So, there's this cat...

[BWKatz]

I would have her neutered if u think she will stay. Ur chicks are old enough to fend for themselves.. just be careful if any have babies. She'll make a good mouser if u keep her.

 

[ProudNewChickenMommy86]

 

[bobbi-j]

Yep, sounds like Kitty is lonely. I'd feed it daily, but not overfeed so it can earn its keep by catching rodents. Spaying or neutering is a good idea - especailly if you want to keep it around. Fixed cats don't tend to wander so much.

 

[mediazeal]

How big is the cat, how big are the chickens?
A large stray tom cat has killed two of my chickens
one was a medium sized bird but one was a large orpington
she got mauled pretty badly and died from the injuries
there were feathers all over the yard from him chasing her and pouncing on her back
not all cats can be trusted, even with large chickens

 

[Attila the Hen]

Quote:
Oftentimes a feral cat that has been fixed and released will have a notch cut in its ear to indicate it is fixed.

I have 6 cats and only the juvenile sometimes forgets and goes into attack mode although he hasn't actually attacked a chicken. All animals here give chickens a wide berth--even some humans with the rooster.

 

[sourland]

Attilla, I know about the notched or clipped usually right ear I think, but there s no way you can get anywhere near this cat. She is more wild than the wild animals that frequent my back yard. I will sometimes see her streaking across the yard when I pull in the drive. Sometimes if I put on the big spotlight in the backyard, I can see her doing 'mouse duty' under my pigeon aviaries. Her experience with humans has not been good. She has earned the name Scaredycat.

 

[franklinchickens]

We've got 3 cats, none have which have bothered our hens. One is a former feral we've tamed, who is the only one who really spends any time outside, and she won't even go in the yard with the hens anymore! We've also got a few ferals and a few neighborhood cats (as well as a family of foxes) that used to hang around our house - not anymore. My hens chased off the neighbor's cat last fall and we've not seen her in the yard (front OR back) since. She won't even come near the house! I know some people have had issues but we've been just fine.

 

[EmAbTo48]

I would keep an eye on the cat... we just had a horrible experience with a feral cat looked to be over a year old it killed one of my adult buffs and my adult roen duck!!!!!!!! We ended up killing it!

You just never know! We have 3 barn cats and we get 5-6 feral cats during the winter and they never do a thing to our animals....this one on the hand wanted nothing but the kill and didn't touch the food I have out for everyone else!

 

[southerndesert]

Quote:
X-2 and X-3 have seen it as well, but mostly chicks are in danger though I have seen hens injured as well.... Just saying

I agree most cats can learn to coexist with adult chickens, but be very careful around chicks and pullets.....

 

[workinnanie]

I have a feral cat that I was able to trap when she was very young. she had one litter above our horse stalls before we captured her. I took her to the vet & told him to give her "the works" as I figured I would never be able to catch her again. We kept her in a cage for a week so her surgical scar could heal. I figured she would disappear when we let her out. That was 9 years ago. she is still with us. she keeps the mouse population down around here and leaves the chickens alone. I did find homes for that one litter she had. she is really a great pet! HH made her a two room house heated with a 75 watt light bulb. maybe that is why she stayed!