CATS. arrrrrrggghhhhh

[EggresiveAli]

Hi,

My hens are enclosed and haven't been threatened by a cat in about 6 months (not that I know of) and today the same cat from ages ago came back. I don't believe it chasing them around the outside of the enclosure. If I catch it again I'll shoot it with a BB gun, but until then, what can I do to deter it?

 

[Granny Hatchet]

use a trap. i actually keep a cat in my coop for the mice. normally cats dont mess with chickens. not sure about baby chicks though.

 

[blucoondawg]

use a trap. i actually keep a cat in my coop for the mice. normally cats dont mess with chickens. not sure about baby chicks though.

This sentiment that cats don't bother chickens is quite confusing to me. Maybe your pets or farm cats don't bother them but I believe a feral cat is most definitely a threat they live wild without a human to throw them food and will stalk and kill whatever is easy prey and chickens are very easy prey. I won't tolerate any cats around my place bring that I don't have any cats all are interlopers

 

[Granny Hatchet]

perhaps it does depend on the cat.

i have 3 barn cats and free ranging chickens. one cat is a Norwegian forest cat.it brings me coons. ya, crazy. i think i have a picture on my page. i will have to look to make sure. but except for play when they chase the chicken and then the chickens chase them, i havent seen anything. i guess that dont mean they wont , just mine never have. i also have had feral cats here. i trapped them but they were there for a while. have you had bad experience w/ them?

 

[Blooie]

This sentiment that cats don't bother chickens is quite confusing to me. Maybe your pets or farm cats don't bother them but I believe a feral cat is most definitely a threat they live wild without a human to throw them food and will stalk and kill whatever is easy prey and chickens are very easy prey. I won't tolerate any cats around my place bring that I don't have any cats all are interlopers

I don't like them either....no tolerance here! Our small town is overrun with them. We live in an older trailer and they have destroyed the skirting on one corner, then they go under the trailer to get out of the cold. Had a trap set close to that spot and they caught a huge one, then Ken fixed the damage but they keep coming and still manage to work at it until they get it re-opened. Looks like we totally replace skirting this summer. My bathroom smells like cat and I don't even own one. There's one we can't seem to catch, and he sits on my deck like he owns the place and growls at us if we come up the steps to the house. I usually pick up a rock from the driveway and nail him, but he comes back. I have the town come out and set traps every once in awhile, as do many other folks in town. In one field not far from us they trapped 14 in 2 days. I don't know what they do with them after they trap them,and I don't want to know.

The problem is a combination of feral and pet cats. I don't want to offend anyone, but I've never understood the mentality of getting a cute, fuzzy kitten and then turning it loose outside Putting down a bowl of cat food by the corner of your garage for the cat you turned outside doesn't smack of loving your kitty! I worked for 10 years as an animal health tech for veterinarians, and I know that a good 80% of the cats we treated were injured or sickened by being outside. Feline leukemia, frostbite, battle wounds, mating injuries, hit by cars, shot with pellet or bb guns - the list goes on. In truth, domestic cats do NOT need to be outside but try to convince owners of that. Many communities seem to have rules on dog ownership - but not cats. Oh, I know, they'll keep the rodent population down, but at what cost? My neighbor actually got rid of her chickens just because of the cats....it was just too much to try to stop the behavior. For the record they will - and do - harass older chickens to the point where the chickens will injure themselves trying to escape. I've seen it and I don't want it to happen to my chickens. So when mine finally go into the coop, I will take a proactive stand. I don't care if Fluffy has a collar on or not - if its' running wild outside and making my chickens miserable then it wasn't that much of a "dear pet" to that owner anyway.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

ya, the pic is under sponsors on my page. that is a black bird and a full grown rabbit that he carried over a 4ft. fence.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

blooie, i agree with a lot of what you say as far as the population of cats, it has exploded. my cats are from the pound . they are current on shots, fixed and well feed. i dont agree they only belong in the house. its like saying all birds should be caged . it is the people that are irresponsible we need to target not the creatures. they are all put on this earth for a reason. perhaps it would be mouse pee you would be smelling in your bathroom if not for the ranging cats?

 

[blucoondawg]

I just recently got back into chickens and have not yet had a cat problem with this batch. My neighbor and I tend to keep the local cat population thinned out around here before they cause an issue. I also agree cats are indoor pets unless you have a way to restrain them to your property which is darn near impossible. I don't want cats on my property nor do I want them out roaming the public areas killing songbirds and rabbits and squirrels and who knows what other wildlife. A roaming cat is an invasive species and a darn good killing machine it will do damage to wild animal populations which have far more right to be in their native habitat than a house cat.

 

[chickenboy190]

blooie, i agree with a lot of what you say as far as the population of cats, it has exploded. my cats are from the pound . they are current on shots, fixed and well feed. i dont agree they only belong in the house. its like saying all birds should be caged . it is the people that are irresponsible we need to target not the creatures. they are all put on this earth for a reason. perhaps it would be mouse pee you would be smelling in your bathroom if not for the ranging cats?

Yeah me too. I don't think all cats should be indoor.

 

[chickenboy190]

Me myself has never had a problem with my cats or strays. I have had 13 cats at the same time as when I have had free ranging chickens. I would just try to trap and kill them.