Just caught the neighbors cat trying to get into my chicken pen..... Now what?!

Blueeyez

Songster
Nov 19, 2016
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I'm not sure what the best way to handle this situation is..... My neighbor is unfortunately an incompetent and an irresponsible pet owner to all of the animals on there property. So, talking to them about it is out of the question because they are the type that already don't take responsibility for or proper care of there animals, and since we live out in the country there are no authorities to call to enforce anything.... So, I'm kinda between a rock and a hard spot. I feel I have no choice but to take matters into my own hands... I don't want to hurt the cats, and I understand that the reason they have the cats is to eliminate mice because they have horses..... But, I've had enough of there cats shredding my trash and this morning catching one trying to get into my chicken pen was the last straw.... My current plan of action is to put out a live trap and just take them somewhere else and release them. Like I previously said, I do not want to hurt the cats, but I refuse to just let them have there way with my chickens and if I didn't happen to look out the window when I did, this morning would have likely already ended in tragedy! Please let me know how you have handled this problem and what my options may be for humanely getting rid of the cats while keeping discreet enough to not cause problems with my neighbors..... Thanks!
 
I wouldn't recommend just releasing them elsewhere, that will just cause other problems. If you live trap them I would drop them off with animal control. Our animal control even has a 24 hour drop box where you can just leave an animal in the middle of the night.

I do have to ask about your trash and your chicken pen however, it goes both ways and you need to be responsible too. It's important that you trash is stored in a secure way that doesn't allow animals to get it. This isn't about the cats, it's about conditioning wildlife. We don't want wildlife to view our homes and our trash as an all you can eat buffet, it teaches them to come around people, it brings disease, it is dangerous to you and your own animals. Also if your chickens are in a pen and fully enclosed and predator proof, you shouldn't have to worry about the cats getting in. It is your responsibility to keep your chickens safe and secure, not just from cats, but raccoons, opossums, etc, whatever predators live in your area.

Once the cats learn they can't get in the trash and can't get to the chickens, I would hope that they don't continue to come around. I know when my cat first discovered my chickens it was the first place he went every time he went out. He has learned he can't get in. Now he doesn't care about the chickens and doesn't even go near the coop, he goes hunting for rodents instead. In the mean time, a live trap is still a good option. You can either return the cats to animal control or leave them in the trap on the front porch of the owners. Hopefully they will get the point.
 
Okay iIthink anywhere anyone asks this in the world it will be a loaded question and you'll get all kinds of answers.

If you trap and drop the cats somewhere they will either come back, try to come back and get hit on the road, or basically often just be a death sentence.

Okay so now what kinds of chickens do you have and how old are they? Cats usually won't bother adult large fowl chickens. Now if your chickens are penned in a closed coop it shouldn't be a problem. If they can break through the run you can guarantee just about any predator can so you need to make adjustments to your run.
 
We free range our chickens and do see feral cats from time to time.

To our knowledge we've never had a cat attack or kill any of our birds. We do have roosters though that protect and watch our large flock.

If you're worried about it attacking if the cat is not eating enough you could always take over their care and feed them.
 
The cat more than likely is catching mice in your coop.
As a long-term cat owner, I think that more likely than that they were after your chooks. It probably saw a mouse/rat run in there and followed along.
You can put traps on your property. If the neighbours' cat gets trapped, you need to return it to them. You know it isn't feral.
If you steal their cat and dump it somewhere else, they'll just get another one. If they're barn cats, they'll be replaced and sooner or later they'll figure out what's happening when their cats keep disappearing.....
How would you like it if one of your chooks got out and went next door and they just ate it? Even though you don't like those people, doing something to their cats is not nice, even if they are a bit of a nuisance to you.
 
Because we live in such a rural area, we don't have trash service. So, we keep it in sealed trash containers in our garage. But, I believe the cats aren't being fed because they are very thin and willing to go through the extreme measures of getting into our garage (and attic... But thats another story) and risking getting caught by our dogs to even come in our yard.... And this may not have been my best decision ever, but during the winter I even set up a little shelter and provided them with cheap cat food at the far edge of our property because I felt bad for them knowing it was so cold and they were obviously not being cared for to the point that they had become pests to us! But my point is, these cats are desperate.... But anyways, I took down the shelter and stopped providing food a couple months ago when the weather became more mind and everything has been find until the last couple of weeks they have been getting into our trash again and like I say, now this morning trying to get into my chickens.... Now, as far as the chickens being kept securely, there pen is 6ft fence that even dogs don't stand a chance to get through, but the posts are wood and I fear a cat culd certainly climb them if tempted.... Not to mention the fact that I have a 3 acre fence back yard that I intend on letting my chickens free range when I'm at home..... Maybe under normal circumstances a cat wouldn't bother them.... But when the neighbors are starving there cats, my chickens look like an easy target and there is no animal control to intervene, what am I to do? Please don't get me wrong, I don't WANT to trap the cats and cause them to be anyone else's problem or risk putting them in harms way, but at the moment it sure seems like a better idea than shooting them myself or risking them finding a way into my chicken pen when I'm not home......
 
Oh, and hazing can help! I have neighbor dogs that used to come over all the time. The final straw was them snarling at me and standing their ground in my own driveway and I couldn't retrieve my own trash can from the street. Yelling at them, throwing things at them, spraying them with the hose, running straight at them, making my property a scary and threatening place has helped over time.
 
Please don't get me wrong, I'm all for doing the right thing and ultimately care about animals more than people and that even includes these annoys cats..... But what the heck do you seriously do when your neighbor is an irresponsible pain in the you know what?! Lol I just don't wanna also be one.... Which is why I'm asking for advice/ideas because SURELY I'm not the only one who has had this problem
 

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