Rooster trying to steal 2 day old kittens, what can I do?

[Chickycammy]

To our happy surprise one of the stray cats we care for had kittens on our back porch. We think this is wonderful as she's now more friendly and we love to watch kittens grow.

Next to where she had them on the ground is the Nursery coop with my hen and her 8 chicks. Ivory our hen doesn't seem to mind that she can see and hear the little meows, yet Shemp her mate who is loose and protects the coop has started to try and steal kittens.

By steal I mean he'll come up on the porch and wait for the mother to either leave to use the bathroom or fall asleep before picking up a kitten by the tail and trying to run away with it.

My husband and I are worried he'll end up killing one and we have no idea why he's doing this. We're thinking about locking him up in an coop so he can't get to them.

Any ideas why this is happening? Will he kill one?

 

[LaFleche]

I would assume that he does not want a possible predator (cats are a danger to chicks) near his chicks and tries to move the cat family to some other more distant place. Taking the kitten is his attempt to lure the mama cat away from his chicks.

Seems to be a wonderful and very considerate rooster.

 

[Chickycammy]

I would assume that he does not want a possible predator (cats are a danger to chicks) near his chicks and tries to move the cat family to some other more distant place. Taking the kitten is his attempt to lure the mama cat away from his chicks.

Seems to be a wonderful and very considerate rooster.

He's a very sweet rooster for sure and we have had some mean ones in the past.

If we could block the chickens from seeing the mother cat and kittens do you think he'll stop trying to steal them? Our back porch is very shady and cool during the day and has a good amount of light at night and some cameras so we wouldn't want to move either cat nor chicken because it's the safest place in the yard.

 

[LaFleche]

Could you post a picture of the porch/location to get an idea.

 

[LaFleche]

I think it might be best to move the kittens to a garage or garden shed to be secure and far from the chicks.

The mother hen will soon start to leave the nest and roam the garden with her chicks and this might just give the nursing cat some ideas on how to improve her diet...

 

[RiverOtter]

Umm, I hate to destroy a pretty picture, but he's not trying to lure momma cat away through the power of mother love, or to protect his family from a potential predator ... Your feathery velocoraptor is ABSOLUTELY trying to eat them and WILL bash them against the ground and peck them into gory shreds as soon as he manages to grab a tiny kitty treat and run far enough away with it that he doesn't have to share with his "beloved".

Yes, definitely separate them if you want the kittens to live.

 

[LaFleche]

Umm, I hate to destroy a pretty picture, but he's not trying to lure momma cat away through the power of mother love, or to protect his family from a potential predator ... Your feathery velocoraptor is ABSOLUTELY trying to eat them and WILL bash them against the ground and peck them into gory shreds as soon as he manages to grab a tiny kitty treat and run far enough away with it that he doesn't have to share with his "beloved".

Yes, definitely separate them if you want the kittens to live.

Well, that's definitely another way to put it.

 

[aart]

I think it might be best to move the kittens to a garage or garden shed to be secure and far from the chicks.

The mother hen will soon start to leave the nest and roam the garden with her chicks and this might just give the nursing cat some ideas on how to improve her diet...

Yes, this^^^
....or the chickens may eat the kittens.

Either way get that cat spayed.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Chickens eating kittens and cats eating chicks. The cycle of life?

 

[Chickycammy]

Thank you everyone! We moved the mother cat and kittens to the front porch after my husband built her a cute coop. The babies are doing great and mom seems to mainly want them in the fenced part of the coop.