Neighborhood cat?

[skillswife]

Totally depends on the cat, one of the boys left the door open on the brooder and I came in to find our cat curled up with chicks sleeping all over him. Cats are very curious and are killers, our cat is death on mice, just no interest in chickens, lol.

 

[navasima]

Cats are predators. There is no grey area there. If your chickens are large enough to defend themselves, you may be able to worry less. Hoping it is a nice kitty wouldn't work for me. My own cat lays outside the pen and watches. I've known him for 10 years and I wouldn't roll the dice. Cats and birds unseparated? IMO: somebody's gonna get hurt - does it matter if it's a chicken with a bite or a cat with a pecked face?

BTW - OP - You may want to take with a grain of salt any post which says to disregard the opinion expressed in another post. {I mean, really folks?}

JMO

 

[skillswife]

I think the point some of us were trying to make is that drastic actions like killing the cat are not necessary at this point. Although my cat is fine with my chickens, he is one out of thousands and I certainly would never suggest he should reside with the chickens. No need to fight with eachother here.

 

[bloom_ss]

IMHO I would make it known to the cat that it is unwelcome in your yard. Not saying kill it or injure it, but definitely don't let it get comfortable there. My neighbor's cats are constantly trying to hunt my chickens and if they had the chance they wouldn't hesitate to take one (or more) of my chickens down. Like others have said, it depends on the cat, and the one in your yard might just want to watch them, but I wouldn't let it stay long enough to develop a taste for chicken dinner. Again, this is JMO.

 

[spiritdance]

My cats are great with the chickens, but then they aren't ever hungry enough to try a full grown chicken, especially a wicked mama hen with babies! That said, any cat that comes around here that isn't mine gets a dose of the water hose. It usually only takes one or two times and they don't come around again. Apparently, with easier prey out there like mice, etc., my "mean birds" aren't worth taking a soaking for.

 

[mstrrlm]

Any animal is a potential risk to your chickens so always keep one eye open and prepare the best defense possible. You should have scared the crap out of that cat and run it off your property and maybe it will think twice about returning.

 

[Meara]

It depends on the cat. But I've worked with hundreds of cats while doing rescue work, many of them ferals, and IMO a cat would be hard pressed to do damage to a full grown chicken unless maybe it's a big experienced cat and catches the chicken asleep in the dark. Most cats are smart enough to not risk serious injury when selecting their prey and there is no doubt a chicken can seriously injure a cat with a single well aimed peck.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Hmmmmm, this discussion has come up many a time. True, there are some cats who won't hurt a chicken, full grown or not. But some do, and you simply can not trust an unknown cat with your chickens. i have tried to be accommodating to neighboring cats. One beautiful persian, who belonged to a neighbor, liked to hang in our yard. Thought it was harmless, until one early evening when he snuck around behind me and jumped out to kill a full grown chicken right in front of me. Thankfully i was right there and screamed so loud he ran. i got the hose and squirted him, then followed him to the back of the yard squirting until he was over the fence, then i kept squirting. He hasn't been back. But that was the last time i thought some pretty little neighbor kitty was benign.

So i guess i take issue with all the folks that post about how safe it is to let cats romp with your chickens, and that one peck from the chicken and the cat backs off. Just because some people have not lost a chicken to a cat yet does not mean your chickens are safe. i don't think you should harm an intruding cat. But you do want to let it know it isn't welcome with a water hose or some other uncomfortable confrontation. If the cat continues to watch and stalk your chickens, trap it and take it to Animal Control. It's your job to protect your flock.

 

[Mattemma]

Cat should not be an issue unless you have bantams or chicks.Get a super soaker with some vinegar to discourage the cat from your yard. If that does not work then trap and give to AC.

 

[galanie]

What I do is nothing, initially, but watch. I watch that cat and those chickens and see what happens, always at the ready to get out there fast if it goes wrong. So far, it hasn't. Running the cat off yourself just means the cat will avoid you, doesn't mean it'll leave the chickens alone.