Cats and Chickens?

[mrbstephens]

My kitten killed one of my 10 week old chicks. I still won't let him outside while the chickens are free ranging. I don't feel I can trust him. My 9 year old cat is just fine around them. They ignore each other. I recommend you don't get a kitten or young cat that is real frisky.

 

[SC_Hugh]

I don't trust my cats around the chickens...

Sumo is my 18 lb Maine Coon, he has never backed down from anything and he LOVES chicken!

Purrrrrrrta is my little grey cat that got chased off by the rooster this morning for coming near the run. Funny that he could intimidate the cat from inside the fence

--Hugh

 

[gritsar]

Kitty lives inside. Kitty will always live inside. Every time I let her out, she heads straight for the chickens and straight for the throat of the first one she can get ahold of.

 

[KKatknap]

When I was little, we got a few banties from a friend of ours. I was afraid our cats would get them. (They were all major hunting kitties.) We watched the chickens strut around a little while, and all 5 cats started to encircle the little flock. I wanted to intervene, but the people that gave them to us said not to worry...just watch. The cats stalked and slinked closer...when they were within @2 feet of the chickens, that little roo and all three girls whirled around and jumped into the air flapping and screeching.

I've never seen kitties run so fast.

After that, if Cocky (the roo) wanted a nibble of cat food, he would just wander over and kitties would scatter. One of those kitties would routinely bring in gophers that weighed as much as he did, but he never touched a chicken.

 

[lisamayc]

I have a black cat that is very much the huntress -

When I get home everynight I go out to the coop in the dark to collect eggs and I have to keeep a close eye on my cat because she likes to slip into the coop. Because she is black, she is easy to miss. I never trusted her around the chickens because of all the carnage she has either left in the yard or brought into the house.

Well ....this morning, I realized she never came in the house - She usally sleeps with me. Guess where she spent the night. She managed to sneak into the coop last night, got locked in and ended up spending the night in there. As far as I can tell (still dark) there was no damage done.

I do have one ticked-off cat though.

 

[Catstar68]

Mr. Moo doesn't bother them at all. In fact, I worry about the chickens harassing him more than I worry about him bothering the chickens. Everyone co-exists peacefully...until the mad cheerio feeding frenzy....then he seeks higher ground.

 

[Chickenaddict]

Not all cats are a perfect fit for chickens but my sasha sure is. She wants to spend every minute of the day with them, not to harm them but just hang out with them. She free ranges with them in the summer, naps in the coop, sits on eggs or at least tries to. She wouldn't even harm a baby chick. We also have a big grey stray around who also leaves the chickens alone. My other cat sam is another story. He stays in the house at all times. If the chickens are on a high perch in the garage cooop sasha gets up on top of the ladder so she can be closer to them. The one thing I am not thrilled about is her using their bedding for a litter box

 

[only one lay]

I had a med size 7month old male get inside the run sometime in the night last fall.he avoids the coops and all now-, it may have somehting to do with the fact that he couldnt get out and was scared to death by morning when I found him. He was mine so he lives on.

 

[TriciaHowe]

My 3 cats have never bothered my chickens. I have one cat that when I left the top to the brooder open he jumped in there with the chicks. I found him sleeping under the heat lamp with chicks sleeping all around him. What a goober

He is more maternal than my 2 female cats (all 3 are spayed/neutered in case it mattered) and brought me a baby flying squirrel last year after a very bad windy storm. Must have fallen out of a tree. He was soaking wet and his eyes were still closed. I warmed him up and bottle fed him and I still have him

This is the 2nd baby squirrel he brought me....the first one was a regular tree squirrel that we raised and released.
My other 2 cats would probably go after chicks but never full grown birds. They are too lazy to even catch mice. My dogs are better mousers than they are LMAO!

Flying Squirrel 1 month old

My squirrel finder

 

[joedie]

I have 2 barncats and just started freeranging. The will lay down in the middle of the flock and roll around playing. One of the cats went into the coop and run yesterday and the a few of the hens surrounded her and she was scared to death of them.