Will domestic cats kill a full-grown Indian runner?

[Jpat]

I've shared this on a few other threads, but hopefully it provides you with a little comfort. Duckling relaxing happily on my Maverick is a Blue Runner.
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~Alex

wow i thaugt this was my own picture and my own cat

 

[quackiemama]

I've shared this on a few other threads, but hopefully it provides you with a little comfort. Duckling relaxing happily on my Maverick is a Blue Runner.
View attachment 1657677
~Alex

adorable

 

[quackiemama]

Ive got stray cats here too but none of them ever even pay attention to any of my ducks. They are more interested in stalking the smaller wild birds at my place.

 

[DuckyDonna]

So... I'm incubating Indian runner eggs with detached air cells, not sure any will hatch yet, but I'd rather prepare for this in advance...

Will domestic cats be able to kill my Indian runners once they're full-grown?

I currently have 54 days-old Pekins, and they're big enough I'm confident the cats won't bother them, so I can leave them in the yard unattended as cats are the only danger around here, but there're many of them. They are stray, by the way.

For the runners, I'm not so sure. Google says their female size is 1.4-2 kg (3.1-4.4 lbs).
That's a far cry from Pekins, which range from 3.6-5 kgs (8-11 lbs).
Runners are less than half the weight of Pekins it seems.

So I'm now worried whether I'd have to keep them locked up at all times when I'm not with them.
That seems impossible to do. Even my pekins now don't cooperate when I want to lock them up, even with food. I can't imagine catching the even more agile runners.

Ok, I've just got to ask! What is a "detached air cell" and how is that possible?

 

[MissChick@dee]

It makes common sense that cats are a threat to babies even if they don’t see them as prey/food they can “play with them” to death.
It’s all about size.
I have a friend who has ducks and she feeds feral cats. The ducks eat the cat food and the cats eat the cracked corn. Her male cat keeps all other male cats away and her drake bosses the cats around. Crazy

 

[Alexandra33]

wow i thaugt this was my own picture and my own cat

You have me "awwwwing" away over here! That irresistible expression....

~Alex

 

[PaulX]

Ok, I've just got to ask! What is a "detached air cell" and how is that possible?

If you ever incubated and candled eggs you should know what an 'air cell' is, and I assume you do.

The air cell is ofc always at the round end, unless the egg is damaged from shipping, in which case when you candle and tilt the egg around, you'll see that the air cell is floating freely, not all over the egg, but usually it can float to one side of the egg. That is a detached air cell.
I assume this is because part of the egg membrane is detached from its shell.

As an egg with detached air cell is incubated and moisture is lost, the air cell will grow, but unlike a normal egg, the air cell tends to become weirdly shaped, and usually becomes a 'saddle-shaped' air cell.

It reduces the hatch rate such as by causing the embryo to be unable to turn to find the air cell, causing it to drown, and I remember reading somewhere that it also inhibits calcium transfer from the shell to the embryo. I also remember reading that eggs with detached air cells also tend to quit mid-way.

Well, that's all I know from reading the hatching section and doing some google research. I sure am finger-crossing that my eggs will survive.

 

[PaulX]

Ok, so... I just candled, and 3 out of 12 eggs have quit. Only 9 remain.

Of the 3 eggs that quit, at least 2 have air cell that can float across the side all the way to the pointy end, ie. it's very badly damaged. 1 has clear blood ring. The other 2 have some speck and line of blood but clearly no veins and beating heart like the 9 that still live.

 

[ejtrout31]

our cat leaves ours alone but she does eat the wild duck carcass after duck hunting

 

[jb1989]

can a domestic cat kill a full grown Indian Runner ; Yes , absolutely .
Will a domestic cat kill a full grown Indian Runner ; probably not .
Cats are a predatory hunter so i would not be surprised. i have a lot of feral cats around me and i have found them with a carcass before.