Kittens causing problems

[Chicks Galore3]

I have 4 bantams, 3 sebrights and 1 d'uccle. I haven't had a problem with my adult cats hurting them, even my sparrow hunters. However, I recently got 4 kittens and they have starting pouncing on my sebrights! So far the sebrights can get away. I don't know if the kittens are trying to hunt them or just having fun - either way, I do not want them to do that. Is there way to train the kittens to leave the chickens alone?

 

[Gatsbysmum]

They may not like it, but your best bet is to introduce them properly, telling the kittens that they are part of the family, and petting the kittens and chickens. Then, if they continue to bother them you might want to use a squirt gun.

 

[mtgrl]

Kittens are usually more playful than adult cats. They practice fighting and hunting through playing with each other at this age, so it's possible they're just treating the chickens like another kitten and playing a little rough. They may grow out of it as they get older.

In my experience cats are either hunters or they're not. I've had lots of cats, and though they looked the same, they have very different personalities-the last cat I had would kill just about anything. He would travel off into the wilderness and come back hours later with all sorts of prey-ferrets, ravens, snakes, shrews. The cat I have now (even though he looked just like my old cat) just doesn't have that instinct. He never leaves the yard, for one thing. I've never seen him get into that "stalking" mode with any critter. I've introduced him to my bite-size baby quail and he's perfectly friendly to them, he greets them with a curious sniff and then goes on his way. So it may just depend on the individual cat. Some are big on hunting, some are more content just laying around in the sun. If your kittens don't outgrow it, you might have to find a way to separate them from your chickens.

 

[Buxton Ducks]

My newest kitten is doing the same thing, she is pouncing on the youngest pullets. I carry a squirt bottle around the yard and spray her when she starts stalking the chickens.

 

[thomasboyle]

Are your chickens full size? When my two cats first met the chickens, they tried to stalk them, but the chicken fluffed herself up, spread her wings and charged the cat, pecking it on the nose. The cat did a backflip it was so shocked! It happened to both cats, and now they just ignore all of the birds. I would not trust them with chicks or ducklings, but many cats can and will learn to get along with chickens and ducks.