Please help, Feral cats

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Good luck!

 

[ImAngel]

This is nerve racking and exausting! I have been to the window at least a million times! Still noting yet, sigh! I hope the neighbors dont turn me in for drug abuse or something as much as I keep looking out the window~!!

 

[joebwe25]

Here's an idea -

Just kidding.

Well the slingshot idea might be good.
Thats what I do with the neighbors cat.
I take a slingshot and some gumballs and POW!
It doesn't really hurt but it keeps it away.

 

[ImAngel]

That was my first thought...but my neighbors are all to dang close!!



Quote:

 

[arlee453]

A lot of local animal controls will provide traps either free (with a deposit) or at very low rental cost to help you trap. They can also help you understand exactly what the law says.

Personally, I would not have any problems with trapping and taking to animal control. While I'm not into killing animals in general, I would also not have any problems shooting them with a bb gun. Just check with animal control first, to make sure you are within your rights of protecting your animals (usually that is the case - it's OK to shoot if they are on your property and molesting your animals/kids/grandmother/etc)

I don't understand where people who would never let their dogs run loose and bother other people have no problems letting their cats run wherever they want to go and to breed and kill at will. Cats are predators, plain and simple, and if there are cats, they are a risk to your chickens, especially bantys or young ones.

Good luck with your traps... but unless those cats are really hungry/feral, I wouldn't bet on catching them. If these are fat cats, they probably belong to someone who is feeding them very well, and your chickens were simply a trigger to their hunting instinct, rather than a meal to them. No self respecting cat I ever knew would go into a trap unless they were absolutely starving.

Susan

 

[MayberrySaint]

Quote:
I felt the same way whe I was staking out my coop looking for a raccoon. Finally went to bed and lo and behold in the morning she was in the trap.

 

[Lunachick]

Sorry if I missed something, but do you not have some kind of protection for your birds, like a large enough run that is fenced in and netted above? So a stray cat/any other critter can't get at them? I would do that first. Then if you have a problem go to step #2, which would be the trapping method etc.

 

[chickbea]

Cats are some of the easiest animals to trap, and some of the hardest to shoot. Unless you have years of hunting and marksmanship experience, trying to shoot them will be frustrating.
It sounds like you located a Have-a-heart; if you need some more you can ask your local shelter, as often they will loan theirs out.

 

[arlee453]

Quote:
So let me get this straight you dont want to go out and kill (the cat) or animals in general. BUT you would have no problem shooting the same animal with a BB gun, which will not kill it, but a BB definately will puncture the skin(or eye) so the animal can wonder off and die slowly by bleeding to death or by getting infected if not able to get area properly cleaned.

I should have made my statement more clear - I did not mean shoot to wound. I meant shoot to kill as another poster mentioned with the air rifle.

I am definately not into wounding and then letting them wander off. I have a brother in law who brags about how he shoots deer and wounds them but if it's too much trouble to go find them he just lets them go. Drives me crazy - that's just bad hunting ethics to not at least try to track them down and put them out of their misery. If you are going to shoot with any thing that will cause more than a sting or bruise, then you should shoot to kill so as to not cause unnecessary suffering.

Sorry I didn't make myself clear before.
Susan

 

[ImAngel]

I got it!! Thanks for everyones help. Im a happy camper this morning. I called animal control and said I GOT IT Now what do I do ....LOL Hubby took it to animal control and they will get that mad cat out of the trap for us. That cat is mad mad mad....rolling like a croc does!!
My husband researched chicken coops and runs this weekend, looked at all ya'lls pictures on here and else where. He drew me an AWESOME coop and run. Much better than the lil chicken shack I have. He sees this is something Im sticking with and I love so now he is gonna make me a chicken mansion!! LOL