Pet Cat

[Speedycat711]

Do any of you have a problem with a pet cat trying to get at chickens? I’m interested in getting some chickens so this is definitely something I would need to look into. My cat is relatively old and has never had a particular interest in hunting… but still I think it would be safe to check.

 

[FrostRanger]

I have 2 cats and feed several stray and ferals, all are hunters and all are afraid of the birds.

You will need to keep young chicks away (especially bantams) but few cats will mess with an adult bird, especially if said birds have grown up around cats and aren't afraid of them. Just keep the cat food away as chickens go bonkers for cat food. A little every now and then is fine, but cat food is very fatty and not good for them if fed too much

 

[Altairsky]

No but I have pet chickens trying to get at the cats. They're large dual purpose though. All the neighbors cats avoid my property like if it was lava. Last time I saw a cat, I witnessed my dominant hen hiding behind a bush, with magpies in the trees yelling and letting her know where the cat was, waiting for the cat to jump the fence. The cat never did, he probably knew it was a trap.

 

[Debbie292d]

Our cats mingle around the adults often, and they all just ignore each other. I wouldn't trust them around little chicks though.

When Stella was a kitten, the nearby farmer's peacock came over to our place, and she was stalking it. I think only because it was different so more like checking it out.

 

[Pebbles25]

We have two cats, when they were kittens they got pecked by some of the adult hens. They won’t go near them, and my two are good hunters.

 

[Callender Girl]

Some nitwit dropped off three adult cats (two unneutered males and a pregnant female) on my property two years ago. The female was an excellent hunter; I frequently found leftover bunny and squirrel parts, which she seemed to like eating in open chicken coops. But, none of the cats ever bothered the chickens.

BTW, the three cats now live in my basement where they love to kill mice that slip indoors.

 

[nuthatched]

My cats walk through the chickens, they don't bother each other.

 

[Anon112]

I had a barn cat (who is now an inside cat) who was a ferocious hunter. He really liked "stalking" the chickens and then jumping out to surprise them, but never actually attacked them. He LOVES going in the chicken run to hang out with the chickens and the chickens just ignore him for the most part.

Like others have said, though, I would be cautious about chicks because they are both more vulnerable and because their size and movement is more likely to trigger a pounce instinct in a cat than a full-size chicken.