Live trap it is.

[Squirrelgirl88]

Just a thought - we have a neighbor using a paint ball gun to scare off wildlife. Maybe if the cat comes home with a blue butt the neighbor will get the hint.

A paint ball hurts, but is not going to make the risk of infection that a pellet gun or BB guns will.

I applaud your humane stance on this matter. The cat is not the party at fault here. And last time I checked you can't put the neighbor in a cage and drop them in water.

Best of luck to you.

 

[Animalian]

You could try some plants.

Buy some catnip seed and chuck them into the owners garden so the cat stays in there!

You could get Coleus canina which goes by the common name, "scaredy cat plant." (sounds promising eh!?) and plant it all around your coop. I've also heard of lavender and pennyroyal being repellant, pro: of pennyroyal is that it also deters mites/fleas etc, con: is that it can cause seizures in some individual animals and I'd hate any of your hens were one of them! If you use any of these I'd rub my hand in the plants at night just damage the leaves slightly to make them smell stronger.

You could also try mothballs, a commercial repellant or cayenne pepper. But these will have to be replaced.

I'd buy a super duper water gun and fill it with vinegar! The cat will hate getting wet and hate it even more when she tries to clean herself! LOL

 

[Heathero617]

Quote:
Do you KNOW it was the cat who killed the bird(s) or was it just reaping the benefits of another preditors handy work? I mean did you actually see it attack and kill? Domesticated cats do not typically attack birds that are bigger than they are.

You want to see how far the cat gets? so you're not only tempting fate you are antagonizing it at this point. Honestly, fix the coop and run so nothing can get in, or be prepared to lose more birds...pretty simple. I was feeling your pain, was super sympathetic to your situation, and like many others on your thread trying to help in some manner, but to "see how far the cat gets" is just like saying "ehhh who cares?? as long as I can see what this cat can do" ... My position now, after reading this is I feel for your birds because they depend on YOU to protect them, but you are offering them up on a silver platter. Sorry for being harsh, i'm not normally this way but anything anyone has said to you, you seem to blow it off. You dont want to get up early to leave them out, you dont want to enclose the area because you don't have any help, you don't want to use a deterrant because you want to see how far the cat can get.....I'll quit now before I get ignorant. Best of luck to your birds. They're gonna need it. >shakes head<

 

[1livelychick]

Quote:
Do you KNOW it was the cat who killed the bird(s) or was it just reaping the benefits of another preditors handy work? I mean did you actually see it attack and kill? Domesticated cats do not typically attack birds that are bigger than they are.

You want to see how far the cat gets? so you're not only tempting fate you are antagonizing it at this point. Honestly, fix the coop and run so nothing can get in, or be prepared to lose more birds...pretty simple. I was feeling your pain, was super sympathetic to your situation, and like many others on your thread trying to help in some manner, but to "see how far the cat gets" is just like saying "ehhh who cares?? as long as I can see what this cat can do" ... My position now, after reading this is I feel for your birds because they depend on YOU to protect them, but you are offering them up on a silver platter. Sorry for being harsh, i'm not normally this way but anything anyone has said to you, you seem to blow it off. You dont want to get up early to leave them out, you dont want to enclose the area because you don't have any help, you don't want to use a deterrant because you want to see how far the cat can get.....I'll quit now before I get ignorant. Best of luck to your birds. They're gonna need it. >shakes head<

You lost me at "the loss ratio isn't bad". I have a production girl that I have been taking care of for almost a week that was either attacked by a fox or coyote. I've given her antibiotics, cooked for her twice a day with special snacks midday, cleaned her wounds three times a day. This was all because I thought they would like to free range. Yes. they love to free range but the consequences are too high......Little red was one of the ones that decided the grass was greener over the fence. So until I can secure the area better....they are all in and being protected.
I hope the next post will be you've made the arrangements to secure to coup!

 

[turbodog]

Quote:
Moochie I'm sorry you lost any chickens, but If the coop/run is open to the sky and the door is open, it's NOT secure from predators.
Cat's have been known to go after chicks and young chickens if given the oportunity but usually leave adults alone. I know cats, unlike most dogs, can happily live their lives entirely indoors. But also unlike a dog, you can't chain a cat up to a tree all day like so many "responsible" owners do their dogs.

You may be right that your neighbors don't care about their cat. If talking to them about this problem does no good, trap the cat in a live trap and take it to the local shelter/pound. Maybe it'll get adopted by a more concerned family...or at least be put down in a humane manner.

I've never had a predator problem before so I'm not quite used to this. I want the best for my chickens and I know that it isn't the cat's fault, it's just doing what nature intended. And the neighbors could be a big help but they don't seem to like me very much.

I'm glad you don't blame the cat for being a cat and if nothing else, he's alerted you to the fact you have a security issue. You've been lucky so far, but there are quite a few critters that like chicken dinner and, sooner or later, one much worse than a housecat will come-a-knockin. Hope you make some coop improvements before then.

Good luck.​

 

[Fool]

I'm right there with Heather. It doesn't sound like you're interested in fixing the problems.

In hindsight you've never indicated that you've actually seen the cat kill a bird...???

Also, shooting a cat with a BB gun "to train it" to stay away is animal cruelty. You will get enough penetration to seriously injure the cat. Just not enough thump to kill it. IMO, anything worth shooting is worth killing and your assertion that it's like spraying a dog with water is ridiculous. If training is your intent, why poo-poo the motion sensor sprinkler idea??? That would be much more in line with the "training" that you yourself suggest.

One other thought. If you pull a BB gun on anyone, intruder or otherwise you may find yourself NOT waking up in a box. Bad people coming into your home are likely to be prepared for bad things. There are lots of news stories where people use toy guns or BB guns to intimidate and wind up swallowing lead pills. ANYTHING WORTH POINTING A GUN AT SHOULD BE SOMETHING YOU ARE WILLING TO KILL. If that is not in your own self assessed abilities you should be honest with yourself.

ANYTHING WORTH POINTING A GUN AT SHOULD BE SOMETHING YOU ARE WILLING TO KILL.

 

[SentryFE]

can of tuna or cat food with a good dose of Golden Malrin with is a fly bait/poison and you will not have a cat problem again. Works good on trap savy coons too. Must make sure you place it where nothing but what you want to kill will get into it as poison does not care what it kills. For cats and coons just place it where they have to jump or climb up to get it. Or place it close to where you know the cat is coming from.

 

[Heathero617]

Quote:
again with the cruel killing of the cat...what is wrong with some people? The poster hasnt even confirmed it was the cat who made the kill to begin with also does not have secure living quarters. If the "pen" is open as described, it could have been a neighbor kid came in and kicked it hard and the cat came after the fact.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

Quote:
Don't bother, mine would kill the chickens in a heartbeat

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

Quote:
Do you KNOW it was the cat who killed the bird(s) or was it just reaping the benefits of another preditors handy work? I mean did you actually see it attack and kill? Domesticated cats do not typically attack birds that are bigger than they are.

I had a stray around my place who would take down full grown chickens, they can and they will if they want to.