Will a cat hurt my chickens?

[LanaNg]

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).

Wow that’s insane! And no I don’t have a rooster I actually just got rid of one :/ I’m not sure what I’m gonna do... I’ll have to think it over some more.

 

[murphynhazel12]

I have a cat that sees my silkies all the time and he is scared of them, he is 5x bigger than them but he stays far away. It really depends on the cat.

 

[OmnipotentOrpington]

Wow that’s insane! And no I don’t have a rooster I actually just got rid of one :/ I’m not sure what I’m gonna do... I’ll have to think it over some more.

I really don't want to discourage you from getting the cat! You should just take precautions to keep them separated. The only thing you need to do is lock the cat up in your house or a crate!

 

[LanaNg]

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.

Thank you very much! I feel like I would be able to do that. He’s a really cool cat and I feel bad for him. He’s not like a mangy feral beast, I’m pretty sure he was a pet that was dumped and has been living in the woods for a while.

 

[Hei 20]

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.

Well, my cat was already an adult when the chick hatched. Chick lived with the cat for the first 4 months of his life with no problems. Except when they were both arguing on who would sit next to me. LOL

miss you Hei Hei

 

[LanaNg]

Well, my cat was already an adult when the chick hatched. Chick lived with the cat for the first 4 months of his life with no problems. Except when they were both arguing on who would sit next to me. LOL

miss you Hei Hei

Awww. What cuties!!!

 

[KingD]

Animals will often learn to trust each other. You could possibly let it out near the hens and see it's reaction, no harm trying. My hens used to be scared of dogs coming down the road but they don't give a shit now. Put the cat in a Carrier box and place it in the cage with the hens. Do this every day for a few weeks and I'm sure they'll accept each other.

 

[KingD]

This is my semi wild cat which i rescued from a cats home. Only time I ever see it is on the game cameras at night time.

 

[black_cat]

My pet cat, who goes outdoors, is afraid of my full grown hens (I know this because he runs away from them), and he's treed a raccoon as well as chased off a fox. However, I wouldn't trust him with anything smaller than my adults. He enjoys catching mice, chipmunks, and squirrels.

 

[imnukensc]

My cat, who is an absolute murderess of all things that skitter, slither, crawl, flutter, flap, fly, etc, etc, etc, has never once bothered my chickens. Nor has any feral cat ever bothered my chickens. Would I let her around chicks? No, but she is quite respectful (scared I would say) of even 8 week olds.