Cats and chickens - feel good stories for once.

[brownysfp]

"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!!)..."

You're right there, Featherz. His sister, Houdini, once misjudged the distance between a Coucou de France and her chicks for a short cut. 'Once' being the key word.

 

[ranchhand]

I've raised cats and chickens together for 20+ years, never had a problem with a cat going for a chicken. Cats really prefer smaller targets, and mama hens are pretty scary!

Mine used to hide behind a bush and leap out, startling a hen. Then they cat would

as the poor chicken flapped and squawked.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

My cat, Pudge, is best buds with my special needs chicken. Her name is Mary Belle, she's half blind. The three of us look pretty funny free-ranging around the yard

 

[tellynpeep]

I think you can start a breed of chicken-herding cats! I'd buy one!

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

We had a tom cat when I was growing up who was a mighty hunter of various rodents and the occasional bird. I'll always remember the day we brought home a dozen baby chicks and my mom had them pecking around in a corner of the yard when we suddenly realized that the cat was lounging under the lilac bush they were exploring. The cat just lounged there purring and the chicks hopped all over him, sometimes pecking at his tail and sometimes getting a gentle, claw-less pat from his paw but no predator behavior of any kind. He behaved that way once when my brother's gerbils escaped their pen. I came down stairs in the morning and he was watching them scurry around the family-room floor but he seemed to know that they were our pets and didn't try to catch them.

 

[misterhandsome]

Yay Harry!!

We had meat birds back in the spring. Our cat, Mister Handsome, took a keen interest in them and their coop. He is a lover, not a fighter, so after a week or so we decided to let him in the coop to see what would happen. So he crept in, slowly looked around, and went straight for the feed bag! Wasn't one bit interested in the birds. Made me wonder what exactly they put in that food. Handsome's not one big interested in the layers, but that might be the heat talking.

 

[dancingsquirrel]

Our cat herds the chickens too. Whenever they stray away from the back yard and head towards the road Master Chief(daughter's a Halo fan) rounds them up and send them back where they belong. He was born feral but knows where his meals come from!

 

[brownysfp]

And now Harry's sister Houdini has repeated the trick. Woodstock and two of his troop were way into the noxious neighbour's field and on a mission. Dini set off, cut one chick out of the group and escorted it (squeaking frantically) to the fence. Job one-third done she buggered off into the lounge for a long wash on the sofa. She hadn't seen her brother herd all six back the other day so it must be some kind of instinct.

 

[jjthink]

Thanks for posting about your kitties and birds. Wonderful to read. I have also never had a problem with cats and chickens. All but one of mine adore/d my feathered friends. The remaining kitty feared them!

JJ

 

[LottieDa]

Awesome story! Harry is one special kitty.

I have 2 cats and 9 chickens.

Our old senior citizen cat, couldn't care less about the chickens. He thinks they're smelly, loud, and obnoxious. Won't even go outside if they're free ranging.

Our young 2yr old cat, Reggie thinks the chickens are his sisters. When we first brought them home as chicks he would spend all day looking down into their broody box and talking to them. We took them out every evening for "social time" and he would sit and talk to them and they pecked at his tail and his nose and he would reach out to touch them but always had his claws sheathed.

Now Reggie's first 3 sisters are almost grown and they still pal around together in the yard. Reggie tries to be stealthy and sneek up on the resident squirrel and his sisters give away his hiding spot EVERYTIME by running up to greet him! It's too funny to watch! Here's a pic of Reggie and his 3 sisters.