My cat is attempting murder

[PolishAllTheWay]

My cat is has tried to take my chickens lives several times now, she has succeeded in killing a young chick about 3 months old. She is being inside the house until otherwise, but I’m wondering if there is anything else I can do. The chicken she attempted to kill has half of her breast feathers torn out, with her tail feathers gone as well. She doesn’t seem to have any scratches, but I’m worried that she may freeze this winter. I like the cat but is there anything else I can do before I have to get rid of her.

 

[sourland]

Did you see the cat attacking that chicken? From the picture it looks like a bird in molt with pin/blood feathers coming in. Bird will be fine if she has no injuries.

 

[bruceha2000]

Along with what sourland said, if the cat is the culprit you have to keep them apart. Either keep the cat in the house while the birds are out or have the birds in a fenced area the cat can not get in. And if the birds are out when you are not, you need to worry about neighboring cats and wild predators anyway.

 

[PolishAllTheWay]

Did you see the cat attacking that chicken? From the picture it looks like a bird in molt with pin/blood feathers coming in. Bird will be fine if she has no injuries.

Ya I saw it, plus she already molted those feathers last month. Thank goodness she is getting some feathers in now, last week she was bald so we kept her in the house with a large kennel, bedding, food, and water

 

[PolishAllTheWay]

Along with what sourland said, if the cat is the culprit you have to keep them apart. Either keep the cat in the house while the birds are out or have the birds in a fenced area the cat can not get in. And if the birds are out when you are not, you need to worry about neighboring cats and wild predators anyway.

We own our neighbors house, and our other neighbors across the street don’t own cats

 

[Folly's place]

Most cats will leave standard sized birds alone, but chicks, and possibly bantams, can be fair game.
So if your cat is happy to tackle large birds especially, she needs to be inside!
And free ranging birds are vulnerable to every predator out there, as are birds roosting at night. Having safe housing is imperative for them, regardless of your cat being involved.
Mary