Barn cat behavior - Please let me know if this is just interest or .....

[dkl38]

Is he thinking dinner!? Help! So I have had chickens for less then 2 weeks now and I am obsessed with them. I let them free range when I am home during the day and I patrol the sky constantly for hawks only to find my 10 year old barn cat watching OR stalking them intently. I would be interested to hear if you think the cat's behavior translates to interest or something else that I should be weary of.. as I honestly do not know about cat behavior. Ok, here we go the cat was flat to the ground, tail wagging back and forth very slowly, and a low eerie meow...almost appeared to intoxicate the chickens as they were moving closer to him! Ugh. I feel bad as I chased my poor cat off but it just caught me off guard and I didn't know what to do! Help. Should I expect the worst or was my poor cat just interested in my fine feathered friends?

 

[canesisters]

Yes. The cat is stalking your chickens.

My barn cat adores my chooks. His behavior is completely different around them. He walks up to them, tail high. Then flops down and rolls around on his back. They are momentarily interested in him but mostly ignore him. He spends most of his time lounging on the landscape timbers around their run and watching them. One evening I had just locked the girls up and kept hearing this pitiful meowing. I was expecting him to show up at the coop door like he usually does but he never came. Then it hit me that the sound was coming from the run. I opened up the pop door and there he was - laying on his back on the ramp reaching for the door with his front paws and begging to be let in. Still have no idea how he got in there but when he came inside the roost the chickens didn't even notice him. I suspect they actually spend quite a bit of time together.

 

[AVintageLife]

We allowed our kitty with outdoor privileges (Checkers) supervised visits with the chicks while they were in their brooder. Now that they're outside in the coop and free range (when we're around), we haven't had any issues. It's hilarious watching Checkers smell a chicken's butt from time to time and over the weekend, he actually brought his favorite toy mouse out to the coop and dropped it by their door. That said, we would never leave Checkers and the chickens outside together unsupervised. Between a cat's natural instinct to go after things that fly and our rooster's desire to protect his girls, we figure they're all safer if humans are around to make sure everyone behaves.

 

[dkl38]

Yes. The cat is stalking your chickens.

Bummer! This is what I thought too...sigh. One more predator to worry about. No possibility he was just admiring them like the way I do?

 

[bobbi-j]

If you keep your cat well fed, he will most likely leave your chickens alone if they're full-grown. If they're babies.... it's anyone's guess. I wouldn't trust any cat with chicks. We have a wild barn cat who waits for a chicken to lay her egg in the barn, and then goes and eats the egg, but leaves the chickens alone. Again, I wouldn't trust her with chicks around.

 

[dkl38]

I let them free range with my constant eye contact on them at all times yesterday. I saw my barn cat watching them from a distance so I am just going to have to see how it goes. I do feed my barn cats well and so does my neighbor so hopefully all will be ok. Thank you for your input folks.

 

[canesisters]

Yes. The cat is stalking your chickens.

My barn cat adores my chooks. His behavior is completely different around them. He walks up to them, tail high. Then flops down and rolls around on his back. They are momentarily interested in him but mostly ignore him. He spends most of his time lounging on the landscape timbers around their run and watching them. One evening I had just locked the girls up and kept hearing this pitiful meowing. I was expecting him to show up at the coop door like he usually does but he never came. Then it hit me that the sound was coming from the run. I opened up the pop door and there he was - laying on his back on the ramp reaching for the door with his front paws and begging to be let in. Still have no idea how he got in there but when he came inside the roost the chickens didn't even notice him. I suspect they actually spend quite a bit of time together.

My poor, chicken-loving barn cat was hit by a car last night. I can't figure why he would be almost a mile away from home. I know that many cats wander - but this little guy was ALWAYS near the barn.
Miss my little Punkinhead

 

[dkl38]

Oh that is terrible news...I am so sorry for your loss. I do not know why they wander so far...I guess b/c they can...sigh. RIP Punkinhead

My poor, chicken-loving barn cat was hit by a car last night. I can't figure why he would be almost a mile away from home. I know that many cats wander - but this little guy was ALWAYS near the barn.
Miss my little Punkinhead

 

[calicokat]

OH, I'm so sorry you lost your cat [[[hugs]]]

We have a pair of cats that hang out with our chickens. They will eat the chickens crumbles, even as they make a face because they don't like it, LOL. The chickens steal the cat food, so I guess the cats figure, turn about is fair play.

For the record, it only takes our cats about one try going after the chickens to learn that the chicken can beat the snot out of the cat. Once they learn they aren't the boss, everyone gets along just fine (and steals each others food, LOL)

 

[Pumpkinismygirl]

Our feline friends love to sit and watch our girls. One of my cats (she is a little on the heavy side) acts like they're hers and chases away any predators. They dont mind having her around. My other cat tried to catch them and ended up getting a peck on the nose! She didn't bother them after that. From the behavior you described, it sounds like your kitty was stalking them and the noise he was making was used to try and "talk" to them. How old are your hens? Depending on their age, they will chase him off. You could also get a rooster to chase him away from your girls. Roosters are very protective of their hens and will even fight off a hawk if necessary. Also, if he can get in your coop, you can spray lemon juice around the edges. Cats hate the smell of lemon juice and I dont think it will bother the chickens... I mostly think he is just getting adjusted to the new "ground birds", and if you let him know it is not o.k. to chase them he will stop.
Hope this helps!