what do you do with a neighbors cat.

[rrrsmom]

Problem is, I think the people who own this cat call me frequently to give their daughter a ride to school and I really like them. They have twin human babies who just got out of the hospital because they were premie. I hate to trap the cat and take it to the pound, because the last thing they need is something to worry about. DH says we should trap the cat, paint his tail and then hang signs around the neighborhood that say, "if your cat came home painted, he's been in our chicken coop." A friend from work said if we trap the cat we should squirt it with a hose for about 10 minutes. He said cats hate water so much he'll never return. I can imagine a cat would be so upset about that kind of treatment it would never return, but it wouldn't physically hurt the cat.
I live in the old downtown area of Salt Lake so this isn't rural at all. It's downtown in the 100 plus year old houses so we all know our neighbors.
I need your opinion.

 

[silkiechicken]

What is the cat doing in the coop that is so bad? Is it eating chicks or using it as a litter box? Or is it hunting mice?

I would go bring it up with your neighbor first before trapping.

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

Best thing is to get a pop gun or a squirt gun if you dont want them to have more stress on there shoulders

 

[rrrsmom]

Quote:
I don't know what he's doing out there. When we go to put the girls to bed at night he comes running out. The girls are either in the hen house or on the tops of a couple of ladders I have for them to roost on. No damage, and that's part of why I don't want to hurt him. He could just be hunting mice or he could be deciding which bird to take out first. I don't want him comfortable around here regardless. I haven't put out my baby chicks yet and they would be easy pickins for him. I just want him to go away. He's our first preditor in a full year.

 

[sunnychooks]

We have a feral cat that hangs out with our chickens (adult Rocks). We encourage him/her to stick around because he takes care of the mouse and rat populations. We even leave the door to the chicken yard open at night for him. Is this cat bothering your chickens or are you worried that he might?

 

[luvmychicknkids]

I have two former stray cats that spend most of their time in the chicken coop. I have actually caught them snuggling the chickens.

One sleeps in there most nights because she settles in before the door is shut. They love the chickens and the chickens love them. I feel the chickens are actually safer with them there.

 

[ibpboo]

I had a cat that liked to sleep in chicken coop, at first I thought he was going to eat the chickens, but he just went in there for a drink and a nap.

 

[CarriBrown]

The neighbor's cat takes care of our rat problems. My feed bill has gone down since I don't feed rats my chicken food anymore!
I say, let the cat be unless it's hurting something. Chances are, it's just catching whatever is eating your feed and drinking the chicken water.

 

[MissChessy]

I have 2 cats, Smokey and Whiskey, and those two cats love my chickens. They come running out from their napping places when I let the girls out to free roam early in the morning. Whiskey even stays in the backyard just watching the girls roam around the yard. Smokey guards the girls. I even have a weiner dog, Moses who takes care of the girls. He loves my new chicks also. Sniffs on them and makes sure they are all where they are supposed to be during the day. If they wander off, he barks at them and herds them back in for me. I appreciate my 2 cats and Moses.

 

[ole-crone]

We have 6 cats and none of them have ever bothered a chicken - not even chicks once they are old enough to wander outside. We live in a rural community north of Salt Lake - lots of wild barn cats. They don't bother chickens either. If anything, the cats are afraid of the chickens.

I bet that the cat is doing you a favor - hunting for mice. Our cats love to go sit in the coop and wait for a rodent to come looking for grain. In fact - it's probably your first warning sign that there is a rodent problem brewing around the coop.

Don't worry about the cat - if you scare it away you might not like the results and neither will your neighbors. If rodents move in to the neighborhood, they might blame it on your chickens.