Will a cat hurt my chickens?

[LanaNg]

My sister has a really friendly stray cat that has been hanging around her house. She doesn’t feed it or anything because she wants it to go away, but I’d love to bring it to mine. Is this a bad idea? I don’t want it to hurt my chickens or anything. Of course I’m gonna feed the kitty so hopefully he won’t be so hungry that he resorts to hunting them. I have three 14 week old chickens that mostly stay in their coop. I normally let them run around in my fenced in backyard for a few hours in the afternoon though.

 

[abujumana]

My sister has a really friendly stray cat that has been hanging around her house. She doesn’t feed it or anything because she wants it to go away, but I’d love to bring it to mine. Is this a bad idea? I don’t want it to hurt my chickens or anything. Of course I’m gonna feed the kitty so hopefully he won’t be so hungry that he resorts to hunting them. I have three 14 week old chickens that mostly stay in their coop. I normally let them run around in my fenced in backyard for a few hours in the afternoon though.

14 week old chickens your cat i think she cant near to them

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Depending on how big the cat is, it may or may not be a problem.

IMO, feral cats are always a problem - if for no other reason than harm to native wildlife.

 

[Chickenchickwithchickens]

Even if the cat isn't hungry, it'll still try to get your chicks. My Amish neighbors had a very friendly Welsh Corgi dog that would come over all the time. We never thought that she would do anything to our chickens, and let them out one day while the dog was around. We lost our SLW hen to her. I know, this was a dog, you'd have a cat, but I wouldn't risk it.

 

[KingD]

Cats which don't have a home (stray) are unpredictable. I have a stray and my hens are locked up 24/7 I wouldn't risk it. A cat has the ability to kill an adult hen!

 

[Chickenchickwithchickens]

Cats which don't have a home (stray) are unpredictable. I have a stray and my hens are locked up 24/7 I wouldn't risk it. A cat has the ability to kill an adult hen!

I had a stray cat around for a while. It would prowl around our coop at night and paw at the wire. It actually got a big piece of wire loose-don't worry, we patched it up- so I still wouldn't risk it.

 

[LanaNg]

Cats which don't have a home (stray) are unpredictable. I have a stray and my hens are locked up 24/7 I wouldn't risk it. A cat has the ability to kill an adult hen!

Thank you for the advice. What if I put in extra effort to keep them separated? Like keep the cat in the front yard while I’m out back with the chickens? And make sure that I watch them while they’re out of the coop?

Haha I know that sounds crazy and like a lot of work just to keep a cat but I don’t really mind. I like to watch my chickens anyway to make sure hawks don’t get them and that they don’t get into anything they shouldn’t. What do you think?

 

[OmnipotentOrpington]

If you let your chickens out, don't take any chances. Keep the cat inside your house or locked up, even if you're watching them. I think it's really kind of you to take in a feral cat, but also make sure that the cat is healthy and take it to the vet. I think it'd be best if the cat and chickens had no interactions.

 

[KingD]

Thank you for the advice. What if I put in extra effort to keep them separated? Like keep the cat in the front yard while I’m out back with the chickens? And make sure that I watch them while they’re out of the coop?

Haha I know that sounds crazy and like a lot of work just to keep a cat but I don’t really mind. I like to watch my chickens anyway to make sure hawks don’t get them and that they don’t get into anything they shouldn’t. What do you think?

It's totally up to you. Do you have a rooster? A large protective rooster would possibly deter a cat but still, I would worry a lot! If you're outside that would be good but if the cat has no fear of humans then it may still be a problem. I've had a fox take my chickens whilst I was in the garden with them ( in daylight).

 

[DouglasB]

Yes it will, cats are wonderful creatures but they are hunter/killers. Dont let the small size fool you.