That stray cat..

[marktoo]

Having no dog & maintaining a wild bird feeding area in my backyard for years, the yard had become a hangout for the neighborhood cats. Despite my best efforts to discourage them they would lay in wait for the birds, mark their territory, use it as their battleground at night etc, etc. I have not seen a cat in the yard since I put the chicks outside at the age of five weeks, they're 21 weeks now. Guess the chicks, being larger than what the cats had ever encountered before, really freaked em out. I haven't even seen a cat watching from a safe distance, like the top of the wall, which is where they would always pause to glare at me before disappearing from view. Good riddance! Thank you Girls!

 

[graybeard]

My advice would be get a puppy and raise it with the birds. Teach it right from wrong and after a while cats would stop coming around. You can get one at a shelter already vaccinated for around $50. My dogs keep everything bigger than a squirrel out of the yard. I live in the country, I hear coyotes, foxes, see coons and opossums, and snakes all the time. But not in this yard. Even the dogs scent keeps most critters away without confrontation.

 

[War Chicken]

Putting food out is what keeps stray cats around.

http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.238.9.1134

Quote:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/08/17/feral-cats-colonies-rabies-risk/2665359/

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[quigley257]

I will put on my flame suit and tell the story of when I moved into a new house in Mound, Minnesota. The house that backed up to my property was owned by a "cat lover". They fed cats outside and left the basement windows open to allow any cats free reign in their cat hotel. Although it was a nicely wooded neighborhood, it struck me that there were almost NO wild birds, squirrels or other types of critters around. After several calls to the city and no action, I handled the problem myself. I would not sit idly by and allow these hoards of cats to become the local "wildlife". Using both pellet gun and super quiet .22CB rounds, I eliminated 43 cats that summer. Every time I pulled the trigger, I rid my property of another invasive species. The cat people eventually moved away. The smell was horrific when the new owners hired a company to gut the basement and clean it out. Animal control came and trapped dozens more cats. The local bird population returned the next spring as well as rabbits and squirrels.

 

[undine]

I will put on my flame suit and tell the story of when I moved into a new house in Mound, Minnesota. The house that backed up to my property was owned by a "cat lover". They fed cats outside and left the basement windows open to allow any cats free reign in their cat hotel. Although it was a nicely wooded neighborhood, it struck me that there were almost NO wild birds, squirrels or other types of critters around. After several calls to the city and no action, I handled the problem myself. I would not sit idly by and allow these hoards of cats to become the local "wildlife". Using both pellet gun and super quiet .22CB rounds, I eliminated 43 cats that summer. Every time I pulled the trigger, I rid my property of another invasive species. The cat people eventually moved away. The smell was horrific when the new owners hired a company to gut the basement and clean it out. Animal control came and trapped dozens more cats. The local bird population returned the next spring as well as rabbits and squirrels.

*claps* haha very naaicee. The city was OK with you shooting/killing the cats? To me that idea sounds.. very illegal LOL The thought of doing that and having the city find out... id be hit with a large fine or even animal cruelty -_-"

 

[undine]

Putting food out is what keeps stray cats around.

http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.238.9.1134


http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/08/17/feral-cats-colonies-rabies-risk/2665359/

Sounds very true. There are more than 5 houses on the block that i live on, and many more down the block who feed the stray cats. Disposable plates everywhere on their lawn, and it bugs the crap out of me that the city is OK with this...keeping stray cats and having them spread diseases and fleas.

 

[undine]

Having no dog & maintaining a wild bird feeding area in my backyard for years, the yard had become a hangout for the neighborhood cats. Despite my best efforts to discourage them they would lay in wait for the birds, mark their territory, use it as their battleground at night etc, etc. I have not seen a cat in the yard since I put the chicks outside at the age of five weeks, they're 21 weeks now. Guess the chicks, being larger than what the cats had ever encountered before, really freaked em out. I haven't even seen a cat watching from a safe distance, like the top of the wall, which is where they would always pause to glare at me before disappearing from view. Good riddance! Thank you Girls!

LOL that seems fun. I visited a feed store for the first time(that acutally sold baby chicks and livestock) a few days ago, and wow.. i did NOT realize how biiig chickens can get especially the large fowls...and i thought my 6 week old chickens were close to being full sized. Pffffttt, chyea right hahaha

 

[undine]

My advice would be get a puppy and raise it with the birds. Teach it right from wrong and after a while cats would stop coming around. You can get one at a shelter already vaccinated for around $50. My dogs keep everything bigger than a squirrel out of the yard. I live in the country, I hear coyotes, foxes, see coons and opossums, and snakes all the time. But not in this yard. Even the dogs scent keeps most critters away without confrontation.

Getting a dog would be a great idea lol but living in the city and this neighborhood, our backyard can only hold so much lol and i also spent more than i shouldve on my chicks+supplies. I mean chicken feed and what not are affordable, but the other things for them are just wows

I wanna say it was worth it lol but i dont knooowww anymoree. I mean having chickens as pets is fun and theyre soo cuteee, but the cost of it is just makes me sad LOL..Didnt do my research on how much buildling supplies would cost before purchasing my chicks on an impulse lol and then having 2 and possilby 3 out of 9 "pullets" turn out to be roos .. SAADD LIIFEEE T_T

 

[quigley257]

*claps* haha very naaicee. The city was OK with you shooting/killing the cats?  To me that idea sounds.. very illegal LOL The thought of doing that and having the city find out... id be hit with a large fine or even animal cruelty -_-"

I won't say that it was all legal. Animal control wouldn't do anything for me because the cats were just transient and not "living" on my property. The couple who bought the property obviously had more sway in dealing with them because they owned the land. My neighbors to the left and right were pleased by the drastic reductions in numbers after I started removing them(I didn't disclose what I was doing). It is a lie to claim that shooting them is animal cruelty. They are an invasive species and should be dealt with as such. 70% to 80% of cats that are brought to shelters have to be put down at an annual cost to taxpayers of over 2 billion dollars. Keep your cats indoors!!

 

[Cluky]

u know stray cats ate pests to chickens, I have bantams, so have to look out for them BUT what strays take care of are nice and rats. so as chicken owner I welcome them and just adjust to keep my flock safe