WhatTheDuckingDuck
🪐Lost in space🪐
Too long, didn’t readCats don't kill multiples at a time.. when they are hungry.. And they don't "play" with sitting targets.
Suspect is your dogs or another predator... raccoon, maybe fox, weasel family.
No a feral cat cannot eat 80% of a chicken at one time IMO, their stomach isn't that big.. and the cat was likely just scavenging the carcass. I dispatch chickens and leave out form my feral barn cat.. it usually takes 3 days for the most everything to be consumed. They have dragged them under nearby vehicles or covering of sorts.. meaning not eaten right out in the open.. but that could vary by individual.
Now, I trapped and fixed my barn cats.. I also feed them cat food EVERY day.. They are still hell on rats, shrews, squirrel, etc.. The reason I allow them to stay. And one even found a mallard nesting here I didn't know about until I saw it fly away and the unharmed ducklings scatter. Torti never harmed the mum sitting for almost a month, but went after duckling the day they hatched. Now while cats are *more* likely to go after prey that is smaller than them and my chickens stick their tongue out when they walk past the cats.. 100% a feral cat is capable of taking down a grown chickens and depends on a lot of things. I' very sorry for your losses!
A well fed cat has plenty of energy to hunt.. plus if an animal is gonna stay here.. they need to be healthy. Before I was able to trap and fix the feral mama gave birth to her kittens INSIDE one of my lay boxes while I was out of town and had someone tending the coop door. None of my birds have ever been harmed by feral cats, YET.. Since I keep chickens the service they perform is valued. But I also DON'T let my guard down.. When that mama had gone to show her kids the hood.. I didn't realize she'd be back so adopted 2 more feral kitties.. but she showed back up so we tamed the 2 new boys who hunt gopher holes with my dogs and unfortunately reap their share of havoc on the song bird population as well.. Now I have 4 hunter cats.. rats are vicious and fight back.. standard domestic cats are LESS effective.
Domestic dogs are a number one predator to chickens. Many predators have certain MO.. that help us identify them. Some pile their kills in a stack, while others leave victims strewn everywhere. Some eat the heads off, while others eat the breast for example. A few common predators just for mention.. skunk, opossum, hawk, owl, raccoon, ermine, even rats! Posting photos of the entry site, how the bodies were left, etc might give clues. Consider adding your general location to your profile as that sometimes helps folks make their best suggestions possible at a glance.
Again.. this may be an instance of more than one marauder/scavenger.. My dogs also only killed but never ate anything they caught previously and also never had a drop of blood on them.. despite me seeing the (stray cat) kill(s). However, just this year.. one of my dogs (8-9 years old) DID figure out that the gophers she catches must be tasty inside.. Maybe she was given long enough to play with it.. I always reward her, praise her (for catching gophers), and used to take them away but she enjoys skinning toys so much I thought see what happens. . Once she learned how tasty the insides are.. now she has to run away from the chickens that also think blood, meat, guts.. is delicious. The dogs, chickens, and pigs ALL know the other is competition for food and gets treats from me.. The pigs aren't fond of gopher parts but still cone to see what the excitement is all about.
One more thought.. sorry so long! I have many of the predators listed above.. however, most all of them avoid my dogs.. My dogs play a huge role in keeping other predators at bay. This is their turf.. make no mistake! Training and AGE.. heavily impact dog behavior. Younger dogs must be set up for success.. Noting hay is insufficient to keep ANY predator out.. hopefully you can get that area shored up a bit better.
I had a cat kill over a dozen in one go. Slaughtered all but 3. He came back later to eat his kills. Caught on camera, no denying it was a cat. You’re spreading false information. Cats do go on killing frenzies. I’ve experienced it. It’s in a cats nature.
