2 chicks gone, 3 stray cats*Updated-Happy ending*

[Wayne&Kim1963]

I live in the country and we have 36 adult cats and right now about 30 kittens. Our cats were kittens when we had small chickens you would see them laying in sun together sleeping and cuddle up together all the time. Now our cats are grown and mother hens run loose with them with babies tagging behind and a cat never bothers them. They still sleep in sun with chickens.. The kittens are used to chickens and never bother them. One mother cat had six in chicken house nest and we have moved them out a number of times but she has steadily moved them back in with the chickens. My suggestion to you is if you want to get a cat you need to get a kitten. Raise it going in with the chickens while it is little and seeing chickens so it thinks it is their friend and it will never eat your chickens (you may have to swat it or scold it for misguided behavior) but it is only kitten and until it learns manners may act up at times. I have gotten few adult male cats that did not bother chickens but best luck is when you raise them together;

 

[Wayne&Kim1963]

Wish I could give you kitten.... We have free kittens! They are used to chickens.

 

[mmaddie's mom]

Not saying not to have a cat but it would be better if you get a young cat/kitten and raise it with your birds so that it is used to them.

Also my indoor/outdoor cats use a litter box in the house but do "go" outside also.

 

[Ms.Frizzle]

I just wish people thought about the damage feral/free-rangeing cats do to the environmet. As a whole, they kill millions of song birds each year. I like cats well enough, but I compleatly understand dispatching the wild ones.

 

[mmaddie's mom]

Quote:
My daughter has a 30 lb. cat who will attack a full size bird... needless to say he stays inside when he comes to visit.

I only set the live trap when the dogs/cats are closed in for the night.

You are not stupid at all... just their presence/smell/etc. is a deterent... but will not ALWAYS keep away a determined predator. My worst attack came from a mink (NEVER had a mink in 20 years) just 2 weeks after I had my outside (sleeping w/the chickens) male cat put to sleep because of cancer. I'm thinking just his being in the coop with the birds kept some predators out!

 

[JulieNKC]

Wayne&Kim1963 :

Wish I could give you kitten.... We have free kittens! They are used to chickens.

Thank goodness you aren't close. My daughter has been asking for a kitten....
And I know there is no way to keep a cat from doing his business outside, but a pet that has it's shots/dewormed on a regular business doing it bugs me a lot less than the strays that have who knows what. So maybe I need to wait until my little chicks are bigger and then get them their own pet guard kitten?​

 

[mmaddie's mom]

Quote:
Thank goodness you aren't close. My daughter has been asking for a kitten....
And I know there is no way to keep a cat from doing his business outside, but a pet that has it's shots/dewormed on a regular business doing it bugs me a lot less than the strays that have who knows what. So maybe I need to wait until my little chicks are bigger and then get them their own pet guard kitten?

Your right... bigger (older) birds and littler (younger) cat is the way to start out!

 

[Bengalcats1]

I don't think a cat or kitten will do the trick, cats are not exactly great at keeping Most predators away, they sometimes become victims themselves, and if you start with a kitten those chicks will be plenty big enough to keep a cat away anyway.....There so many cats running around out there and I guess that is why people have probs with their chicks, song birds etc, they are trying to survive themselves....Spay and Neuter people !!! I helped out at a cat rescue for a time and it is sickening how many people don't spay /neuter their cats and then they end up with Many kittens running the neighborhood....if you can't fix them you shouldn't have them

.................how about a dog? they certainly alert to probs and will sure enough keep a stray cat away

 

[Bengalcats1]

Wayne&Kim1963 :

I live in the country and we have 36 adult cats and right now about 30 kittens. Our cats were kittens when we had small chickens you would see them laying in sun together sleeping and cuddle up together all the time. Now our cats are grown and mother hens run loose with them with babies tagging behind and a cat never bothers them. They still sleep in sun with chickens.. The kittens are used to chickens and never bother them. One mother cat had six in chicken house nest and we have moved them out a number of times but she has steadily moved them back in with the chickens. My suggestion to you is if you want to get a cat you need to get a kitten. Raise it going in with the chickens while it is little and seeing chickens so it thinks it is their friend and it will never eat your chickens (you may have to swat it or scold it for misguided behavior) but it is only kitten and until it learns manners may act up at times. I have gotten few adult male cats that did not bother chickens but best luck is when you raise them together;

That many cats and kittens is frightening​

 

[Ms.Frizzle]

Quote:
That many cats and kittens is frightening

Don't worry, distemper will kill them every three years or so when the population gets so high. Its what happened to us when we used to have cows & mice & cats.