacted a couple organizations, but I told them the cats are friendly, so they told me that made them my pets- not feral cats... I guess they think I am trying to just get a free spay for my cats.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

The same people who champion SNR programs also make claims that a fixed animal lives longer than a non-fixed animal. If this is true then In my opinion somebody is blowing smoke up your kilt if they also say these programs reduce the feral cat population. At the best they only reduce the rate of increase.

One thing no one mentions is the natural tendency of tom cats to fight and kill other tom cats. I wonder then now many toms cat eunuchs are killed or bullied by non-fixed tom cats. It seems kind of cruel to me to expect half an animal to be able to feed or protect its self in the wild as well as a complete tom cat can.

 

[War Chicken]

One study found that spaying and neutering increased colony size since it made them less aggressive.

 

[rancher hicks]

The same people who champion SNR programs also make claims that a fixed animal lives longer than a non-fixed animal. If this is true then In my opinion somebody is blowing smoke up your kilt if they also say these programs reduce the feral cat population. At the best they only reduce the rate of increase.

One thing no one mentions is the natural tendency of tom cats to fight and kill other tom cats. I wonder then now many toms cat eunuchs are killed or bullied by non-fixed tom cats. It seems kind of cruel to me to expect half an animal to be able to feed or protect its self in the wild as well as a complete tom cat can.

One study found that spaying and neutering increased colony size since it made them less aggressive.

With all due respect there are always those people too, who have a million excuses for doing nothing too. I've worked with them and we all cringed every time they had a question. Well what about this, well what about this, then it's well what about this? Never a solution just more questions.

Here in Syracuse, where I live and delivered mail in the city, I NEVER saw a colony of cats. Not ever, ever, ever so the study is bogus at best. What's more one thing you can be sure of is that a spayed and neutered colony was NOT increasing the population of cats. Further "less aggressive" is not "un- aggressive".

Also the fact that a cat is neutered does not determine whether he can defend himself. The part removed is not his claws.

I'm done here.

 

[speckledhen]

Hey, guys, can we please get back on subject in respect to the original poster? Thanks!

 

[chickenboy190]

You could hire someone around your place to come and shoot the dang things.

 

[Delawaremommy]

I've been considering getting a barn cat to take care of our mouse issue around here, which is ironic, considering the subject of this thread. If the cat went somewhere killing someone's livestock or being a nuisance, I would expect it might not come home.

Heather, that last comment was uncalled for. Let's try to stay civil. Maybe re-read the rules of Predators & Pests at the top of this section? There are special rules for participation here.

I might consider poisoning mice if I didn't have chickens. My comment about poison was more about dogs, cats and other predators. We currently have no other animals that live here that might accidentally get hold of poisoned mouse. Best thing we've done is beat back the jungle from the coops, keep places from being easy hiding spots for the rats/mice. The only place we can't currently fix is the stand up crawl on our house. Has a lattice work double door so mice live in the insulation that is overhead, insulation for our house floors. Ick. Disgusting. Maybe I can borrow a cat and let it stay in there for a day or two with some water and feast, lol.

This is why I wouldn't poison either. I have two cats you can have if you are anywhere near Indiana. One is a two year old neutered male, the other is a spayed female of unknown age.

I honestly don't remember hailing it. I'm not going to say I was sad to see the cats were dead but MY DOGS WERE INSIDE THEIR FENCED IN DOG RUN 100% OF THE TIME AND THE CAT MUST HAVE COME INTO IT TO BE CAUGHT AND KILLED. Next thing I know you'll be telling me to put a roof and cat repellent on my dog run.

BUT that's what the dogs are for. You get livestock guard dogs to guard livestock. Something threatens the livestock and it's dispatched. Fact of the matter is, if they were contained by responsible, loving owners this would not even be a topic of conversation. They aren't.

I had a dog that caught and killed several cats, rabbits, possums, and raccoons in his life. Did I care? Yes and no. No because they were in his 6' privacy fenced backyard at the time, and yes because I had to clean up the mess!!! If you let your animals run know they may be shot as nuisance animals or killed by poison or predators

I understand your frustration and my comments are not directly aimed at you; basically they are an opinion. I guess I am trying to say that if your dog did leave your property there would be no cause to shoot it and all efforts should be made for it's death to be the last resort. I try to make my property as safe as I can for my animals and if a cat, dog or other predator visits, I have taken all steps I can to stop it causing mayhem. This then gives me the opportunity to find it's owner, relocate it or ask for help from the appropriate organisation or authorities to resolve the situation. If your dog wandered onto my property you would get it back. Obviously I would not be happy if it did somehow manage to get into my chicken run but I would take steps to ensure that it would not happen again by fixing the security on my run, not shooting the dog! Shooting the dog is not going to stop the next dog from getting to my chickens; reinforcing the run will!

I have know dogs to take out many types of fencing to get prey no matter how sturdy it is or reinforced.

Hey, guys, can we please get back on subject in respect to the original poster? Thanks!

I still think that your best option if it's possible is to live trap then shoot them. Then you know it's definitely dead and you can dispose of the body properly.