Cat killed my Silkie!

[bradybuck]

I just got a call at work from my wife saying a cat killed one of my Silkie hens. We have seen a few kittens and a full gown cat in the back yard but they have not really messed with my chickens till today. I am not sure who they belong to in the neighborhood.

What should I do?

I am thinking of either taking them out with the pellet gun or buying a live trap.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Live trap is my choice. They could be feral or they could be a neighbors' pets but if the owner cared about their cat they wouldn't let them roam to be run over by a car or killed by a coyote. Not to mention the ravaging of vulnerable wildlife.

 

[War Chicken]

I use foothold traps, pre-charged pneumatic air rifles in .25 cal, motion detectors, and trail cameras. Footholds work a lot better than cage traps. As long as you use the appropriate size and check the traps daily, they are no more damaging than cage traps. Use the trail cameras to identify their routes, if they aren't already obvious. Then put the motion detectors and foothold traps along their paths.

It doesn't matter who they belong to. I've never heard of a cat owner start keeping their cats indoors due to a neighbor complaining. If you complain you just become the primary suspect when one disappears whether you had anything to do with it or not.