Cat scat found... Ducks in Danger?

[Bridger Davis]

Hello everybody! Putting the ducks outside with the heatlamp in their coop has worked fantastically, and they love being out!! I spent the day away from home while the ducks hung out with my dog in the yard. (here's a pic of how well they get along )

Anyways, I went into the garden/gated off duck area to find a small pile of what I suspect to be cat scat. While I forgot to take a pictrue, it looked like this pic I found online; just like any other cat scat.

The ducks are 5.5 wks. Old now... The thing is, I know that it has to be the only cat that hangs around the neighborhood, a domestic outdoor cat that is our neighbor's...Is it really a danger? Can I buy some repellent if it is? And on a similar topic, what kind of outdoor cam would you guys recommend? Thanks, everyone!! Oh and I wanted to share.. I finished plumbing and decorating the duck tub!!

 

[cavemanrich]

With your dog around, your ducks are protected. I also think your ducks are kind of big enough for the cat not to show much interest in them.
As you can see in my Avatar, I have cats galore. They never bother my chickens, even the bantams. When I had baby chicks, I did keep them in a cage when they were on the grass outdoor. The cats did seem to show evil interest in them when the chicks were small. When they did grow out some,,,,, they were no longer choice Chicken Nuggets then.
For some reason or other,,,,,,, my cats always licked their chops when they were near my adult pigeons. My pigeons were bigger than my bantams, or about the same size.
WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[cavemanrich]

Just another noteworthy thing about cats. Cats bury their scat. so what you found, may have come from another animal passing thru. Nocturnal animals like opossum, small raccoon, or skunk are a possibility. (large adult raccoon leaves something equal to your dog's size) Of course they are night time predators for most. Your duckies are sleeping in a safe area at that time.

 

[Magnolia Ducks]

Agree looks like raccoon or possum to me. My cat flocks with the ducks and thinks they are great to hang out with. Once they are this size I would not worry about domestic cat. Dog on the other hand, I would worry about. Mine would never intentionally hurt them, and would actually protect them from predator, she's a red heeler cross. But she loves to herd them and wants them to go faster.

 

[DuckyDonna]

Agree looks like raccoon or possum to me. My cat flocks with the ducks and thinks they are great to hang out with. Once they are this size I would not worry about domestic cat. Dog on the other hand, I would worry about. Mine would never intentionally hurt them, and would actually protect them from predator, she's a red heeler cross. But she loves to herd them and wants them to go faster.

I know what you mean about that! I've got 2 border collies and one is a puppy. My grown BC is great with the ducks. I could put him in the run with them all day and not worry. The puppy is a different story. She can't seem to help chasing them from the outside of their run fence. She gets my ducks so riled up and wants to herd them so bad. I've tried a "supervised" herd but since I don' t know what I'm doing it didn't work out so well. She's not out to hurt them but she's all over the place with crazy chasing and then the ducks scatter. I guess because she's just a puppy.

 

[Bridger Davis]

@cavemanrich @Magnolia Ducks @DuckyDonna Thanks everyone! As I said, that picture was just something I found on the internet when I googled "cat scat pics" because I forgot to get a pic of the actual stuff before I threw it away. We don't have raccoons or possums, and honestly, I'm surprised my boxer did not chase away the cat before it pooped... Anyways... we've had this cat in our yard before, and she never buries her poop... not all of them do. I think the ducks are safe too, and Sadie would never hurt the ducks; they are her puppies Thanks for all the help everyone; I'm glad the ducks are not in danger from the cat. Does anyone have any recommendations about an outdoor video cam? Thanks!

 

[DuckyDonna]

@cavemanrich @Magnolia Ducks @DuckyDonna Thanks everyone! As I said, that picture was just something I found on the internet when I googled "cat scat pics" because I forgot to get a pic of the actual stuff before I threw it away. We don't have raccoons or possums, and honestly, I'm surprised my boxer did not chase away the cat before it pooped... Anyways... we've had this cat in our yard before, and she never buries her poop... not all of them do. I think the ducks are safe too, and Sadie would never hurt the ducks; they are her puppies Thanks for all the help everyone; I'm glad the ducks are not in danger from the cat. Does anyone have any recommendations about an outdoor video cam? Thanks!

How far away from your house (internet service) is your duck run/pen? If you can still pick up internet out there it should be easy to find video that will work. @WannaBeHillBilly has one I'm pretty sure. I wish I could but I'm too far away and it won't connect so I use a deer/trail camera.

 

[Amer]

Agree looks like raccoon or possum to me. My cat flocks with the ducks and thinks they are great to hang out with. Once they are this size I would not worry about domestic cat. Dog on the other hand, I would worry about. Mine would never intentionally hurt them, and would actually protect them from predator, she's a red heeler cross. But she loves to herd them and wants them to go faster.

X2
I wouldn't worry about cats because mine have never looked at my birds as food, even though they love looking at chicks. Once I left the brooder top off all day on accident and found my cat sitting in the ecoglow, staring at day-old Call ducklings. No casualties of course, it only made me trust the cats more. Dogs are generally more dangerous-some, not all. That is not cat scat though. I would keep a look out for some of the more dangerous predators.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

How far away from your house (internet service) is your duck run/pen? If you can still pick up internet out there it should be easy to find video that will work. @WannaBeHillBilly has one I'm pretty sure. I wish I could but I'm too far away and it won't connect so I use a deer/trail camera.

Even at my duck-platform i don't receive the WiFi signal from the internet router in my office. I am using a cheap WiFi extender in the room, facing the duck house to extend the WiFi signal, so that the DuckyCam can connect. It is not a very satisfactory solution, as the extender is not connected to the main hub with a cable but wireless, therefore cutting the available data-rate in half, barely sufficient for an HD video-stream. I use an »Amcrest ProHD 1080P WiFi Wireless IP Security Camera«.