Neighborhood cat stalking my ladies...should I be worried?

[Mattemma]

Enclosure for the chickens.Catch the cat and either return it to an owner voicing your concern,or take it away to be dealt with by others. Most cats will not kill they are simply very annoying to have hanging in your yard.

 

[Chemguy]

I have a similar issue, and I have a BB gun. But, even if I hit dead-on, I'll likely only maim the cat. So, I hung a large sheet of metal near the run. I shoot at the metal, it goes "clang" and the cat takes off. A garbage can or plastic bucket would work, too, I suppose.

Note to self: read OP date before replying.

 

[Guinea and Chicken raiser]

cats can kill yard poultry. you should watch out for the cat doing that.

 

[Kara515]

There is a training tool called Pet-agree that is for dogs that may work for cats. It emits a high pitch sound to distract them from bad behavior. I bought mine years ago through R.C. Steele which is now owned by PetCo. I think it runs $19.99. It is rated to work up to 15-20 feet or something like that. (I bought it 20 years ago! Hard to remember all the details!) But I bought it because my dobermans would bark at leaves blowing across the yard! All night long!!!!!! I always knew that it was not serious because my Akitas were not barking. The dobies had their dog houses at the back of the back yard and it was about 75 feet from the bedroom window. I could point the Pet-agree out the window and push the button on it, and the boys would hit their doghouses immediately! I know the cats didn't like the sound so if you choose to do something to chase the cat out of the yard instead of trying to teach them to befriend the chickens, this might be a good alternative. It would work for stray dogs too!! Hope this helps!!

 

[Maggie C]

My cat has watched my little girls grow up and wants so badly to be friends with them it is comical. If he gets out when they are free ranging, he tries to get close enough to "rub" them but they don't usually let him. They know him and aren't scared of him - just wary when he gets too close but let another cat peek over the fence and they go nuts. The noise alone is enough to frighten any self respecting cat away. Of course, the well aimed water hose works well too and yes, cats do learn what the water hose means fairly quickly.

 

[hispoptart]

Piantball guns work great and when the cat goes home the owners will be well aware that the cat was somewhere it shouldn't be.

 

[flowergirl60]

My cat loves my girls, but if she gets too close they chase her off. She will hang out in the yard with them all day.

 

[harveyhorses]

How big are your chickens? Mine do not put up with any nonsense from a cat.

 

[chikinfarmr]

I really like the paintball idea for my neighbors dog. Our cat hangs out with the hens, and she kills anything that moves. But our RIRs are very big!! (fat)

 

[Mattemma]

Paintball shooting is fun,but some counties have harsh fines for this because it is considered cruelty.If you are sure not to get caught and keep mum about it then a dog/cat owner might think twice about letting their pet roam when it comes home covered in paint. I know I would.