Cat is a really annoying pest. How to stop him?

[juliechick]

My kitten, who is about half grown, loves to chase my hens around the yard. The silly girls are terrified and just fly everywhere. I don't want to hurt the cat, but I don't know what to do since he doesn't respond to yelling or being sprayed with water. I mean he might stop for a second, but turn your back and he's right back at it. He likes to run across the top of their pen, too. Will this behavior stop as he gets older? Our last cat came to us grown and he never payed the hens any mind at all, so this was a shock to me.

What to do??

 

[panner123]

Put the cat in with the chickens. Espeacially if you have a rooster. In a matter of minutes the cat will want nothing to do with chickens ever again.

 

[darbella]

Quote:
Make sure you have a video camera running if you do this, I imagine it would be a winner on americas funniest videos!!!

 

[wildorchid053]

just be ready to rescue the cat.. hate to think of it being henpecked to death lol

 

[chickenjim64]

I have 7 cat's and one cat Grizzlybear would not stop chasing my girls, whenever they see him they freak all the other cats walk right by them they don't pay no mind,but when they see Grizz oh boy he would chase, he could catch them but he just liked to chase them i locked him in the house when they were out in the day but i just gave up let him out with them he got bored after a while like i thought he would they are still a little weary of him but not as much every so often he'll stalk them give a little chase but he seems bored by it now so just be patient he'll stop before to long, but dont stop yelling at him for chasing let him know your mad at him he'll stop..

 

[teach1rusl]

The kitten/cat sounds like he's at that age where he's just really rambunctious! You might just try sitting/holding the cat while calling all the chickens over w/treats sprinkled about. That's how I'm getting my dogs use to my chickens (and vice versa). I'm sure you'd have to do this for a week or two. My male (young) male cat will walk across the top of their run too. I'm okay with it, because I figure the more cat/dog smell around, maybe wild critter will be less likely to visit. My (young) female cat did try the chasing thing about two weeks ago. My chickens are young, but I still don't think she could have hurt them, but I was worried about them hurting themselves running into something. I took her in the pen with me a few days, and she seems to have lost interest. Good luck!

 

[1acrefarm]

A good roo will put the cat in its place but be careful too good of a roo might take the cat out.

 

[McCord6]

Spray the cat with water?
That works on other things. Or do what everyone else says...which I never experienced

 

[biddyboo]

We have turned our hens' free range time into the cats' dinner time. When the hens head out to peck and scratch for bugs, the cats head to the house where they know they'll get their dishes of Friskies canned food. This worked for us when Rowdy Cat thought free range time was HIS time to free range for our hens! Peace reigns once again here on Quiet Pond It's a shame this doesn't work though for our GSP. He's such a "bad boy" with the hens that he gets sent to the mud room with a dog biscuit and pig's ear for the duration of free range time! ~G

 

[juliechick]

I'm afraid if I put him the pen with them, they might kill themselves trying to get away. Garfield has scared the hens so they won't come near if the cat is anywhere in their known universe. I only have one rooster, a Wyandotte banty who has just stared to crow. He did bow up at the kitty one day, through the fence, but right now he's just too little to fight the cat.

I guess I'll just have to keep shutting kitty in the house while the hens are out, for now. Thanks for the replies all!