Advice please!!!

[Byrd gal]

I saw a stray cat in my yard tonight. It didn't seem too interested in my chickens but....
Has anyone had a cat appear and did it eat your birds or no? I am a dog person I wouldn't mind a barn cat I would feed it and try to catch it for a vet check but not if it would hurt chickens. I am unsure if I should chase it off or feed it. I got a water hose and a can of dog food which should it be guys?

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

We have lots of strays in my neighborhood and also outdoor cats. Our cat is outdoor as well and since cats have territories she defends her territory (our yard and several neighbors') from other cats. A couple still wander over but they have never bothered my birds even when they're in the yard

 

[bobbi-j]

We have strays show up here every now and then. (Pretty sure there are a few that live around the barn and chicken coops that I never see.) They don’t seem to bother my adult, standard sized chickens. I’d welcome it as a form of rodent control.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

If they are already around i wouldn't bother feeding or spending money at the vet on one. Feral cats get feline AIDS and leukemia and pass it around to each other. Vets can't do much for those diseases except test for them so feral cats usually don't live long. And if you have a pet outdoor cat (like I do) it can also get these things. We get spayed feral cats from a local program just for pest control but we don't get too attached because we have lost them to disease and cars. It might sound callous but cats aren't like dogs-they will survive in the wild with or without us.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

We did lose a bird to a cat, but the cat was roaming through the property and was only here for a few days

 

[Byrd gal]

I do not have a cat to defend the yard. I have dogs but at 16 and 12 they seem unlikely to care about chasing a cat. They go out and come back in asap.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I do not have a cat to defend the yard. I have dogs but at 16 and 12 they seem unlikely to care about chasing a cat. They go out and come back in asap.

I have two dogs as well and they do little to deter cats. Not for lack of trying though. I'm surprised our cat still hangs out haha

 

[Miss Cheep]

I have had cats walk on my fence before, my ducks were aware of it, but the cat did not seem interested in my ducks. Same with my chickens.

 

[Folly's place]

See if this cat hangs around, don't feed it yet. I trap, test, and spay/ neuter stray cats, and vaccinate them. This cat may have a home, or not. Friendly? Feral? Might have a microchip, if catchable/ friendly, and need to go home.
Most cats won't bother adult chickens, but chicks do need to be protected, either with a broody hen, or confined until they are large enough to be out.
We also like having a barn cat, again, tested, neutered, and up to date on vaccinations.
Survival is much better when so managed and fed well, although cars and coyotes are still a big risk for outside kitties.
Mary

 

[MTKitty]

I’ve seen three cats on my property since moving in two years ago. One, I haven’t seen since before I got chickens. The other two, I believe belong to neighbors. Other than mild curiosity about the “new residents” when I moved the flock from brooder to yard, neither of them has paid attention to the birds.