Cat problem

[Spikes Chooks]

It sure is a conundrum, I have a large, bossy, neutered tomcat and was initially wary of how he'd get along with my new chickens. All good so far. We adopted this cat at 10 months old, had him neutered and, because he had been stuck in a room and mostly ignored for months, had to "socialise" him to be good around people. Based on our experiences, and what I read of your circumstances, I think the following is well worth a try.

1. Have him neutered. It really did calm our boy down. Maybe you're right to be sceptical about what difference it will make - but if you can afford it, then it's a good first step. Nothing to lose, right? Except for him of course ..... and at least he won't be adding to the unwanted kittens in the neighbourhood. Plus unneutered toms can get a bit, frankly, smelly!

2. Within your own terms, regularly interact with the cat. Maybe stroll around outside with him, call him to you, give him a pat. Pick him up, if that doesn't activate your allergy too much. A little and often will show him you can be trusted, that he is in a safe place and that life is good. Our particular cat just could NOT be picked up, he panicked and fought like a wild thing. So, every time we passed him, we would pick him up for one second then out him straight back down. The next day, we held him for two seconds, and so on over the days and weeks until he slowly learnt we meant him no harm and that this was a normal and not terrifying thing to happen. All sorts of his behaviours calmed down.

3. Spend time with the cat and the puppy together. Stroke and talk to them in turn. Demonstrate that you all belong. If the cat is already being quite good around the puppy, the chances are that the dangerous time is over and the odd playful swipe is the worst you can expect.

4. Let the cat see you in the fenced area with the chickens. Encourage him to watch you and speak to him in a calm, soft voice. I tell him what I'm doing and why - but it doesn't matter what you say. Your tone of voice and your interaction with the cat, tells him that you are doing something normal, maybe after a while, boring!

My Mum gave me this advice when I got my chickens and was worried about the cat - it's just like bringing a new baby home! The older children will be curious, suspicious, maybe threatened. Let them see and touch. Explain what you are doing. Act like you all belong together - and children and animals will detect that and act as if you all belong together. And take it slowly.

I can see you really want to do the right thing by all your animals, which is so admirable. I hope some of these ideas are helpful. It may not always work, but we now have a happy, loving cat who finds the chickens mostly boring and no longer rushes at them as if he wants to eat them. By the way, the cat is the Spike in my user name and we are in Sydney, Australia. Good luck!!!

 

[clogan98]

Definitely neuter him. Trim his claws and order SoftPaws nail caps. That way if he does swipe at the dog, the dog will be perfectly unharmed. If you are feeding him, he doesn't need to hunt for food so he won't need to worry about that. DON'T cap his back claws. He'll need those for protection. DON'T pet him anywhere besides a quick pat on the head or scratch under the chin or by the ears. Usually female cats turn on you when petting. If he's doing it, he is getting overstimulated and would benefit from NOT petting. The neutering will calm him down immensely. No not entirely, he's still at kitten age. Kind of like a teenager right now. How old are your chickens? Full grown? They should be able to defend themselves against a cat. Not feeding him and running him off your property won't work. Sounds like he has decided that's home. He'll keep coming back, especially after being neutered as he won't want to stray. HOWEVER, if you are allergic to cats and don't want him inside, you are going to have to treat him as a barn cat. My honest opinion would be to get another one to keep him company outside to cohort with. Don't just kill him. I hope when you said that you meant euthanize him at a vet's office. Not just break his neck, drown him or shoot him like others have done. ALL the while that you are doing this, ask around if anyone can take him. Especially at the vet. No, I don't know exactly what it's like in your country but some people will step in if they think you are just going to kill him because he played a little too hard with one of your chickens. He might find a nice home. If not, paintball guns are great if you see him going near your chickens. Plus, the added colors will make him easier to spot by the chooks. JUST MY THOUGHTS.

 

[ClaytonCoop]

Are you able to watch the cat and catch him in action? If so everytime you see him stalk a bird spray him with a garden hose, Super Soaker waterx gun or toss water balloons but NEVER EVER use your voice. If you do he will associate the water to you and will wait intil you aren't around. I have used spray bottles in the house or soda cans with pebbles inside to startle them. The cat could have been neutered when he was 8 weeks old. Its much easier when they are younger and the recovery time is much shorter.

I say bring him inside and work with him. He and the puppy will have episodes and they will either get along or tolerate each other. I have had cats sand dogs all my life and each one with very different personalities. I hope you are able to get through it this and have a great cat. When I find the web addy for Cornell Veterinary School I will post it. Lots of amazing info on cats and behavior modification.
P.S. please excuse my typos, my droid and I are having a love hate relationship right now.

 

[LaynaDon95]

Okay, I have not read every comment as I am about to have to leave the house, but I have seen some people saying you are making the cat feral by keeping outside. That is not true. (no offense to those who said it. Everyone is entitled to heir opinion, but for my experience you can have very tame, loving outdoor cats.) My first cat was a stray. My neighbor adopted him (or rather he adopted her) when he turned up at her house. She fed him and he stuck around. He was the ugliest, grouchiest cat I had ever seen. My neighbor had him for like 10 years, and ended up having to get back surgery and couldn't feed him. I took over feeding him and would go across the street every day to feed him. He loooooved being petted. Every time you would walk away from him he would claw at your legs to get you to come back. I promptly broke him of that. When we moved from that neighborhood, we took Ty (the cat) with us and he lived with us for about 2 years. He was the sweetest (still grouchy, but loved attention) cat ever. He never saw the inside of a house, not one time, except when I bathed him before taking him to the new house. He was at least 11 when I gave him his first bath and he took it like a champ. He got a cut once and we had to doctor him. He held still for it and was very patient with us. Keeping your cat outdoors will not make him feral. It totally depends on the personality of the cat, and the way you treat the cat. It seems that Alex just isn't the social type. He may have been too old by the time you found him to be properly socialized to humans. Ty died in November. We were heartbroken, me especially. I made him a little grave and we buried him. A month later on Christmas day, we were loading Christmas dinner into the car to go over to my Aunt's house, when I walked out to find a kitten in the car trying to eat our Christmas dinner. She was very small. Probably about 2-3 months old, and terrified of people. We threw some of Ty's leftover cat food out for her and she has stuck around ever since. She promptly got pregnant, because we didn't know cat's could go into heat so early. But that's beside the point. The prime socializing age for cats is 2 weeks - 2-ish months. We apparently caught her right at end of that. She tolerates us, but doesn't especially like us. When she was pregnant she was very snuggly, and loooved being held. She trusted us with her kittens and never minded us picking them up and playing with them, and she allows me to pet her, but she squirms out of your arms when you pick her up and walks away after letting you pet her for a few seconds. She has been indoors way more than Ty ever was and is much less social. So, I don't have much advice for you on your questions, but I can tell you, your socializing problems have nothing to do with whether he is inside or outside.

 

[Mattemma]

Cat enclosure is best for indoor cats.Strays should be removed or if you prefer feed and tolerate.Roamers die young.Sweetest cat I had was a feral boy.Took me 6 months to tame him.He stayed inside once I caught him.

 

[clogan98]

Don't forget, everyone who is saying bring it inside, I believe she said she was allergic. And when I said treat it as a barn cat, I didn't mean feral I meant a typical barn cat, mouser per se.

 

[BusyBlonde]

I am sorry, I do not have an answer for you. I have a cat - an intact male - who adopted us. Once he figured out that I fed the chickens, and wild birds, he stopped hunting them. Mice, Lizards, snakes, and huge bugs - he still gets praise. He has never killed a chicken, and has not killed a songbird in over four years. It was mostly him spending time with us and understanding what was - and was not - acceptable.

 

[Nottinghamranch]

We have 2 male cats that were given to my children as kittens and have had no problems with them and our fowl. Also our neighbors have full grown cats that can cross the fence as many cat lovers know they love doing. I've never seen their male cat come after our fowl. I hope things work out for you.

 

[Afewbantams]

In my opinion, all animals go through that horrible teenage stage where they challenge authority. When our cat tried to get aggressive or exerted his superiority, I made sure he knew I was top cat. If he started to scratch something he wasn't supposed to there was a loud 'no' or 'hssssss'. We got chickens when he was 4 years old and when he tried to stalk them we sprayed him with water. We keep bantams and quail so they're all pretty small.

One of our young bantams strayed outside the garden and a neighbour's cat found her and took her home; she was a bit scratched but survived. There are lots of cats in our neighbourhood but our cat sees them off. I hope you can give your cat, puppy and chickens a bit more time to get used to each other. Our cat will attack dogs but most are careful to keep our of his way.

Best of luck, I hope it works out well for you.