Cat won't leave chickens alone

[TexasChicken12]

My cat WILL NOT leave our pullets alone. He is bound on determined to catch one. We were going to free range the girls but he makes that impossible. Is there any way to train him to leave them alone?

 

[MyPetNugget]

Well we don't have a cat or dog so I'm not sure how I would train a cat.. But you could try chicken tractors!!

 

[cafrhe]

Is this outside? Maybe sit and wait with a hose set on 'stream'? I kept my pullets away from the cat (behind a fence) until they were big enough to not be 'prey' for the cat. I have one cat who really thinks he is funny. He chases with out intent, but I would rather he didnt chase at all. If I thought he had intent to capture/kill, he would have had the hose turned on him already. We have acquired a young rooster that has not been integrated into the main flock yet, but I am hoping he does not find the cat funny once he becomes the 'man of the house'.

If they pullets are still inside, maybe a spray bottle. Hiss at the same time you spray and the cat will associate the sound of the hiss with getting wet and react as though he is getting wet even when you are no longer using the water.

 

[MyPetNugget]

Is this outside? Maybe sit and wait with a hose set on 'stream'? I kept my pullets away from the cat (behind a fence) until they were big enough to not be 'prey' for the cat. I have one cat who really thinks he is funny. He chases with out intent, but I would rather he didnt chase at all. If I thought he had intent to capture/kill, he would have had the hose turned on him already. We have acquired a young rooster that has not been integrated into the main flock yet, but I am hoping he does not find the cat funny once he becomes the 'man of the house'.

If they pullets are still inside, maybe a spray bottle. Hiss at the same time you spray and the cat will associate the sound of the hiss with getting wet and react as though he is getting wet even when you are no longer using the water.

Good idea.

 

[AZ RT89A]

Make him an indoor cat?

 

[TexasChicken12]

We do have a chicken tractor. That's a good idea with the water hose but then he will just wait till we are in the house and can't spray him. Do you think he will stop when they get bigger? I'm afraid that he won't because he has been around them since they were chicks. Would a bantom rooster be able to protect them? Thanks sooo much for your help. I haven't been able to find anything else on the subject.

 

[welasharon]

I used the water hose also. My cats still are cautious around the chickens.

 

[cafrhe]

My opinion of animals harassing livestock of any kind is that at some point if it is not stopped quickly, we will be forced to do something to our pets that we dont want to do--either re-home or put down (more likely dogs than cats) or contain them in a way that is inconvenient. My cats would not take to being house cats. They were house cats until they escaped often enough for me to give up! One of my cats sprays in the house, so he is out all the time--but crated at night in the garage to keep him safe.

The 1st step is not allowing a situation to arise--cat gets chased, scared etc any time he looks at a chicken. Dont let him get into 'hunter mode', interrupt his behavior. Dont let him hang out near the chickens. Make sure the chickens are full sized before letting them out where the cat can get at them. If he chases one, try to scare the hell out of him or be prepared with the hose. Most well fed pet cats are only chasing and will give up if the experience is unpleasant.

 

[TexasChicken12]

He catches mice on a regular basis even though he's fatter than a boiling ball. I'll try the water hose. He sits around the run all day and watches them. Will the water hose work if I'm not there all day to spray him? We can't see the coop from the window.

 

[fshinggrl]

We have had several cats in the neighborhood and none have shown an interest in our chickens. They have always been full sized though when they are free ranging. If anything, I'm sort of afraid the chickens are going to chase the cat!

Good luck.