cat trouble

[Blessing]

I was inside when I heard my rooster making noise. When I went out to see what it was about I say a cat. I chased the cat away and then looked for my 2 hens, they were hidden and my rooster was in the middle of the garden faceing the cat. I notice he was doing the same yesterday but I didnt see the cat then. Im afraid the cat might come back what should I do. My chickens are free range and I dont have a proper coop built yet.

 

[quigley257]

Cats are an invasive species and should be treated as such. They are extremely efficient predators and are very detrimental to native birds and wildlife. In my neck of the woods we have orders to shoot on sight.

 

[chickortreat]

I kill several feral cats every year that wind up snooping around my place. Dogs as well, though more cats than dogs.

 

[Blessing]

Is their any other options I can do?

 

[shmccarthy]

You can set a live trap for the cat and bait it with canned tuna or even dry catfood. Take it to the pound/shelter or drive it really, really far away and let it go in the woods somewhere, away from where it could menace other people and chickens.

 

[shmccarthy]

You could also scare it away by spraying it with a hose, if its close enough. There are also motion sensitive sprinklers you can get that will definitely scare a cat away, it'll also keep chickens out of the garden too.

 

[Blessing]

Yea I think I, ll do that thanks

 

[beakmaster]

I have a metal cage trap to catch them with. I have several feral cats, raccoon, and possums in my area. The feral cats have attacked my cat many times and I finally had enough. My cat doesn't attack my quail, we have had young quail jump out of the broader at night and found the cat watching them in the morning. She is scared to go outside as the feral cats frequently tree her in the yard. We set the trap up and baited it with dry cat food and in 2 nights I caught the alpha feral cat, 1 possum, 1 raccoon. I took the possum several miles away and let it go as they are mostly docile. The raccoon is another story, I put it down. I am not trying to get bitten. I drowned him in a 50 gallon drum, the cage fits nicely and the animals pass within seconds. I have reservations about taking the cat to the pound since they will only kill it at the taxpayers expense. Sitting in a cage for days then getting a death shot is not as humane as what I did. Nobody wants to take a wild cat home. Taking the cat to another neighborhood and letting it go is most likely illegal and letting them go in the sticks (away from people) only kills it slowly and may increase population. I also put the feral down in the same manner as the coon. Call me cruel but I have kids who I care about more than these animals. Its not fun but rabies has been found just down the street and I'm not gonna do nothing and regret it later. If you do this put dish soap in the barrel so if there are any bugs on the animal they will die instead of jumping out into your yard. A sprinkler may fix your problem unless the cat is rabid, then you might be in a world of hurt. I would like to note in the event I catch a cat that is obviously someones cat (fluffy hair usually vs all scraggly), I will simply keep it in the cage for a day, hose it down and let it go. I wouldn't come back either. I got that idea from a raccoon hunter I know, he told me when they have a dog who leaves the coon hunt to chase deer, they put him in a barrel and close the end off with a deer skin and roll him down a hill and leave him for a day. This in my opinion is cruel but he said it works. I have rescued dogs who got lost from the hunt so maybe its better than losing a dog. I have saved cats people have been dumped (thats how I got mine) and would tie someone in a knot if I caught them doing that to an animal.