Integrating outdoor cats with chickens

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

Within the last two weeks, someone apparently dumped three adult cats -- two orange males and a very pregnant tortoiseshell out here. None has shown any interest in the chickens. One of the males, who likes to follow me around, is terrified of the hissing geese.

Same male was stalking and caught a sparrow this week -- then let it go. Guess they prefer having me serve meals served to them, rather than having to catch dinner.

That's sad if someone dumped them. I wonder if they were mostly indoor cats. That hunting experience reminds me of how my indoor cats hunt. They are a lot more into the stalk and catch than the actual kill.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

As an update since starting this thread: I now have 3 outdoor cats and none of them bother the chickens. One of these cats was a kitten and took some interest in the chickens for a while, but now he is either bored of them or scared. I bet he got pecked. I even had a batch of meatbirds out in a run that the cats could probably access if they wanted to. I think they were 3-4 weeks old when they started ranging out there. No cats bothered them, even at that age.

I would never trust my cats with young chicks, but anything big enough to give them a peck back, they stay away from.

 

[Callender Girl]

One of the three new strays shows every indication of having been an indoor cat. They all showed up at the same time and all get along well together. ONE male clearly wants to be in the house and spends time staring wistfully into the basement window where he can see two cats, lolling about and living the good life.

Ozzie Orangecat, as he is now known, loves to be played with and likes to show his belly for attention. If two dogs didn't block his entrance, he would like to slip through the kitchen door.

The other male is getting increasingly closer but doesn't want to be touched, and the female keeps her distance.