Cats, any way too keep them out of the yard?

[aoxa]

I worry more about the cats getting hurt than the chickens

My poor, poor kitty cats! They get chased daily, when they just want to hang with the chickens. They started putting up with my more social outdoor cat, but the kitten (8 months). They want her dead! They've chased her up trees where she hasn't come down for many hours

 

[Debbi]

Quote:
I believe that's an Emu?

 

[Tracydr]

When you trap and remove cats it will cause what's called a vacuum effect. More feral cats, sometimes a lot more, will usually fill the vacuum. It's usually better to trap, have neutered or spayed, and release, the feral cats. Most times, they prefer to eat smaller prey, like mice and bugs, rather than chickens, unless they're desperate.
There are programs in most larger cities that will help you trap, neuter and release the feral cats. This has kept thousands, maybe millions of cats from being reproduced and euthanized in the past 15 years or so. Studies here and in Australia are very positive that this is working.

I tried it myself in two rural areas where there was a big feral cat problem. I started trapping and neutering all the male cats, probably two dozen a year for awhile in both areas that I lived. After two years in each area, I wasn't catching very many cats anymore and the cats I was catching were the same ones. The number of cats was going down significantly. Apparently, the neutered male cats were keeping any newcomers from coming into the area and, because they were neutered, no new babies were being made. Of course, there were the expected losses from cars, other accidents, age, etc, so each year the population naturally declined. It declined much faster than I expected, actually, considering how many cats were each area to start.
I've heard of similar programs working with problem coons, skunks and beaver.

 

[War Chicken]

http://tnrrealitycheck.com/contradictions.asp

http://tnrrealitycheck.com/studies.asp

 

[The Sheriff]

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It is an emu. I have two 9 month old males.

 

[RHRanch]

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The cats I trap are either loose pets or cats that are dumped. There is no colony, and I sure has heck don't like it when someone dumps a cat and weeks later I discover that it has been defecating and urinating all over the stuff I store in my barn.

The predators here actually don't really allow for a feral cat colony to safely exist, anyaways. If a cat stays here, sooner or later the coyotes or something else gets them. I also prefer the natural predators to fill that "vacuum" rather than to stock it with cats, which do not harm my large fowl, but can and have harmed my pigeon sized bantams. (D'uccles, Bantam Moderns)

 

[TrystInn]

A bunch of us in our rural neighborhood trap feral cats and take them in to be spay/neutered and have their ears nicked so we know who has been taken care of and who hasn't. For the most part, my three cats will chase off any trespassers as will the two basset hounds and our ducks. We've had surprisingly few problems from ferals, however. A few plastic bbgun shots seem to teach them they aren't wanted here.

The problem really is the neighbors who don't spay/neuter. Too many ignorant people who are too self-centered to realize how many millions of homeless animals are out there and what a problem ferals are out here in the boonies. If your cat isn't chipped, isn't tagged, how the hell am I supposed to tell they are a pet vs a feral? They'll likely get taken in along with the others. Don't whine at me later when you're upset your cat was fixed, because frankly I'm upset I had to pay to have it done.

 

[HHandbasket]

I have a wonderful cat deterrant in my yard. No cats EVER come into my yard (other than my own, who were raised with the chickens and will lay with them side-by-side to sun themselves). Our landlords, who live right next door, have 12 cats (no worries, we're on a ranch with 7 acres and a couple of barns, and most of them are barn cats for vermin control and are spoiled rotten and well-fed and loved). NONE of their cats ever come into our yard or bother our chickens because of my 100% fool-proof system for keeping cats out of my yard. It's called a "big brown dog." Try one of those--they are very effective at cat control.

ETA: The landlords' cats DO sit about 3 feet on the outside of my fence and stare all day at my chickens, sometimes for hours and hours at a time. Let 'em stare. Go get 'em, Ginger. Good dog. LOL.

 

[joan1708]

thanks for posting the pictures of the emus. I bet there are no problems with them around.

As for the ferrel cats... I've trapped, spayed and released them also. I think it takes a lot of work to do that. A stray had 5 kittens under my neighbors hot tub 2 summers ago. I trapped 3 of them, the momma and 2 black females. I haven't seen the momma in a year. One of the babies hangs out at my back door and looks in all evening. I do feed her. I put a heated pad and heated water bowl out there for her also. She jumps the fence when I let the dogs out and she comes right back when I let the dogs back in. I used to free feed her, now I only feed her when I see her (I started seeing possums). I hope she doesn't return the favor by bothering chickens when I get them. I'm not too worried, I will make sure the run is secure. I still see new stray cats, but no kittens under the hot tub!

 

[JodyJo]

My cats and chickens eat from the same dishes on the ground! If a cat gets a morsel the chicken wants, she will get a swift peck to the head...they are afraid of the chickens...those beaks and cause pain...I wouldn't be too worried about one taking a full grown chicken.