This morning when I went over to spend some time with Boots, the cat, who Vince insists we name “Cat” (and I probably should be thankful after he named the dog “Rita”), was stretched out on the rocks over by the tall weeds.
Cat
I am able to get closer before she starts hissing and runs off.
Cat
I don’t get anywhere near close enough to touch her but I get close enough that just a bit of zoom on the camera gives me some details.
When I came out of the sewing room, Cat had moved a bit closer and was waiting for me.
Cat
I didn’t try to get too close but stood a bit away and talked to her. She keeps a watchful eye on me but she is way more relaxed than she once was. Until the past few days, she would come up near the house to eat and then off into the woods or implement shed she went and we didn’t see her again til she was ready to eat about dusk. Now, she’s hanging out near the house pretty much all day.
With her newly found comfort of being closer, she’s also developed an interest in the chickens . . which is probably going to be disastrous. Do we keep the chickens back in the pens and not let them run loose or . . do we get rid of the cat that we so desperately need to keep the mouse/snake population down? I don’t see a whole lot of sense in dealing with all those chickens just to keep them inside a pen while the grasshoppers and other bugs take over the place. But, we also need a cat that hunts mice and snakes . . not chickens. Is that possible? Chickens are “birds” . . cats hunt birds.
There are folks making decisions on Wall Street and in surgical rooms every day and here I am facing this huge decision . . cat or chickens??
The biggest decision I need to make at the moment though is . . who is going to make that prickly pear jelly if I don’t get away from this computer and get it done? 🙂
glen in louisiana says
You are right in assuming this is most likely female. the vast majority of three colored cats are female. There is a small percentage of males who have that coloration.
And of course, cats will be cats. Chickens and cats can live in harmony, I would always assume that small chickens and all chicks are in peril however. The largest bird my group ever took down was a blue jay, but they would get baby rabbits. Squirrels are generally too fast. Cats are too big for hawks around here to get, but I have seen one of those big owls we have take out a squirrel with no effort so I guess a small cat would be at risk.
I had one huntress who would take out baby snakes but was only interested in playing with them, not as a vocation. We still have 4 or 5 large snakes each year. We don’t have mice though, so I am thinking they do quite well on the mouse front.
My dad, the cat expert always said, the best hunter is a well fed momma cat!
glen
Carla says
We have chickens that run loose in the yard and perch in the barn on stall walls AND cats in the barn. When we put the food out for the cats, the chickens come racing to the bowls! The cats step back and let them eat first!!!! How crazy is that??
Linda in NE says
“Cat” won’t bother full grown chickens. Chicks could be a different story, but if they are with their mother “Cat” will soon learn to leave them alone too. A cat that’s a good hunter will keep the rabbit population down too….the cats here in town are falling down on the job!!
Nancy says
We don’t have chickens, but we do have several coveys of wild quail that we feed. I have seen our cats walk casually through a group of them–apparently not the least interested. The weird part? The quail didn’t seem too agitated, either. At least they didn’t flee//fly. All three of our cats are avid mousers and there are plenty of those around, so maybe they exhaust their hunting instinct on them. I agree with Glen, small chickens and chicks would be irresistible though.
Sharon in Michigan says
We have a stray cat I’ve been feeding for the past year. He/she hisses at me then gets within arms reach to take the hot dog, left over chicken, etc. from me. Our chickens free range and we have several rabbits in the yard that allow us within 8 feet of them. The cat just walks by all of them and seems uninterested. So far, so good.
katie z. says
I wanted to comment as everyone above. We have chickens and cats, and while our cats are fascinated by chicks, they’ve never touched even a chick on the loose, and our hens will put out an eye if they come close.
Donna says
Cat will probably not bother the chickens. My sister feeds the cats before she lets the chickens out or the chickens won’t leave any food for the poor cats! They have never bothered any of the chickens – even the young ones! I will be very surprised if Cat does any more than just watch them. She is probably just enthralled with them since the biggest bird she’s ever seen is probably a buzzard.
Mary in VA says
I agree with the comments here. I have free range chickens and cats. They get along. Funniest thing is when the cat tries to herd the chickens because they are too far into the woods. So far the chickens are winning. I once had an indoor cat try to sneak up on the neighbor’s guinea hen. The chicken charged at the cat. The cat refused to go out again if the hens were out.
Diana G says
How funny I can remember when a chicken laid into a cat on Grandpa’s farm. Then the other chickens joined in. It was quite a funny site to see a cat run so fast and hide. Couple of ducks and a goat joined in on the fray as well…LOL
Okay that is my farm story from when I was a kid and staying summers at Grandma & Grandpa’s farm. And I’m sticking to it!