Is our cat a threat?

[colincrompton]

Okay so we have a small black cat named sphinx who is a super hunter. she's extremely agile and smart. When I was free-ranging our birds I noticed she was stalking them. I of course shoed her off. Previously I thought that the fact that the chickens we so much bigger then her would deter her. So is she a threat?

 

[Muffinburgler]

She's a threat if you let her be. Cats can be taught that chickens aren't food though. What we did was hold the chicken near the cat and allow them to peck at the cat or give the cat a hard jab with our finger if the chicken won't peck. Teach the cat that chicken=more pain than fun.

 

[chfite]

I would doubt that a house cat would try to take on a mature chicken. Cats are ordinarily leery about taking on an animal that is larger than they are. Typically, they eat small birds, amphibians, rodents, and the like.

Chris

 

[thomasboyle]

We have two barn cats, and they both learned that the chickens are not to be messed with. Both cats would stalk a chicken, and then when they got too close, the chicken puffed up, spread her wings and charged the cat, pecking her on the nose. The cat jumped a mile high! It happened to both cats, and from then on, they ignore the chickens. The only thing that tempts them is when one of my mallard ducks is coming in for a landing - oh how they want to grab them! I yell at them and they turn away.

I would let the cats interact with the chickens under supervision, and see if the chickens teach them a lesson.