Neighbor's cat getting into chickens! Help!!

[CreativeCowgirl]

I'm pretty sure it was the cat. I had seen it prowling around my coop for several days, and then during they daytime one of my birds was killed and almost completely consumed inside their fenced yard. Later that night, the predator returned and ate/dragged away the rest, including the bones. I live in a neighborhood, so I don't think we would have any mink. the only predators that i think we would have are cats, dogs, coyotes, raccoons, possum, snakes, and hawks. The reason I am pretty sure it was the cat is because I had seen it eyeing my chickens before many times, and the attack was during the daytime. My chickens are locked up tight at night.

 

[JeffOeuf]

I'm not saying it can't happen, but an attack by a cat on a chicken would be way out of the ordinary. My scrawniest chicken has its bluff in on our rankest semi-feral tom cat. Ginger (the chicken) will drive the tom out of the cat food bowl, if she decides she wants cat food at that particular moment. I've seen it happen at least a dozen times. She's barely bigger than the cat, but she can make him depart whenever she pleases. I cheer for her when she does it, too. She's at the bottom of the chicken pecking order, so it's good for her to feel like she's up on something, plus I hate that darn cat. He'd have been gone years ago, if I was a better shot. I've shot at him so many times now that he knows what the rifle means and runs like a rabbit when I walk out the door. I know I've hit him a time or two, but he always seems to heal up and reappear. Gives the old nine lives fable some teeth.

 

[aoxa]

I'm pretty sure it was the cat. I had seen it prowling around my coop for several days, and then during they daytime one of my birds was killed and almost completely consumed inside their fenced yard. Later that night, the predator returned and ate/dragged away the rest, including the bones. I live in a neighborhood, so I don't think we would have any mink. the only predators that i think we would have are cats, dogs, coyotes, raccoons, possum, snakes, and hawks. The reason I am pretty sure it was the cat is because I had seen it eyeing my chickens before many times, and the attack was during the daytime. My chickens are locked up tight at night.

I would suspect a bird of prey or a fox. Foxes hunt during the day. Yes they are in cities as well.

 

[animals1981]

cowgirls sound like a redtail hawk or a owl and the cat just got curious like this

 

[nzpouter]

same ive been looking i cant find anything either, i read cats dont have the design to take large prey only small animals rats, stoats, mice, reptiles things that are smaller than them by a decent amount. 

The african wildcat is not a predator of larger animals prefers rodents and reptiles.

Unlike our dogs which came from wolves which are big game animals that will take down anything.

The easier one that came to mind was a BBC documentary, it shows well fed domestic cats catching full grown ducks, chooks, rabbits and hares (believe me a hare is a lot harder thing to kill than chickens).

 

[animals1981]

what is the documentary called? or where can i see it? BBC Natural World documentary: The Cat Connection? I found that on youtube.

 

[nzpouter]

can't remember, it was an oldie... but you can also search for kitty cam or urban predators.

 

[JeffOeuf]

... (believe me a hare is a lot harder thing to kill than chickens).

Huh? My cats take a ton of rabbits. The rabbits have no defense tools and can't fly. Chickens are faster at pecking than cats are at swatting (or pouncing) and can leave the fight in a flash if they choose.

I'm all for protecting the flock, but your fear of cats getting your birds might be legitimate in NZ, but it would be out of the ordinary in the U.S. Maybe your cats are hungrier and meaner.

 

[animals1981]

i watched the docu but they did not show cats killing anything other than a tiny mouse and a baby bird very small bird like a baby robin.


Chickens beat up rabbits when i had rabbits the chickens picked on them big huge rabbits also lol they are scared of chickens, chickens are higher rank prey items

I am talking big 10 pound rabbits. Hawks will pick a rabbit over an adult chicken if they get to pick.

My muscovy ducks were the boss than the chickens are the rabbits always last and would be first targetted by predators.


THey have very thin skin and fragile skulls

 

[cracked egg]

I'm sorry this cat is killing your 8 week old birds.. But despite that.. You don't have a picture of this cat with the chicks all over it? That must be cute...

Maybe it wasn't the cat getting the birds? How are you sure? Just seems like if it is going to kill a bird, the smaller the more likely. 

when I first seen the kitten POP up out of 50 chicks, I knew it must have ate some. I chased it off and not one dead bird, I observed it for quite a while,it would wade through the chicks and lay down by the heat lamp and the chicks just covered it up. This hapened all last winter. In the spring I found the partially ate older chicks,set the trap and caught the cat. After that no more dead chicks,I assume it was the cat. This winter he is a full grown tom,still lays by the 4 chicks under the light. This cat is very wild,only time I see it is when I'm out in the back of the barn and not moving.
It's been very cold here,the cats in the barn every night and leaves everything alone.
He does keep the other feral cats away,I have seen that.
When he was kitten it would have made a perfect Easter card pic,trouble is he is gone as soon as you move so no pic of him with the birds.
Strangest feral cat I've seen. We call him the chicken cat.