Stray Cat Wants to Move Into Henhouse

[gryeyes]

I am glad I found this thread after the poor little thing rubbed against the OP's ankles. I was going to suggest almost all the things suggested by others but I see the "problem" is solved. Neutering is a must, in my book. There are always more cats; no need to get kittens, with or without the instinct and ability to actually hunt & kill mice.

But do name your Hen house cat, Barry! Even if it's just "Stray" or "Farrah" (for feral, although she's obviously NOT feral).

My big fat old Himalyan sleeps in this or that coop now and then during the day, but he's really an inside lap cat at night. Licorice is a black cat who chooses to live outdoors, and she is a wonderful huntress. She kills and eats gophers as well as rats and mice! I still give her dry cat food daily, on a special, raised cat feeding station. We meet every evening for some special rubbing, patting, purring and baby talk.

None of my three cats (I recently lost another due to cancer) have ever bothered the chickens after each has been pecked on the nose by an inquisitive pullet, back before I let the chicken range freely. Just took one peck right on their noses through chicken run fence to convince the cats those things weren't worth bothering. All of 'em just walk around chickens, sometimes even right between a pair of them or through a small group.

So glad you've got yourself a new utility cat!

 

[Barry Natchitoches]

We will neuter the little cat, but since it is not mating season yet, I figure that we'll let her get comfy in her new home before we send her to the "snipper." Maybe we'll try to time the surgery with a really cold and miserable winter storm, so that she can be indoors during the miserable weather.


She's pretty healthy other than being boney, so I don't feel pressured to rush her to the vet quickly...

 

[theoldchick]

Some rescue associations do have a 'feral cat' program where the cat is brought in the trap, sedated, tested for felv/fiv, vaccinated, spayed/neutered and placed back in the trap for recovery and trip back home. Once the feline is fully recovered he/she is then released back where it was trapped.

 

[jjthink]

Barry, thank you and your wife for your good hearts!!!

It's really something that she is already so affectionate.

A mouse repellent you might be interested in adding to the mix is called Mouse Magic by Bonide - it's made up of packets of peppermint and spearmint leaves and in theory mice hate the smell (another option is cotton balls soaked in peppermint oil tucked in out of the way places) - this stuff may reduce mouse populations where you don't want them and being nontoxic, won't harm any beings you don't want getting hurt.

Feeding a cat will almost never diminish its desire to catch mice (unfortunately for the mice, very well fed cats across the land toy with and murder mice right and left with abandon!). Your new little friend really needs ample kitty food available on a permanent basis to stay well. Most cats are lactose intolerant and get pretty severe diarrhea from milk and so fresh water the best for her. (p.s. I never heard of chickens drinkng milk!). Her being skinny is likely a combination of not getting enough food and having parasites. Happily, there is now a product called Profender - a liquid that is applied topically between shoulder blades and will worm a kitty. This is so much easier than having to pill them. It's applied once and then ~2 weeks later a second time and that's that. I would wait till she's eaten well for a couple of weeks and then apply.

I agree the spaying can wait a bit - she needs to be strong for the surgery. If useful/helpful to you, Friends of Animals offers low cost spay/neuter certificates that can be used at participating vets - cost is less than a quarter of what I pay at my usual vet so I've finally begun using them for my rescues so that I can help more animals. That said, good to check on the reputation of teh participating vet before proceeding.

Bless you for saving her life

JJ

 

[sourland]

Good on you, Barry! This cat will pay you with built in rodent control. It's a true symbiotic relationship.

 

[mmaddie's mom]

Thanks to you and your wife, Barry! Sounds like she will have a castle to live in compared to how she has been living! Maybe she will be the first cat on BYC to hatch some chicks!

 

[DianeS]

What great news! I'm glad to hear everything is working out so well. The cat gets a safe home, and you get fewer mice. That straw bale den you describe sounds excellent. Straw bales are a wonderful insulator - that den will be nice and cozy all winter long, and will let your chickens have their nest box back.

Just a note about "mating season" - that really only applies to feral cats. (And not so much to them as you might think, it's just that the kittens are more likely to live in warmer weather, so everyone forgets about the kittens born in fall and winter because they don't survive long enough to be seen.) Domestic cats have lost their connection with the seasons, and can go into heat at any time. This cat let you pick her up, so she's not feral, she was domestic at some point although may have been straying for even several years. So I'd get her into the vet sooner rather than later, but of course making sure that she is of healthy weight to handle the surgery is important too. I guess I'm just cautioning you to not wait too long, or you might find you have 7 or 8 cats instead of just one!

Do we get to see a picture? What are you going to name her/him?

 

[wsmoak]

It's *always* mating season for cats, get her fixed as soon as you can.

We had a similar addition a few months ago, a little tabby cat showed up, all big eyes and bones sticking out all over, following the chickens around and scavenging in the compost bin.

I tried to chase him away (I already have five!) but gave up after a couple of days and fed him, then called the vet to add another to the spay/neuter appointment I already had for "my" kittens.

His name is Lucky: http://www.flickr.com/photos/10803470@N00/5045346733/in/set-72157623670718614/

--
Wendy

 

[Matt A NC]

We had a stray get tossed here over a year ago. She was bones, covered in sores, and wanted love. When checking her over we discovered that her bobtail was not natural. It had been ripped off leaving 2.5 vertebral up the tail and was almost healed up. She was about 2 months old. I was worried about what she was would do to chicks, but Luckily "Mama Hen" had chicks at the time. The very protective mother educated this new addition to stay clear of chicks. Mama never actually touched Barb, but she ran her all over until Barb found the open door to the feed building. Took 2 days to get her out of there. Barbara has kept her distance from chicks since whether they have a mother or not.

She had no interest in the house and was terrified of Tabitha(indoor cat), so Barbara is always outside. We were going to foster her for adoption, so after she gained some weight we had her fixed and vaccinated. After her adoption fell through we kept her. Barbara has been here for 15 months. I haven't seen a sign of a mouse or rat since early last Spring. She always has food available, but eats it as more of a treat and on days when she doesn't catch anything. She has been putting a dent in the over populated Sparrows. I find the wings that she doesn't eat and that is about it.

On colder days she will curl up in the nest just outside of the hen house. It is under a table and blocked on all but one side.

Matt

 

[HeritageHens]

Quote:
But be aware that if they test positive for feline lukemia/fiv, the cat is euthanized immediately.