Had Cat in Coop, warning shot gone wrong, HELP!

[Cluckin'Along]

Hello All!

I have seen all of the lovely letters HorseJody has posted for everyone with dog issues, but I have a cat problem, I remember one other member also had this trouble, but I cannot find his post. I think I can use the same letter but..

Here's the story:
I was out Saturday morning with the BB_gun removing a couple of squirrels from my feeder, so shots were heard for about 1/2 an hour in the morning. I was out for the afternoon but returned home to a worried Mother that informed me that she and the neighbors had caught a cat in the coop. The chickens were making a racket, and the cat was inside of our chainlink fence, stalking them. My mother then retrieved the BB-gun to fire a warning shot. She insists that she never aimed at the cat. The Neighbors who owned the cat (Mom didn't previously know who the owner was) started leafleting the neighborhood offering a reward for whoever had info on who had perpetrated the" Malicious and cruel act" of shooting their cat. They also referred to the event in their flyer as a "sensless and inhumane act of cruelty." It would seem that their cat suffered an eye injury and upon receiving vet care it was found that a BB had caused the damage. Mom still insists it was a warning shot. Maybe it ricocheted. Either way there were TWO State Trooper Vehicles in the driveway this morning.

The Neighbors informed them that it MUST be us... The took my Moms statement (she feels terrible about it) and left. They did mention there there had been a $249 vet bill, and that the cat has seemed pretty out of it when they took the Neighbors statement. Mom also mentioned that when the Neighbors had come over with the leaflets, the wanted to know about the chickens, so Mom showed them, then they started accusing her of being trigger happy, and generally harassing her. She then told them to leave and went inside...

Moral of the Story: We all feel bad about the cat. period.

We also really like OUR chickens, more than THEIR cat. How do I nicely send my sympathies for their cats' injuries while informing them of them of their own wrongdoing by allowing their cat to harass OUR chickens?

Also what is the best method of obtaining livestock laws for your locality? I know there have been previous posts on this subject, I'm just not finding them.

Thank You All for listening to/reading my story. Any Help, thoughts, comments are greatly appreciated. Thank You again!!

 

[lurky]

I would think that since the police are involved, it might be best to not say or do anything right now

I personally think my chickens would have done more harm to the cat than the BB did. I have never had a problem like that, but my birds scare off my little dogs when they get in defense mode. I'm sorry you found yourself in this position

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

Okay first things first you need to take a deep breath. It was an accident. Your Mother should have gone straight to them as soon as you guys figured out it was there cat (saw the flyers), it might have prevented all of this from escalting.
I bet they didn't know right off the bat that their cat was shot for going after someone's chickens. Put yourself in their shoes for a moment; All of a sudden your cat comes home with an injury and you have no idea where it came from, you'd bound to be upset and angry if you don't know what happened!

Sadly this all boils down to a case of he said, she said. There is no proof that your Mother fired a warning shot and didn't aim for the cat, correct? Was anyone there with her and saw it happen?

I think it's also a great lesson in how you need to have your coop completely predator proof or accept some losses.
If you live in a densly populated suburban or city area it is NOT okay to be shooting at domestic animals, even if they are chewing on your chickens! You are likely to get sued doing that and going by the fact that you are now looking for your local livestock laws, it sounds like you may even have your chickens illegally, which is going to make even more problems for you!

Hindsight is 20/20 BUT:

You should have made sure your coop and run were predator proof completely unless you were willing to take losses in stride.

You should have been darn sure you could have chickens in the first place, especially if you live in a populated area (where are you, rural, suburb, city? it makes a HUGE difference). You can usually easily get away with a few illegal hens in a rural area, but not so in a suburb or city.

Your Mother should have fessed up to causing the damage as soon as it happened, a sincere explanation and apology would have gone a long way I think.



I can't really say that your neighbors have done anything wrong, yes, their cat SHOULD NOT have been off of their property but people let their cats out and they wander, it's what they do. Cats aren't like dogs, you can't chain them up.
Is this cat well cared for? Fat and happy? Fixed? Up to date on shots? FIND OUT. It will make a difference if this cat has had no shots, has never seen a vet and now all of a sudden these owners are rushing it to the vet and may possibly try to sue in small claims if you fight paying the vet expense.
Know what I mean?

Here is what I would do:

Find out your poultry laws ASAP!

Call a lawyer and explain the situation, you may need one.

Offer to pay their vet bill for the cat.

Bring them a free dozen eggs and maybe some fresh baked cookies (kill them with kindness, you have to live near these people for god knows how long, you DO NOT want world war III between neighbors over an accident for the next umpteen years!). Free eggs will double as a positive plug for your chickens.

Bring over something for the cat, a small basket with some cat toys, treats, catnip. Makes a nice touch. Even a single cat nip mouse would be a kind gesture.

Put a hand written apology in the mail (yes in the mail). Don't type it. Handwriting makes it feel more personal and meaningful.

Clean up your coop and make it presentable, it's possible you may have people poking around and you want to present backyard chickens are being clean and not something straight from hillbilly land.

Get rid of any roosters you have, or have someone hold them. You don't want to be a nuisance right now. Lay low and again, first impressions are important. Make your chickens look GREAT. You don't want people dwelling on your crowing rooster.


I want to say I'm sorry this is happening to you and that I hope this ends well for you. I have my fingers crossed and sending prayers your way. I bet you guys do feel awful, but so do they!

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

OMIgosh, you're here in RI!

I know exeter. You're right around the corner from me!!
Okay, you are rural, correct?

Furthermore, I would question how serious of an eye injury it was with a vet bill of only $249 here in Rhode Island! We have some of the most expensive vet care in the country!

 

[texasgal]

See why we say "Shoot to Kill" in Texas?? LOL

I know that's not what you're looking for.. Good shot, mom!! If she'd have been aiming, she would have missed, huh?

I agree that you should find out the laws in your area, and if you are within your rights -- to own and protect your chickens -- carry on!

 

[Garlydog]

Tough thoughts for tough actions since you asked....


The moral of the story:

You had the right to remain silent.

When you gave up that right, you gave them the power to use it against you.

If you have to dispatch a trespassing predator, keep quiet about it.

No good comes from admitting fault.

Tough actions have consequences. You need to be prepared to protect yourself if you go down this path, or choose a different path.

I suggest you avoid this path in the future.

 

[Cluckin'Along]

Thank you Lurky! I wish I had attack chickens! This is the Second Cat I've had trouble with! The first left me with a foot injury, but at least one of my Roos sorta chased it off. The rest of my hens are only 17 weeks old, and they are a bit puny, and well, chicken! Everyone was just in the coop going crazy when this one arrived.

Can I train them to be attack chickens?

Hi PineBurrow,
I had called the Zoning office before I got the chickens, so I was certain I could have them. I even checked with DEM when we had a Fisher Cat Lurking, they informed us that the Fisher cat could be dispatched for harassing the chickens. I'm just not sure yet if the same rule applies to domestic cats.... I plan to give Town hall a ring today to find out how I may obtain a copy of that law. And it was only a pump action BB-gun. No powder

There was a witness to the warning shot, our great neighbor who watches over our chickens had sounded the initial alarm! And as far as killing them with kindness...... We used to send cookies every year for Christmas, 2 years ago when delivering, I got a response of OH, and the door shut on me. (they did take the cookies though) They recently had their property re-surveyed also, they made sure to pull up the Original boundary markers placed by the developers 20+ years ago before their surveyor came, funny, we "lost" 5+ feet of yard to that one..... They also came over while I had friends/contractors putting in an entry way and asked them to quote for a wall and how close to the property line could it go? They aren't the friendliest bunch. I wish I had eggs to give! I'm lucky If I get 2 a day right now as my 4 younger hens haven't produced yet. I'd love to be friendly, but honestly, I'm scared!!


Thank You All again!

 

[redhen]

Its a shame that people who let their animals run loose can even go after you for protecting your flock.. Its just wrong IMO. Why didnt they keep their cat inside if they are so concerned about it?

 

[invalidsession]

The State Troopers in your area must not have much to do. I would have thought that your local Sheriffs department would have been more appropriate.
Did you know that the cat had been hit (albeit accidentally) after the "warning' shot had been fired ? If you did it would have been the proper thing to do to approach the owner and explain what had happened, if not and you thought that the cat had simply legged it off your property and ran away you did nothing wrong but this kind of thing always looks bad to folks who see chickens as beady eyed little monsters and cats as gentle, purring, innocent leg warmers who are to be allowed carte blanch to wander through other peoples property with impunity.

Chris.

 

[thewarriorchild]

No letter it could be used in court. Do not admit to anything or say you are sorry. Sned over the food and basket of cat toys with a To: From. Maybe a note saying to help you through this hard time maybe. THe best thing is to be silent to ALL your neighbors and friends about it