Feral cats...

CariLynn

Songster
9 Years
Aug 23, 2010
232
7
101
State of confusion
Not sure if this belongs in here...about 2 months ago our neighbor behind our farm passed away and her two daughters, both who live other places, came to clean up, sell and do what needs to be done to get the house on the market. We went over the other day to offer our condolences, the one daughter made a comment about chickens. I smiled and said I am the one with the chickens, she snorted and said it sounded like my rooster was upset, when I asked what did she mean, she said he crows ALL the time and insinuated it was disturbing. I tried to smile and say well they crow, he is young. I then made a comment about the feral cats to her cousin, who is our neighbor down the road, that we we have been trying to trap them. This woman got all indignant, said that HER mother use to feed them all the time then proceeded to tell me their names. I smiled politely and asked "So your going to take them when you sell the house?" Daughter said of course not, and did I know that feral cats are protected in VA from being trapped, that they are spayed/neutered and part of the house.

The conversation went downhill from there, from complaining about the roosters crowing, I have 2, a Buff Orpington and a young Banty cross who sounds like a broken wind up toy, to my husband target practicing and sighting his weapons on our property. The next day when my husband went back to see if there was anything we could use on the farm, he was looking at a large stew pot, she came over, then told him it would be perfect for chicken soup or stew. He said he turned and told her that ALL our chickens had names, they each had personalities, we knew each of them by breed and on our farm, we did not eat our pets.

I have not met anyone who was so nasty about chickens till now. How do you deal with someone like that? I also know that feral cats in VA are not protected and for her to say I can't trap them and take them to the pound, well, they go after my girls, they will disappear. This is more of a rant than anything...I just was really put off by her nastiness right off the bat....and yes, I had my little Banty Moe crow throughout the day, as if I go out and sit with them, he will crow when I talk to him.
 
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Simply put, you don't. Wish her a nice day, be true to yourself without getting into her business or attitude. You can't change people, so you might as well let 'em be.
 
Maybe you could have your husband target practice on her face?
tongue.png


They really need to bring in those cats. The daughter acknowledged that they were her mother's, and her mother is no longer there, they need to take them or find homes for them. I just hate the idea of taking them to the pound because they will be murdered on the spot, no chance at being adopted if the word feral comes up. And to me, that just isn't right. But that's a whole other conversation, I know...
 
I would have just smiled sweetly and said it was a good thing she wasn't going to live there, then, if she doesn't like chickens.

She's said she won't deal with the cats, so you deal with the cats if they bother your birds.

I suspect that if you make sure there is no food out for them, they will drift away since the lady who feeds them isn't there any more.

If the cats are already spayed and neutered, there might be some sort of Friends of Cats organization that will take them. If they think they are going to sell that house, their agent will inform them that it will be very difficult to sell the house with lots of abandoned cats hanging around.

They did clearly tell you that they don't own the cats, so you can treat them like strays.
 
In fact, the woman died and the cats now have no one and are abandoned. You can probably call the humane society and they will send someone out to trap the cats and take them away.
 
I had a nieghbor say something once. As it is they are over 100 yards away from my house and my coop but my property runs up to and behind thier house. I told them that if they like the my rooster so much they are really going to like the pigs I was thinking about putting beside and behind thier house. They have never said another word about the rooster.
 
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I had a neighbour like that.... we told them town is that way ------>, and if any cat stalks any of my chickens, they will be shot, feral or not.
 
I'm sorry the neighbor is being a jerk about your chickens. But remember, honey catches more flies than vinegar.


Chicken coops should not be designed to keep your chickens in, but to keep everything else out.
 
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