Cat problem

[bigimpact]

Hi Guys,

Big problem, maybe you can help. We adopted a cat we thought was very young, turns out was about 10 months old 2 months ago. We had 8 chickens and a Rooster that freerange frequently, they have a nice big secure coop - now we have 7 chickens and a rooster. The cat is lovely, but his puberty balls and attitude are starting to come through, We have just got a purebred puppy too - who must take the priority.

So, Alex the cat was fine with the chickens - but last week chased and mangled one - I had to take an axe to the chicken, it was a goner. He still has been stalking the other chickens frequently, even when in their fenced off area outside the coop. He also scratches and bites me occasionally, kind of playing like - but has sharp bite and claws - even if he lets us rub its belly and likes the petting. He's fully outdoor, but has been in the house occasionally, in that he keeps trying to get in and if the door is open and unmonitored he does come in, but we always boot him out eventually. He's very athletic and catches mice well - all positives. We understand he may have new pet anxiety regarding the puppy, blah blah blah - I'm not excusing him.

The fact is, I prefer to have my chickens freerange 'relatively' safely and not have the worry that an aggressive swipe will scar or blind our puppy. Because we got the cat / kitten at the 'wrong' time - it just wandered in to our lives, and now it's at its destructive peak - we have to make a decision - stop feeding the cat and chase it off our property or keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best. The reality is, he'll keep going after the chooks and our dog won't be safe until it is sufficiently large and grown to take care of himself.

I really like the cat, but the chickens and the new puppy have to come first - as we haven't had the cat at an age where it could be properly socialised or trained. This means we have to stop feeding him and chase him from the property, kill him, have him neutered (although I read this won't affect aggression) or have to wait for something more serious than the one butchered chicken to happen. To be honest, I think I've partially answered my own question - but if anyone has any insight or tips, I'd be very grateful. Any no-joke way to 'cure' the cat would be ideal

 

[TAMMACLEAN]

Hi Guys,

Big problem, maybe you can help. We adopted a cat we thought was very young, turns out was about 10 months old 2 months ago. We had 8 chickens and a Rooster that freerange frequently, they have a nice big secure coop - now we have 7 chickens and a rooster. The cat is lovely, but his puberty balls and attitude are starting to come through, We have just got a purebred puppy too - who must take the priority.

So, Alex the cat was fine with the chickens - but last week chased and mangled one - I had to take an axe to the chicken, it was a goner. He still has been stalking the other chickens frequently, even when in their fenced off area outside the coop. He also scratches and bites me occasionally, kind of playing like - but has sharp bite and claws - even if he lets us rub its belly and likes the petting. He's fully outdoor, but has been in the house occasionally, in that he keeps trying to get in and if the door is open and unmonitored he does come in, but we always boot him out eventually. He's very athletic and catches mice well - all positives. We understand he may have new pet anxiety regarding the puppy, blah blah blah - I'm not excusing him.

The fact is, I prefer to have my chickens freerange 'relatively' safely and not have the worry that an aggressive swipe will scar or blind our puppy. Because we got the cat / kitten at the 'wrong' time - it just wandered in to our lives, and now it's at its destructive peak - we have to make a decision - stop feeding the cat and chase it off our property or keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best. The reality is, he'll keep going after the chooks and our dog won't be safe until it is sufficiently large and grown to take care of himself.

I really like the cat, but the chickens and the new puppy have to come first - as we haven't had the cat at an age where it could be properly socialised or trained. This means we have to stop feeding him and chase him from the property, kill him, have him neutered (although I read this won't affect aggression) or have to wait for something more serious than the one butchered chicken to happen. To be honest, I think I've partially answered my own question - but if anyone has any insight or tips, I'd be very grateful. Any no-joke way to 'cure' the cat would be ideal

Why did you get a cat in the first place? Did you adopt it through a shelter? If so it should havw already been "fixed" not to mention most shelters ask you to keep them inside. Also why is your cat not allowed in the house? That could be part of his aggrssive attitude. You are making him a feral cat. If you don't want him give him away to someone who does or take him to a shelter or an ASPCA shelter. They are free to surrender an animal.

 

[cntrywmnkw]

I love cats & I've had cats most of my life & I've found that if they are agressive, they usually will continue to be agressive. Getting him fixed MIGHT help some & I've heard there are some medications, but best thing I can suggest is to try & rehome him or take him to pound.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

No matter what you should have the cat neutered right away - especially an outside cat. Unfixed pets are why kittens are euthanized daily and as a caring and responsible pet owner you don't want to be a part of that cycle. If cost is an issue there are sliding scale and low or no cost clinics in almost any area that will help.

 

[Imp]

Sounds like the cat is a year old. Still a kitten and will continue acting kittenish for another year or more. Of course it will have sharp teeth and claws. I have 3, 15 year old cats, and a couple, 8 year old cats. They still occasionally decide to "attack" the hand that feeds them. That's normal cat behavior.
Please rehome rather than run it off to starve or be killed.

Imp- Sorry about your chicken. It's the rare cat that will attack a flock.

 

[bigimpact]

This is a reply to all the replies so far, not just this comment

Thanks guys - a lot of nice posts. We're in the middle of nowhere in the Czech Rychlebske Mountain range - village of 300, everybody in the whole region (least populated in central Europe) who wants a cat has one or multiple. We can try a re-home - and would try to do this, we do have enough affection for the cat to not want to chase him away and having him neutered isn't the problem, indeed we've had an illness cured by a good local vet who suggested he shouldn't be neutered until around about now, his balls look massive now! But as I read this won't change aggression, and it's not like he's a full on psycho - just that he completely mauled a chicken and still goes after the others. Strangely, we've just started introducing the puppy, and they seem fine - but a single swipe on a bloody expensive pedigree show puppy (GSMD!) and the fact he has killed a much larger full grown hen, and even stalks the rooster and swipes me makes me worry. Rehousing is not like in the States - where I understand a lot of members here come from; if you're cat goes to a pound it's dead. People don't go to a pound to get cat's - everybody knows someone who's trying to get rid of a stack as nobody seems to spay and neuter around here - obviously, if we keep the cat he'll definitely be fixed. Also, some US animal lovers (please don;t get me wrong) are a little naive about the facilities and ways of life in the darkest sticks in Eastern Europe; it's not about being mean - it's about being real - I can't keep replacing chickens indefinitely nor risk my dog; hence the need for a way to educate the cat humanely.

Does anyone know of some methods to stop the killer instinct in reference to the chickens? The unfortunate reality of our situation is that if we can't keep him, he has to be either put down (although I would naturally try to re-home, but I have better odds of winning the lottery - and I don't buy tickets...) or go back to his previous troubadours existence, which would mean chasing him off and stop feeding. It seems harsh, but he's only been on the good life for a short amount of time and is a very adept hunter; it gives him a chance to find a new place - or indeed to return from whence he came. I'm willing to put in effort, and money isn't the issue but I really need ideas to wean him off being aggressive towards chickens rather than cat softies telling me to do the right thing - no disrespect intended, I'm sure you can appreciate my dilema! Again, thanks to all who have posted - I'm in a right moral conundrum

 

[TAMMACLEAN]

Get him fixed and keep him inside.

 

[bigimpact]

RESPONSE TO: TAMMCCLEAN

We didn't adopt - he appeared in the garden malnourished and had a big infection in his tail, which we paid for and sorted. He hung around and needing feeding, so we did. We didn't 'get' a cat - he 'got' us, if you catch my drift. Please be constructive rather than aggressive, I'm not naive or an idiot and I don't live in the US. I asked about helping to change his aggressive behavior, not for a lecture on my practices. I've spent a lot of time and money helping this cat, feeding and I'm getting a lot of unexpected trouble. I'm not trying to rag on you - but I really am not as stupid as you make out in your post. Furthermore, the cat is not allowed in the house as I am allergic to cats and we do not want a cat inside - outside cats are normal in the country in general, and especially in the middle of nowhere where we live. I hope this requirement to give you so much private information as you requested (or shouted down, I'm not quite sure) will yield a useful answer to the actual question I posed - as you will see form my post further down the page, a shelter is a death sentence - ergo I am trying to avoid this with advice; but please don't lecture me given what I have already done for the cat. I hoep you'll accept these comments in the right way; more advice on neutering does not help my situation one jot.

 

[Grace11]

Some cats, get overstimulated from petting and will turn on a person and bite and claw especially if the underside of the cat is petted when they roll over. A cat with that type of personality AFAIK, they cannot be "cured" and can never be trusted around kids and one just has to pet only once in a while and only for a very short time. (my neighbor has one like this and the second I found out it was a cat that got overstimulated from petting I had to just refrain from petting her because I knew what she was like no matter how much she begged you to interact with her.) I had one for years and I just handled him as safely as a person could, seldom petting and only for a short while. I dont know that keeping the cat would be in your best interests with the dog and the chickens, another home/farm etc may be the best solution in this case. AFAIK there is nothing one can do to change a cat like this.

 

[Firefighter Chick]

I know you must be frustrated but I do not see a reasonable solution other than what you have disregarded. sorry.