Cats

[ambercurly]

I bought like 70 bucks of bird netting from amazon and connected from roof to privacy fence keeps the stray cats out and my birds from flying out.

 

[Sunshine_Chick]

I have 2 feral cats that have come around for a few years & have never bothered my 3 free range chickens. In fact they all lay about together in the shade. I saw one catch a fledgling wren, but that's just simply nature or the circle of life. One of the cats (the hunter) has taken up residence now & frankly the chickens are more interested in the dry cat food than the cat is interested in the chickens. Coexist!

 

[cherrynberry]

Ya, the bird spiked may work but it depends on whether or not your fence goes all the way around your house.

I am just afraid that the chickens might be able to jump there too, will it discourage them...? The spikes?

 

[Weeg]

Yes! And they are specifically made for birds and have unsharpened points so they can’t hurt the birds!

 

[feather13]

Cats come in our yard all the time and not only does it bother the chicks and chickens, they lay on our lawn furniture and get hair everywhere. I'm not a fan of cats, so set out live traps at night and take them to the ASPCA the next day. None of them have had collars. Outdoor cats kill millions of birds a year and are threatening wild bird populations, so I really wish people wouldn't leave cats outside.

A link to the Smithsonian Magazine's article on the threat of domestic cats to the environment: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/moral-cost-of-cats-180960505/

Cat Wars: The Devastating Consequences of a Cuddly Killer (Princeton University Press) is also a great resource for thinking about the relationship between cats and the environment.

I think talking with your neighbors and, if that doesn't work, setting live traps and taking the cats to your local ASPCA, would be a good plan of action.

 

[NatJ]

I will try to put up a trap. However, I am worried because I really don't think any type of bait would be better than a plump chicken. And I really don't want to lead it here again.

But a plump chicken squawks and flaps.
Some kinds of bait sit still and smell nice
(I'm thinking something like canned catfood or fish, but I don't know enough about cats to know what particular bait is likely to be best.)

You make a good point about not wanting to lead the cat there again, but you did say it's already come several times--so I think it's likely to come back anyway.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I don't think that a cat will kill a chicken, but it depends on the breed of cat, determination of the cat, and the size and determination of the chickens. It does sound like that cat is a hunter though, it is possible the cat could injure you chickens. A chance you might not want to take.

We had a feral one manage to catch a pheonix, something that natural predators here haven't managed yet in almost 5 years

 

[cmom]

This cat was snooping around my chick/grow-out coop. It was a very foggy night. I hope you can see the cat. It touched the electric wires.

 

[cmom]

I have caught a couple of cats in my live traps. They weren't very friendly.

 

[feather13]

We've had luck catching feral cats with small and medium live traps baited with a can of tuna or cat food. You can buy live traps from Amazon or rent them from your local feed store. Make sure you wear heavy duty gloves when you pick the trap up because the cat won't be happy and can claw through the mesh. Call ahead, as well, to your local ASPCA if you want to take it there because sometimes they won't accept cats, depending on how full their shelter is.