Trapping the cat

[Willowspirit]

We having working cat programs here. They use them in barns and in the city to control rats. It works well here.

I have been considering adopting a couple of barn cats from a program that traps and re-educated feral cats. Ok. Maybe they don’t re-educate them but they spat or neuter and socialize pthem enough for barns. I’d prefer this to just any cat moving into the vacuum left by the death of our barn cat. But there’s the whole wildlife killing issue. I just want them to keep us free of vermin.

 

[Fishkeeper]

The best thing for the cat is to trap it and take it to the shelter. If it's a pet, someone will claim it. If not, either it'll find a home, where it'll live a better life than if it was left outside, or it'll be euthanized. If it's euthanized, that's a shame, but it's a cleaner death than it would get otherwise.
Feral cats do not live good lives. They're full of parasites, they get in frequent fights with other animals, and they spend their lives struggling to survive. Their lives are short and violent, and come to brutal ends. On top of all that, they cause massive damage to the environment. Domestic housecats are an invasive species- they're native to nowhere, and they kill billions on billions of native animals a year.
Barn cats are vaguely better off, but a better solution is to try for snakes. Snakes are native and non-destructive.

 

[Willowspirit]

Barn cats are vaguely better off, but a better solution is to try for snakes. Snakes are native and non-destructive.

Although I agree with you about snakes I’ll allow for that if a snake comes and naturally colonizes our barn. I am the early morning person though and I can’t imagine stepping into the barn and encountering a snake no matter how helpful it is. Encountering a snake by surprise anywhere is one of my major, irrational phobias. I can handle and hold friendly snakes just fine, but not by surprise. For me it is what it is.

As for cats, I don’t want to go through losing another one like we did Chopper. It was horrible!

 

[llombardo]

The best thing for the cat is to trap it and take it to the shelter. If it's a pet, someone will claim it. If not, either it'll find a home, where it'll live a better life than if it was left outside, or it'll be euthanized. If it's euthanized, that's a shame, but it's a cleaner death than it would get otherwise.
Feral cats do not live good lives. They're full of parasites, they get in frequent fights with other animals, and they spend their lives struggling to survive. Their lives are short and violent, and come to brutal ends. On top of all that, they cause massive damage to the environment. Domestic housecats are an invasive species- they're native to nowhere, and they kill billions on billions of native animals a year.
Barn cats are vaguely better off, but a better solution is to try for snakes. Snakes are native and non-destructive.

Things have changed. Here in Illinois there colonies with caretakers. If a colony doesn't have one then they are moved to a colony that does or they find one. These people feed them, find a way to treat them if injured and for fleas. They have shelters in the winter and bask in the sun on decks. There are 12 and 13 year old ferals now a days that live pretty good, thanks to a lot of good people. They even attempt to get them in the houses or garages in extreme weather and worry about them like a regular house pet.

Cats are meant to hunt, but you can limit that if they are fed. The barn programs here take care of them as pets but outside. They are prey for Coyotes. My neighbor does not like chipmunks, he feeds a couple cats. He stopped feeding them and they left a chipmunk at hus door--they did what he wanted and feeding resumed.

One of my cats used to be feral. Time and patience and I ended up with a very good girl.

 

[MountainWoman73]

lots of stray( I’m guessing) cats around. I’ve trapped one already. Looks like we have another threat to our chickens. Time to put out the trap again. I can’t help but feel slightly bad for these cats but I need to protect the chicks. I take them to a no kill shelter so why do I feel bad still?

Every time my parents have raccoons around their coop, they use a live trap. I cannot tell you the number of pictures my mom has texted me of her pissed off housecat in the trap. Lol. Usually happens 1-3 times before the get the raccoon.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Every time my parents have raccoons around their coop, they use a live trap. I cannot tell you the number of pictures my mom has texted me of her pissed off housecat in the trap. Lol. Usually happens 1-3 times before the get the raccoon.

Bait with marshmallows instead.. cat's don't give a rats' patootie about them but coons love 'em!

 

[Henriettamom919]

You feel bad because nothing has happened.
Let some of your birds get hurt, you wont feel bad at all about trapping.
Probably best to keep feeling a little bad it keeps you human.

Wise words!

 

[SurferchickinSB]

lots of stray( I’m guessing) cats around. I’ve trapped one already. Looks like we have another threat to our chickens. Time to put out the trap again. I can’t help but feel slightly bad for these cats but I need to protect the chicks. I take them to a no kill shelter so why do I feel bad still?

Last night there was a cat on top of my chicken run and the chickens were really spooked. I am not sure what to do either. The cat looks small so I am not sure if it would even do anything to my hens. I scared the cat away, but then my chickens refused to go into the coop and it took me about 30 minutes to get them in there. It was getting dark and they were too scared to go in. I had to even reset my automatic chicken coop door to close later because I was afraid it would close and they would not be in there. I don’t really know what to do either, but this is the second time I have seen this cat on top of the chicken coop or run.

 

[llombardo]

Last night there was a cat on top of my chicken run and the chickens were really spooked. I am not sure what to do either. The cat looks small so I am not sure if it would even do anything to my hens. I scared the cat away, but then my chickens refused to go into the coop and it took me about 30 minutes to get them in there. It was getting dark and they were too scared to go in. I had to even reset my automatic chicken coop door to close later because I was afraid it would close and they would not be in there. I don’t really know what to do either, but this is the second time I have seen this cat on top of the chicken coop or run.

If the coop is in back of property and the cat is a stray, feed it opposite of coop. It's either hungry or curious. I have one that lays on top of my shed watching the dogs. I didn't even know it was there until one of my dogs wouldn't come in and was in the sit position staring at the cat.

The thing about feeding cats is that the chickes will also eat the cat food, so it won't be a waste if that don't work.

 

[SurferchickinSB]

If the coop is in back of property and the cat is a stray, feed it opposite of coop. It's either hungry or curious. I have one that lays on top of my shed watching the dogs. I didn't even know it was there until one of my dogs wouldn't come in and was in the sit position staring at the cat.

The thing about feeding cats is that the chickes will also eat the cat food, so it won't be a waste if that don't work.

I think it is somebody’s pet, but I don’t want it coming around and bothering my chickens. I don’t know if it would try to hunt them and eat them, but I don’t think I will feed the cat because I don’t want it injuring my chickens. I don’t even want it in my backyard!