Mean Kittens Bloodied my Hen :(

[War Chicken]

Anything you can do to a rat you can do to a cat.

 

[enola]

In SC they ONLY animals that are protected predators are raptors.

ANY other animal caught harassing an animal that you own CAN be shot on sight.

 

[Pearce Pastures]

In nearly every state, if an animal, regardless of type, is on your property and is causing your livestock distress or harm, it is legal to kill it, pet or not. If your trap works, I'd dump them at the pound and let them deal with it. No one has the right to allow their animals to be on your property.

Edited to add that of course some critters are protected (like raptors) but not cats.

 

[CatWhisperer]

If the kittens are tame enough to catch take them to a shelter where they can be adopted. I feed (i think) 4 feral cats and they leave my chickens alonne because they arent hungry , I assume. I can only get within about 15 yards of one of them but she hangs out with the chickens whenever they are out, and will go in there run or coop when they are open. She has used the run as a litter box on occasion. The chicks where raised their first 4 weeks in a house with cats so they ignore her. If the cats are hungry feed them cat food.

 

[Sarevan]

The bad thing about an injury from a cat in the claw sheath. When a cats nail is growing the outer sheath is shed. It can be imbedded into an injury from the size of the full claw to the point and a small piece of the shed sheath. I would check your chicken again and use a magnifying glass and gently rub your finger pad over it to feel for a hard object. The sheaths when shed can be clear so you may not notice it unless by touch.

We are in the country and get cats kittens. dogs etc dumped out here. We save who we can by rehoming, pet rescue, humane society last resort. However if the animal is aggressive to us or livestock we try firecrackers to chase it off, if it comes back it gets the real noise maker then no problem.

The cats that got your chicken sound like someones wandering pets. I would trap them and take them in. If tagged take them home tell owner what happened. If they return and trapped again take to humane society and tell them why, they can notify owners.

I love cats but our herd of 8 furbrats are strictly inside cats. Never out unless in a crate to vet. My cat is terrified of being outside, he will actually pee even if you are holding him. People should keep cats they love safe.

 

[Toshiko24]

Get yourself a dog. Them cats will think twice about coming into your yard.
As long as the dog sees you as the pack leader it will leave your chickens alone and see them as part of the pack.
My neighbor has free roaming chickens in their backyard and their Boxer watches over them all day.

If you don't want a dog and don't want to call the pound you could always try befriending the cats and teach it how to interact softly with your chickens. My cat plays very well with my dogs. He has his claws but since we taught him to play softly he always keeps them in when he plays. If your worried you can also trim their nails so they cant scratch at them. Sit outside with them and pet them softly putting them in a calming mood and the sound of the chickens will eventually make them more calm then put them in hunt mode.

 

[lovingmyhens]

I have two cats that are pets and one that adopted us but won't let us pet it. I guess it is feral. They were around before my chickens. When I got the chickens I never even thought there would be a problem. Now, my head chicken, Lucy, chases the cats around the yard. Lol
I think that all cats are different and will react different to chickens. I like the idea of befriending the cats and trying to get them to interact nicely with the chickens. I would suggest leaving food in the front yard, away from the chickens.

 

[ChickTucson]

Update:
Hen is fine. We caught the cat in the trap by baiting with tuna. The cat seemed tame enough. We drove it a couple miles away and let her out. I don't wish ill on the cat.