In October,2011 I had the first ever death of a chicken by a predator. EVER after raising for 8 years. This time, it wasn't your dog or Raccoon or skunk. This was a bobcat. My chickens will never free range again till the bobcat is shot/dies. 6 foot hog wire fencing with 2 ft of barbed wire on top will not keep it out. After a couple weeks the bobcat didn't come again. I was brushing my hair when I heard chicken distress. I ran outside, looked around the yard. Didn't see anything but the chickens in the coops were still squawking like crazy. I noticed some odd marks on the ground and looked behind the shed. 2 feet in front of me the same bobcat stood with my chickens head in its mouth. I yelled at it. And it ran down 5 feet and stopped and looked at me. I kept chasing it. The poor other 2 hens were cornered in shock. I thought the bobcat had left. When I turned the other shed and it was heading back to it's kill. I grabbed a stick and flung it around ( I was in my socks and it was muddy. Nobody was home) the bobcat ran down the end of the fence. Jumped the side of the fence onto the old chicken coop. Then jumped down in front of my face and ran up a post and in between 2 pieces of barbed wire. It stopped right there. And looked at me and flicked it's tail. I picked up some rocks and threw them at it. It started walking down the neighbors gravel driveway. Flicking it's little bobbed tail. Then paused to look at me again, and seemed to say "You gave me that chicken the first time crazy lady!" I was in complete shock. I ran back over to the other hens. Maggie and Harriet were having serious runny poops, a sign of stress. Then Maggie had a complete molt. It was sad. Because it was now cold November. We now never let out our chickens to free range again. My mom read up about bobcats, saying that they only come in the evening from a Fish and Game website. That was of course not true. My sister gets up at 6:30am in the morning to go to school, she heard chicken distress. She ran outside and sure enough. The bobcat was jumping up and down to look in the risen pen to see if it could get some chickens. The poor chickens were being terrorized. Then the bobcat ran over to the other coop and chased the chickens back and forth. Then it saw my sister. Stared at her flicked it's tail, then walked to the fence, and jumped over. (So through this whole part December-January it did the same thing) Finally just lately, my dad was driving by and he saw a bobcat walk across the road with a dead white housecat in it's mouth. and when he was into our town, another bobcat was sitting on a fence post. And just yesterday folks. I was playing with my dog in the field and I ran behind the burn pile. And the bobcat was there lying down watching me and my dog. Then it ran off. THIS IS ALL A TRUE STORY. I don't think bobcats are endangered anymore...
I'm sorry for your loss and troubles. You are probably right, someone raised the cats as pets then when they got big let them go. It is my understanding that bobcats are afraid of humans and to just stand there looking at you indicates that somehow these are no longer afraid of humans. There is one bobcat in my area. People report seeing it at night around here. It hasn't come into the yard after the chickens, for which I am grateful....however I made my coop predator proof, which has been able to keep out everything that might eat them. Now me, I eat them....but I don't terrorize them beforehand.
How scary for you and actually sad for the cat, because it sounds like either it has to be caught or shot. When big cats come into your home space it's very dangerous. Sad for the cat if it indeed comes from a home where they were bred and allowed to get out. How irresponsible. I'm sorry for your loss, I'm afraid you're going to have to be proactive on this one, because I think they'll keep coming back.
I've heard people shooting at it...I know some neighbors lost their cats.... Our cat used to be a outdoor cat. She's ten, and she begs and begs to go out, but I'll only walk her on a leash.
