Cats and chickens - feel good stories for once.

[brownysfp]

We got home from shopping to discover the chicks had found a small gap in the netting and the six smallest had made a break for the great outdoors. Unfortunately this was a neighbour's field: she has two or three unpleasant dogs, depending on whether her harpy of a mother is there, and the voice of a fishwife. These are her plus points. They speak highly of us too, apparently. Anyway, the dogs were kicking off and the chicks were heading off like Woodstock's scout troop. No amount of food calls or dispenser rattling was going to bring them back.
Harry, our one-year-old tabby, watched this with interest then went over the fence. He soon caught up with the wanderers and turned them round, herding back to the fence where we could grab them. He even went back for one who'd shot off into a hedgerow. This isn't his first intervention: one of our young Rocks had a narrow escape from a buzzard but she was down, stunned and injured and ripe for its next attack. We hadn't even seen Harry but he appeared from nowhere, picked up the downed bird and carried her to the woodshed. As soon as we arrived he dropped her and trotted over to be praised. She was lame for a couple of weeks but has made a full recovery.
Between ribbon-bedecked string and netting and posts with glittery things the garden now looks like we're trying to repel paratroops not raptors.

 

[Ole rooster]

That is a different story for sure. I never knew cats has any instint in them like that. I thought they ate birds, not herd um.

 

[BorderKelpie]

Wow - the wonders of Nature, huh?

What a neat cat.

 

[brownysfp]

Funny but neither Harry nor his sister Houdini are that interested in the chickens. There has been some half-hearted chasing of adults but never of the chicks. They'll sit, even sleep, in their run or on the coop but that's it. Joe, our other cat, death on four legs to things furred, avoids the chickens like they're something unclean - ding-dong, run away!

 

[jenkassai]

What a great story and an awesome cat! I never would have imagined cats would have those types of instincts either!

 

[CupOJoe42]

Great story. Your cat apparently thinks the chickens are his babies!!! He deserves a fishy treat for being so protective!!!

I LOVE CATS!!!

 

[mhwc56]

that IS a great story!
reminds me of the neighbor's cat Noah, who liked to hang out at our house with our dog. Noah was an AMAZING ratter/mouser but he wouldn't harm birds. In fact he would bring any fledglings that he'd find to the door and give them to me to take care of.NEVER hurt them...i sure LOVED that cat!

 

[chickencrazylady]

Great story, and people say that cats and birds are enemies! Hope to hear more exciting stories in the future.

 

[featherz]

Never seen my cats do any herding, but they definitely hang out and seem to think the chickens (and guineas) are 'theirs'. They usually take up positions around wherever the main foraging spot is.

And they've never even eaten as much as a day old baby (who would be hanging out with a scary broody hen, a good reason to avoid confrontation!!)...

 

[brownysfp]

If I hadn't seen him herding the chicks or rescuing the buzzard victim I would have treated it with a healthy amount of skepticism. Now, if he can build a defence against buzzards...