Egg-stealin' Feral Cat!

[yomama]

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I'm glad that Animal Control could help you. It is unfortunate that he will most likely be put down. However, I've seen how miserable life can be for ferals, especially toms. Many of them can lead a life of constantly fighting illness, wounds, and/or starvation. At least he will be put down humanely. In regards to Feline Aids, or FIV as it is known, it is similiar to HIV in people. Cats can carry it and show no signs, until something compromises their immune system. Since toms are always fighting, and out in the elements without proper nutrition and care, they have a tendancy to become ill more often. They can't usually fight off the illnesses or heal well from wounds because of the AIDS virus they are carrying. Where as Leukemia is contracted through body fluids, grooming, touching noses,etc, Feline AIDS is usually contracted by fighting, biting etc. You might want to get your cat tested, if they have fought before. They do have a vaccine for it, but once your cat is vaccinated, they will test positive for it.

I hear ya on the Dobies too!

Beautiful dogs, have always wanted one.

 

[roodle2]

I have a cat rescue and chickens too. None of my cats has ever eaten an egg or even bothered the chickens. I have 13 semi-socialized cats who live on our property and who eat all their meals in my front yard but strangely enough the chickens walk among them and eat off their plate when they feel like it. May you should just trap the cat have it fixed, return it to it's place and give it some food. I guarantee he would rather have wet cat food than raw eggs and I hate to see an innocent animal killed for convenience. Good luck. By the way, the outside cats control the snake and rat population too.

 

[StupidBird]

roodle 2, I've tried that arrangement when it first showed up 3 months ago or more. It fights viciously with my own cat and had to take him to the vets twice. It hisses and growls when approached even after weeks of slow contact. I have had a feral cat before, but this one has a chip on its shoulder. And it is already neutered or spayed...its definitely not an intact tom, but I can't get a close enough look to see male/female - and there are no kittens either. I worry about diseases (distemper, rabies, and now that feline AIDS) and my cat is still limping from the last "discussion" they had. This particular cat is more trouble than it might be worth in the rodent control - rodent control being why we let it hang around in the first place (that and I'm such a softie).

 

[redhen]

Wow.. that is one SMART cat! It must have been reallyhungry to try to eat an egg...then once it got the taste..
Wow.. smart kitty... too bad its gotta die.

I say you should keep it and feed it an egg a day..

And what a GOOD kitty! It wasnt even going after your chickens and it could have killed them...
Good, egg eating kitty...
I bet its keeping your rodent population down..AND maybe even keeping the weasels away!

 

[StupidBird]

now i'm feeling guilty . . .

 

[radiodog]

"It sees me, picks up the egg, squeezes through the gap, and trots off (I'm pretty slow today from a bad back). NOW I KNOW! Argh!"

Close the gap!!!....duh

 

[redhen]

Quote:
LOL..nah.. do what ya gotta do..

But i do think it sounds like a pretty cool cat!

 

[StupidBird]

Come to Atlanta and it is yours!
The first baiting failed - set the food on the trigger in such a way as to prevent tripping while food was eaten. Silly me! Trying again. Probably be in there come the am.

ps. closing the gap involves basically rebuilding the whole coop. It has knocked over boards, dug through bottom frame, etc. I'm just lucky its only eggs gone. So I'm better off waiting until I have my able bodied family around and nag, beg, promise brownies, coffee cake, fudge, fresh bread....until the new one is built.

Edited to add: gotcha! So sad how easy it was, poor hungry cat. Now it sits in the trap, safe on my back porch where nothing can get to it. Yowling and clawing, but its settled down now. I'll put some water in there and take it in the morning. Just sad.

 

[CMV]

Feral cats are such a sad situation. I had to trap one about a decade ago after it attacked my 100+ lb. dog. The cat was starving and trying to feed 5 kittens, when she was not much more than a kitten herself. My dog happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and came out on the losing side of that fracas. I caught the cat easily and then just scooped up the kittens. She had to be destroyed, but the kittens found good homes. I always felt like a heel for having to do that, but I couldn't have a creature like that around. That cat cost me a couple hundred dollars in medical bills for the dog and for myself. I still carry a good scar on my hand where the cat tore through my work gloves like I wasn't wearing anything at all.

Glad you got it.

 

[TK421]

StupidBird... You did the right thing. Feral cats are extremely destructive to the ecosystem. Even well-fed cats eat lots of native songbirds (I've read all the scientific literature), and shouldn't be left to start a new colony. I know it's hard (I have a pet cat), but you're doing the right thing.