Cat stalking chickens?!!

[Hens rule]

I was out with my chickens and than one of them made this weird sound and walked closer weryly and stretched her head out to look though the fence cracks. All while the other hens did the same thing with that wery sound chickens make when they are nervous or see a preditor. I climbed up on our fence and saw a grey small cat running tords my woods. I chased after it (just so you know I'm not a cat person:/) it ran back in my small deep woods. It seems to be a small cat but it was right near the fence when my chickens made the nervous curious sound.

So, I'm just wondering if this moderate sized cat can some how hurt my chickens. I try to keep my yard preditor proof but I know cats can jump pretty high. Can a smallish cat hurt my big chickens? And also I have 3 dogs.

 

[LeafBlade12345]

Cats are all different, like humans and other animals. Some will kill chickens, some are completely indifferent to their existence. If you do your research and work on it, you can keep chickens and cats in the same area quite easily, many have done it. Though cats have an underlying predatory nature, so do dogs, and many do not seriously injure people, especially family pets. It really depends on the breed, place, housing, size of cat and chickens, age, and learning capacity as well as your ability to keep your animals safe.

 

[Hens rule]

Thanks I found out today that my neighbors are moving! Hopefully this time the new neighbors won't have a cat, but even if they did I wouldn't be to worried about it know. I just hope my new neighbors won't through cat poo in my yard like my current neighbors.

 

[LeafBlade12345]

If a cat bothers my chickens when I'm around, it will get a swift kick and a one way ticket back to its owners, unless it is stray, in which case I will either rehome it or turn it in to a shelter. But not all cats are bad. To tell the truth, I don't care much for cats. I am allergic, they are scratchy and hissy, and they just don't seem to have personalities like dogs do. Anyway, I'd still hate to have to make one "disappear", they are animals doing what animals do after all.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

In the real world cats sleep up to 20 hours a day. The rest of the time they hunt, but especially they hunt at night.

 

[Hens rule]

I agree with you all. I really hope this cat isn't a stray though because when I went to go pet it when it was in my yard it ran "for its life" well as if it where running for its life accrost a really busy street far in front of my woods and almost got ran over, does it sound like a wild cat?

 

[OrganicFarmWife]

we just found a new wild cat on our property, a large black & white cat & so im making an effort to have him like it here, becasue he is a great hunter of mice, he has not gone after one of our chickens & he seems afraid of them HA so that's good thing, but if he was a problem i would chase him off, but since i first saw him , he is doing good around here & im so glad to have him he is a good hunter , & our former wild cat who is now our house cat we named her spot is very guarding about her home & property &has been chasing the new boy around , i believe she has laid the law to down that the chickens not to be harmed & she always guards all our birds & i would not have it any other way, she is much like a dog in that respect & follows the hens around guarding them like a dog would guarding its heard & sleeps by them like a guard dog would, wile they are out free ranging every day , so between these 2 black & white spotted cat, this is a pic of out house cat spot , sleeping on the job HA but truly i am grateful for all their help around here, so training your cat is the key..!

Sounds great! Cats are very useful to have, I have a whole herd of them. As long as they are not interested in your birds they are great to have.

 

[Hens rule]

Help!

 

[Tumbling K]

I'd say yes.

Especially if your birds are poking their exposed necks thru a fence.

 

[Hens rule]

Thanks,
They aren't sticking they're necks through though, still yes?