Cat territory question

[Anon112]

I think it really depends on the cat.

I've had two barn cats, Noir (RIP) and Oliver (now an inside kitty as he is older), who REALLY kept any "non-family" cats off of the property. They were friendly (or friendly enough) with the other barn cats, but any other cats were sent packing.

But, unfortunately, there are no guarantees that a cat you get will (1) have that defense mentality and (2) be able to physically beat another cat.

I have noticed that since reducing the rat population in my chicken area, the local stray cat is not coming around as much. I agree with earlier posts about doing your part to reduce the rats/mice by not giving them easy access to feed/scraps.

Also, while it's not a solution to your immediate problem, I agree with those who support local trap/neuter/release programs. Reducing the feral/unhoused cat population is good for everyone: wildlife, people, and the cats themselves.

 

[DonyaQuick]

I think it really depends on the cat.

I've had two barn cats, Noir (RIP) and Oliver (now an inside kitty as he is older), who REALLY kept any "non-family" cats off of the property. They were friendly (or friendly enough) with the other barn cats, but any other cats were sent packing.

But, unfortunately, there are no guarantees that a cat you get will (1) have that defense mentality and (2) be able to physically beat another cat.

Ah...yes the personality thing could definitely be a problem. My best point of comparison there would be my roosters I guess...I have one roo who is a great master flock manager and defender. He's also a pain in the behind quite often LOL. Useful but kind of like "oh no not you" when I'm not expecting to encounter him. I have met cats like that...they were not terribly fun. The kind of cats I like are more like a couple of other roosters that my husband refers to as "the useless roosters" since they're just passive blobs. Since it does sound like scent alone doesn't do much with cats, I suppose it would be kind of defeating the point to have a nice big friendly cat that's an excellent pet but that just gets bullied into a corner by the first little stinker that decides to invade.

(edited...apologies for some of the more bizarre typos and garbled wordings I've managed to type in a while)

 

[Anon112]

Ah...yes the personality thing could definitely be a problem. My best point of comparison there would be my roosters I guess...I have one roo who is a great master flock manager and defender. He's also a pain in the behind quite often LOL. Useful but kind of like "oh no not you" when I'm not expecting to encounter him. I have met cats like that...they were not terribly fun. The kind of cats I like are more like a couple of other roosters that my husband refers to as "the useless roosters" since they're just passive blobs. Since it does sound like scent alone doesn't do much with cats, I suppose it would be kind of defeating the point to have a nice big friendly cat that's an excellent pet but that just gets bullied into a corner by the first little stinker that decides to invade.

(edited...apologies for some of the more bizarre typos and garbled wordings I've managed to type in a while)

Noir was super friendly to people. He was a big teddy bear. But he took very seriously guarding his territory from outsiders trying to move in.

I've moved away from outside cats because of the damage they do to local wildlife, and also because of how anxious I get when one doesn't show up for a meal. But since bringing Oliver inside, there has been a noticeable (not huge, but noticeable) uptick in local strays hanging out on my property.

 

[McChooky]

Malnutrition, exposure to the elements and disease shorten the lifespan of cats that live in colonies

 

[SourRoses]

I think size matters.
Smell is a big deal with cats. Whether it has enough of an impact against the hunger of a stray is hard to say. But I think it would help.
If it's for the defense against other cats, I think your best bet is a large male, and lazy would be fine as he can probably still rouse himself when the need arises.

Our last barn cat, Frosty, was a love bug... Tended to flop down and turn over in front of our feet to get tummy rubs.
He was very big and did not tolerate other cats. Or squirrels or coons. But he didn't care about hunting. It was just territory.
One day he came home with obvious signs of an encounter with a toad. We had to flush his eyes. He had a persistent issue with one eye ever after that. Nasty toads.
He came home with wounds on his face from fights, we used Vetericyn on those and they healed well enough. He liked to come inside on hot afternoons / cold nights and make use of human comforts. A big boofy overfed boy. We loved him.
Then one day he didn't come home. It was so sudden and he had been with us there for long enough, plus it was far from the road... so we knew some creature had killed him. That was really hard.

Our cats since have been indoor kitties. Two girls, both very sweet. We don't let them go outside, even though the eldest is a ferocious hunter who cared for herself before we found her.

 

[McChooky]

Does keep a cat on one's property (like a fixed barn cat) help to keep away wandering ferals that are looking for new territory? Or would that completely backfire and just draw more in? I have no experience keeping cats and am finding a lot of conflicting and fuzzy info on whether cats attract or repel other cats, or if it's mostly just a matter of whether they're fixed or not like with dogs...or if it's an issue of how food is distributed to the cats, etc. Any cat I would keep would be rabies vaccinated, spayed/neutered, fed/sheltered properly, and given routine vet care, and not just left out to fend for itself. The feral cats in question are, of course, completely unvaccinated and often carrying other assortments of parasites/diseases, and this winter they have been very aggressive in trying to get my chickens out of desperation (my chickens don't generally free range; they are predator-secure as much as I can manage but the most recent problem cat snuck in and was trying to open coop doors even as I was basically right there going to/from the enclosure doing routine stuff!). Rabies and occasional rabid cats are also unfortunately a thing in this area.

My dog's presence has been extremely effective at pusing back other canids and many other animals away from my house and poultry areas, just from her scent alone. I never even see tracks from them even quite far out on the property. She does not repel cats though; they are the only thing that truly doesn't care about her at all unless she chases them - and they'e gotten pretty good at avoiding her while still being a problem. Most people here who have poultry or other farm animals in a serious way have both a dog and a cat, although I think most people keep the cats for rodents, which is not an issue for me since I control those in other ways.

If there are better cat-deterrence methods for a large property I am open to suggestions, but I'm not looking for info on trapping or other more drastic cat-removal methods. I already know what my options are in that domain. I would just really rather push unwanted cats away more naturally, similarly to how foxes/coyotes stay away with my dog's territory, if it's at all possible to do such a thing.

Does keep a cat on one's property (like a fixed barn cat) help to keep away wandering ferals that are looking for

I've never heard of anyone using a cat to deter other cats but I can assure you it won't work. Cats have 'community' meetings where all of them gather around . I can't tell you for sure what they're talking about but I'm pretty sure they're discussing us lol

 

[WhatsUpDuck]

As far as what an animal could get that you can't really prepare for is infections from bites/scratches from fighting! I would be prepared to deal with infection on an outdoor animal!

 

[Penpal]

Call your local animal control, Humane Society, and ASPCA. One of them is bound to neuter the stray cats for free. You might have to catch them yourself, but they would probably have traps you can use.

 

[Not-so Slick Chicken]

Short answer is one cat will not keep feral cats away

(Long answer and suggestions below)
I don't know what your area is like, but certain things will draw cats in. (Food, shelter, companionship)

For one, sounds like you have some very desperate feral cats who actively go after your chickens. So it may be difficult to move them along in the first place.

Making sure your birds are more secure than they are now will be top priority

(Suggestion 1)
If you can close off any shelters to the cats, that could help deter (porch/deck, barn, sheds, carport)

Making sure there's no "food" they can get to may eventually be less of a draw. That also means no rodents being drawn in, and not using bird feeders.
Pet kibble, poultry feed, garbage, food scraps, all fully secure and inaccessible to cats and mice.

(Suggestion 2)
Alternatively, you could start feeding the feral cats. (It will cost money.) Then all the local ferals that you aren't attached to will limit some of the new ferals coming in to their territory. Maybe you'll be about to catch some to get them neutered and vaccinated, but it'll likely be very expensive.

(They used to have deals here for neutering ferals, now they don't. Maybe some places still have those deals)

*edited typo

 

[McChooky]

Short answer is one cat will not keep feral cats away

(Long answer and suggestions below)
I don't know what your area is like, but certain things will draw cats in. (Food, shelter, companionship)

For one, sounds like you have some very desperate feral cats who actively go after your chickens. So it may be difficult to move them along in the first place.

Making sure your birds are more secure than they are now will be top priority

(Suggestion 1)
If you can close off any shelters to the cats, that could help deter (porch/deck, barn, sheds, carport)

Making sure there's no "food" they can get to may eventually be less of a draw. That also means no rodents being drawn in, and not using bird feeders.
Pet kibble, poultry feed, garbage, food scraps, all fully secure and inaccessible to cats and mice.

(Suggestion 2)
Alternatively, you could start feeding the feral cats. (It will cost money.) Then all the local ferals that you aren't attached to will limit some of the new ferals coming in to their territory. Maybe you'll be about to catch some to get them neutered and vaccinated, but it'll likely be very expensive.

(They used to have deals here for neutering ferals, now they don't. Maybe some places still have those deals)

*edited typo

Great advise!