Do cats kill chickens?

[Highcotton]

Yes, I lost some young pullets to the cats but at some point the chickens can intimidate the cats. I would close up your run and keep the cats out. Or install sprinklers,

I have cats that sleep in the coops now with the chickens. They kill rodents and snakes for me and get along fine but I don't trust them anywhere near the biddies.

Caroline

Caroline,

Welcome to the Southeast.I live in Central Georgia just South of Macon not too far from you. I have spent a lot of time in California and I love both coasts. I grew up in South Alabama north of Panama City beach. We raised chickens when I was growing up. I raised a flock of Rhode Island Reds as a 4H project. I like the picture of your grandmother. I see those chickens were barred. Dominiques were popular. We called them Domineckers. There are other breeds of barred chickens such as Barred Rocks. I can't tell for sure which breed of barred chickens they are.

 

[Upset]

One of my chickens was attacked by my neighbor's cat last night and bitten to death.
I have tried almost anything to prevent the neighbor's cat to enter my yard, but all in vain.
I have put mesh wire where the cat enters I have spoken to the neighbor and told him the cat is killing the birds in my yard, and now it is one of my chickens. I phoned him this morning and told him what happened and then he had the audacity to ask if it was really his cat. If I have not seen the cat with my own eyes killing a bird and after numerous times chasing the cat away, I would have agreed. What can I do to this problem I do not want to hurt the cat because I am an animal lover.
What is a BB gun? I am from South Africa.

 

[sumi]

One of my chickens was attacked by my neighbor's cat last night and bitten to death.
I have tried almost anything to prevent the neighbor's cat to enter my yard, but all in vain.
I have put mesh wire where the cat enters I have spoken to the neighbor and told him the cat is killing the birds in my yard, and now it is one of my chickens. I phoned him this morning and told him what happened and then he had the audacity to ask if it was really his cat. If I have not seen the cat with my own eyes killing a bird and after numerous times chasing the cat away, I would have agreed. What can I do to this problem I do not want to hurt the cat because I am an animal lover.
What is a BB gun? I am from South Africa.

Welcome to the forum! I'm from SA too. I feel your pain with that cat, we have the same problem here with a neighbour's tom visiting all the time. It can't get to my chickens, but it's making trouble everywhere else! You should go to the Police and see about laying a charge against your neighbour (I know you can here if their dogs bother you and yours, so I'm guessing same goes for a cat). But they will most likely need some kind of prove, not just assumptions. Contact them anyway, tell them you are fed-up and ask them what your options are. Good luck!

 

[MzPlacedHippie]

This makes me so angry! I keep all but one old man cat inside. When you tell a cat owner what's happening you expect them to do something. I'm all for trapping and having the owner pay to get their cat back but I know some sorry something somethings will just allow the animal to be 'put down'. It's such a sad nasty mess!

I wish more people took responsibility for their pets. Tho my silly chickens often wander into my neighbors yards. Nothing fresh eggs don't fix...

 

[War Chicken]

I have put mesh wire where the cat enters I have spoken to the neighbor and told him the cat is killing the birds in my yard, and now it is one of my chickens. I phoned him this morning and told him what happened and then he had the audacity to ask if it was really his cat. If I have not seen the cat with my own eyes killing a bird and after numerous times chasing the cat away, I would have agreed. What can I do to this problem I do not want to hurt the cat because I am an animal lover.
What is a BB gun? I am from South Africa.

Cats are called the serial killers of the animal world. If you really love animals you would kill one to save many.

If it's not the neighbor's cat then he or she won't miss it when it disappears.

Talking to the cats' owners won't help nor will appealing to any sort of government entity. You are on your own.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Quote: Trap it, then kill it.
Otherwise things will continue as they are

 

[BramblewoodFarm]

So sorry to hear about your loss, "Upset"! Maybe you can set up an electric fence? One of my own barn cats (a petite little female) got into our electrified run and killed one of most special game hens. Instead of killing the cat, I looked at how to prevent it from happening again. We had a tree that had fallen halfway over and the cat was able to climb up the tree and hop on to another tree in the run. My son took the tree down, so the problem is fixed for now. Electric fencing is generally very effective against cats. I'm confident that it will continue working now that the leaning tree is gone. I wouldn't kill the cat, just make sure it can't get to the chickens. Good luck!

 

[obeloinkment]

Cats are very bad for any ecosystem, they are vicious killers who are relentless and are responsible for many species going endangered or even extinct. I say if there's no collar on the thing, shoot it right between the eyes. If there is a collar on it, trap it and deliver the trap to the offender's porch with a cute little note saying "next time the thing is dead..."

edited by staff

 

[ailurophile23]

Quote:
Somehow, I think man is even worse.

Don't get me wrong - sometimes shooting a recurring predator is the only option but we also have the option to try to outsmart the predators and improve our chicken security. And it is absolutely our right and duty as livestock owners to protect our livestock from predators of any shape and size - but there are lots of options to try before resorting to killing.

 

[War Chicken]

Well, cats were introduced by man and are now a subsidized invasive species with its own lobbying groups. It takes 10 years to get a logging permit but your cat can kill all the endangered species it wants.

Complaints about man's damage to the ecosystem can be addressed by "unintroducing" introduced species, such as cats.