Neighbors cat hanging out around my chickens

[Chubbicthe2nd]

The neighbor's cat has been hanging out around my chickens. The cat makes them very nervous, they all sort of go stock still, and the full grown ones flutter up to the top of the coop. The poor little pullets though just huddle in the bushes.

What's the chances that this cat's going to try to kill my chickens? I've thrown things at it, but it's quick. Also, talking to my neighbor won't solve anything. He is not the friendliest (we had a hard enough time convincing him to not let his pitbulls wander into our property around our toddler girls, and he keeps putting his cows in our pasture without our permission, we're going to have to repair the fence more -- he says his cows keeping mangling it up, that he didn't do it. So we we're planning to put in a brand new fence relatively soon, to keep both his cows and pitbulls out, but I don't think that's going to keep the cat out).

Am I being overly worried about the cat?

 

[Altairsky]

If your chickens are small breeds, then a cat might be a problem. Get a large breed like a couple of brahma or a couple of orpinghton and they will destroy any cat. My large dual purpose chickens are the terror of all neighbors cats.
A medium sized rooster would also fix any cat issue. My legbar rooster was ready to fight my friend's Rottweiler last time he came to meet me.

 

[Barbours]

The neighbor's cat has been hanging out around my chickens. The cat makes him very nervous, they all sort of go stock still, and the full grown ones flutter up to the top of the coop. The poor little pullets though just huddle in the bushes.

What's the chances that this cat's going to try to kill my chickens? I've thrown things at it, but it's quick. Also, talking to my neighbor won't solve anything. He is not the friendliest (we had a hard enough time convincing him to not let his pitbulls wander into our property around our toddler girls, and he keeps putting his cows in our pasture without our permission, we're going to have to repair the fence more -- he says his cows keeping mangling it up, that he didn't do it. So we we're planning to put in a brand new fence relatively soon, to keep both his cows and pitbulls out, but I don't think that's going to keep the cat out).

Am I being overly worried about the cat?

It is stalking and will eventually attack. If it is on your property and the neighbors don't care pop it in the butt with a bb gun from a distance. It won't kill the cat but scares them away cause it stings and they will remember that and not come by anymore. If your worried about hurting the cat just do it from a distance and with one pump it'll be fine.

 

[nuthatched]

The cat is likely not going to bother them, it's just curious. I wouldn't worry unless it's an especially large cat.
My neighbors decided to shoot my cat with a pellet gun to scare her away from their property (they had lived there for only 2 days) and killed her, so do note, that it might not just "hurt" and does constituent animal abuse in most places.

 

[Barbours]

The cat is likely not going to bother them, it's just curious. I wouldn't worry unless it's an especially large cat.
My neighbors decided to shoot my cat with a pellet gun to scare her away from their property (they had lived there for only 2 days) and killed her, so do note, that it might not just "hurt" and does constituent animal abuse in most places.

Hun a pellet gun is stronger then a bb gun and that's why I said from a distance and on one pump. As little kids we would wear helmets and do bb gun wars we would get a bruise at the most

 

[Chubbicthe2nd]

Hun a pellet gun is stronger then a bb gun and that's why I said from a distance and on one pump. As little kids we would wear helmets and do bb gun wars we would get a bruise at the most

Thanks, this is helpful.

 

[Chubbicthe2nd]

The cat is likely not going to bother them, it's just curious. I wouldn't worry unless it's an especially large cat.
My neighbors decided to shoot my cat with a pellet gun to scare her away from their property (they had lived there for only 2 days) and killed her, so do note, that it might not just "hurt" and does constituent animal abuse in most places.

Don't worry I won't hurt his precious cat. Remember he has pitbulls and I have human toddler daughters. Hurting eachother's critters is not a game I'm willing to play with him.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Feral cats moved into the barn shortly after we moved in and they were pretty emaciated to the point they were eating the chicken feed like it was a salmon buffet. However, even though they were borderline skeletons and starving when they first showed up they never bothered my chickens. They actually have been very helpful with killing off the mice and rats in the barn. Some of them over the past 3 years have warmed up to me enough that they follow me around and drop lovely dead rats as gifts outside my front door. They have been so useful to have around that i haven’t had to deal with mice inside my house either like I did when we first moved here so I feed, worm and when I can catch them take them in to get spayed/neutered. In the summer I will go out and the cats along with the chickens will all be sitting together in the shade. Don’t shoot it with a bb or pellet gun it probably just wants to know what the big feathered squawking neighbors are doing. If emaciated wild cats that survived by hunting for their own food didn’t want to touch mine I highly doubt a fed house cat will bother yours.

 

[McChooky]

The neighbor's cat has been hanging out around my chickens. The cat makes them very nervous, they all sort of go stock still, and the full grown ones flutter up to the top of the coop. The poor little pullets though just huddle in the bushes.

What's the chances that this cat's going to try to kill my chickens? I've thrown things at it, but it's quick. Also, talking to my neighbor won't solve anything. He is not the friendliest (we had a hard enough time convincing him to not let his pitbulls wander into our property around our toddler girls, and he keeps putting his cows in our pasture without our permission, we're going to have to repair the fence more -- he says his cows keeping mangling it up, that he didn't do it. So we we're planning to put in a brand new fence relatively soon, to keep both his cows and pitbulls out, but I don't think that's going to keep the cat out).

Am I being overly worried about the cat?

I would lock my chickens up until you and your neighbor are on the same page.The longer you allow it the harder it will be to stop

 

[FrostRanger]

Cats won't usually bother chickens unless they're young chicks. I too encourage my local feral/stray population to hang around as they're excellent pest control. Haven't seen a single mouse hanging around since I started feeding the cats. 2 of the kittens I've been feeding, 2 ginger manx mix toms I named Phoenix and Edgeworth regularly follow me around as I do random chores. Their mama who is a feral and was likely not raised around chickens has never bothered my birds either. None of the others I feed have caused any issues either. If anything they're a bit afraid of the girls. Unless you see the cat actively hunting your birds or you have very young chicks I wouldn't worry too much that he's hanging around. However, it might be a bit before your birds realize the cat isn't a threat