Live trap it is.

[gjensen]

Forget the BB gun. As a kid I watched my dad shoot a cat with a pellet gun that was trying to get to his rabbits. It must have been a back shot, because it paralyzed the cat's back legs as he was dragging them behind him trying to get away. It wasn't a pretty sight. He was even very sorry he did it. The cat had to be euthanized.
We had something get to one of my boy's bantams a few years back. I let him set a live trap. He caught our neighbor's cats for a week. They seamed easy. They were not the culprit though. It was kind of funny to release Tigger, Merlin, etc. in the mornings.
I agree with an earlier post though. If our birds are secured in the evenings, then it is our responsibility to insure that they are secure from predators. If the house is secure then we can sleep at ease (unless you have bears). These predators have all night.

 

[millebantam]

Live trap him and paint him green like a John Deere. Yellow legs are optional.

 

[NanaLantana]

Cats just do whatever cats do - you can't train them, and if they're used to 'free-ranging', they'll find a way out. Not nice neighbor (who won't admit to having a cat) will not be able to contain their cat any more now than they ever did.

It's up to you to secure your chickens - if Cesar is only striking at night, put the chickens in the 'lockup'. It might be a bit of work, but at least you'll be able to sleep

 

[welasharon]

Quote:
If you are going to kill it at least do it humanely.
ETA: please

 

[kelehe]

I'm not sure if you have solved your predator problem. I would definately not recommend killing the cat. If you only have one cat to worry about, consider yourself lucky, but it's a sure bet if the cat did go away, something else will come along sooner or later. I don't know exactly what kind of predators are in the desert where you live, but there are predators of chickens everywhere there are chickens. I live in the Seattle, there are a lot of cats, rats, racoons and possums here (who knows what else).

I would agree with the few people here that have suggested reinforcing your coop. Someone mentioned hardware cloth, a galvanized wire mesh, 1/2' size should keep out anything rat sized and larger. It's also sturdy enough to keep larger animals from tearing through it. Attach it with poultry staples, u-shaped nails, they are very sturdy. Adding trim work over the stapled edges will ensure it can't be pulled off.

Make sure there are no gaps or weak points that can be pried apart anywhere on the structure. Predators can fit through gaps of only 2 - 4 inches easily. Burying mesh either 6" deep or 12" out from the bottom of your coop/run will keep them from digging under.

It's hard to make specific recommendations without seeing it. If you have pictures of it, that would be helpful for some suggestions.

 

[speckledhen]

A predator that only comes at night is easy to fix. A secure coop (building, not pen, solid building with hardware cloth over anything left open like vents or windows) will keep out everything short of a bear.

 

[turbodog]

If a cat can get into your coop, it's ridiculously unsecure. That's your fault, not the cats. It's doing what predators do and if you leave it open enough for one to get in, why are you whining about it? You're not talking about a raccoon, which are fiendishly clever about getting into a coop, or a bear, which could just knock it's way in, your talking about a housecat for goodness sake!

Make your coop properly predator-proof and the cat will cease to be a problem.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
First, what makes you certain that it is the cat killing your chickens? Housecats (as compared with bobcats) usually will not go after adult sized birds, but are certainly a risk to chicks. I am not saying it is not possibly, but that it would be unusual.

I do agree that you should lock your birds up at night in a secure, predator-proof coop. If there are any cat rescue groups in the area, they may have traps you can borrow.

 

[FrenchToast]

Quote:
x2 I agree 100% Plus you may have found the cat inside the coop and may have infact seen the cat with a dead chicken, that doesn't mean the cat killed the chicken. I have a 11 yr old 15lb dog that will pick up a dead chicken in a heartbeat and chew it up if given the chance, BUT she has never killed or even chased a live chicken.

I don't think talking like a smart A$$ about how to handle the neighbors cat is appropriate on this board. There are members of all ages here and abusing an animal, in this case the neighbors cat, and killing it inhumanely is not setting a good example for them. Sure it is not a good thing to find your chickens have been killed no matter what killed them but to get pleasure out of tormenting or killing the predator, cat in this case, is sick and makes you no better then a predator yourself.
When I think about people that get pleasure out of killing animals of any kind I think about how Jeff Dahmer started out as a young boy getting pleasure out of killing animals. Let's not set these kind of examples for our children or young adults.

I hope you can get your coop secure because even if you deter the cat from entering you will soon find another predator waiting their turn at your hens.

 

[Lyssa]

Quote:
x2