Cat coming into my garden after my chickens and rabbits

lifeandtimes

Hi,

Everyone I have an issue I really need help with.

I live in a suburban area and have a run in my garden with 2 hutches, one for 2 rabbits and one which is a coop for 2 chicken. In the morning I let them out to wander around etc. Lately there has been this cat that has sat on our boundry wall at the back of the house but usually our Chihuahua is out there and scares it off.

Our dog was in the house this morning and i had let them all out to roam. After a while I heard the chickens going mad and i came out and saw that the cat was in our garden circling the run.

Now the run has no roof it's chicken wire enclosing the 2 hutches so the cat will be able to get in if it tries.

We are a family with 3 small kids who love our pets and would be devastated if this cat got them. The enjoy cleaning the hutches and spending time collecting eggs etc

I have no idea who owns the cat as it's a housing estate but I'm worried sick it will get our pets as our dog isn't in the garden the whole time.

Any advice on what I should do? A friend has said I could "take care" of the cat if it got in my garden again and to be honest I almost felt like doing that when I saw it circling the run but after calming down I'm not sure I could intentionally do that

I can't put a roof on the run as the hutches are spread far enough a part and I really don't have the expertise to create something like that

Tabnabs

You need a bigger dog to guard your livestock. Simple.

johnnyryan89

Slingshot and a bag of dobbers would be my suggestion, just aim to scare him off and hope he doesn't come back. We used to keep birds in an aviary out back in the shed but had a flight so the birds could come outside which attracted cats onto the shed roof stalking them but luckily the roof was galvanised so just aiming for the roof would scare them off with the noise.

deadlybuzzman

Even with no DIY skills it'd be straightforward enough to put some more chickenwire or something similar over the top of the run. Literally all you would need is a wirecutter and cable ties. Cable ties are a godsend, if you put one on wrong just stick another on and cut the first one!

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Lumen

deadlybuzzman wrote: »

Even with no DIY skills it'd be straightforward enough to put some more chickenwire or something similar over the top of the run. Literally all you would need is a wirecutter and cable ties. Cable ties are a godsend, if you put one on wrong just stick another on and cut the first one!

I've done quite a lot with PVC coated weldmesh recently, specifically this:

http://wireandfencedepot.ie/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=27

It's really easy to work with. Can be cut easily with pliers but is stiff enough to have a bit of structure. You can twist the cut ends or use cable ties.

OP: don't kill the cat, you know that's just not right. I'd honestly be surprised it if would take on an adult hen or rabbit. Mine will go for anything up to squirrel size but not larger.

lifeandtimes

Hi everyone.

Thanks for your replies.

I'll look into putting a wire roof on the run but I'm cash strapped at the moment and the amount we would need will cost a bit.

I'm just fed up as it's our garden and we have our run and shouldn't have to defend our animals right to free range around our garden as well (sometime we let them out to roam the whole garden before putting them back in.) The cat is a cat of course but its coming into our garden now. When it was on the wall it was fine but it's crosses the line now and gave me a scare seeing it so close to our animals.

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lifeandtimes

....... wrote: »

The animals will be at risk for any predator that might get into the garden, foxes, magpies, cats etc...

The above dont know about or respect land boundaries.

Funny you say That, the magpie alerted to the cat previously, I heard the magpie making a commotion and say that it was nipping at the cat on the wall and it eventually made the cat leave...i think I'll put some repellent on the wall or something to keep it away

Nekarsulm

Aldi (or perhaps its lidl) had Anti Climb paint on offer recently. They could still have some, I cant see any cat relishing getting that stuff on their fur.

Also, if you have a good nozzle on the hose pipe, drench the cat.

miezekatze

Rather than chicken wire, maybe just use some netting on the top and secure with cable ties? You could probably cover the lot for around a tenner if it's not a huge area. I agree that covering it is probably the best option.

kathleen37

yes, I was thinking netting rather than wire to cover the pen.

Without wanting to spend any money, you're not going to be able to keep the cat, or any other creatures out of you garden unfortunately.

We have quite a few cats and they are completely terrified of our hens. The birds go to attack them as soon as they see them...

taytobreath

cats never touched my hens. they were too big and strong. i had my hens roaming 24/7 around my garden. i had sussex chickens. i used to have to put the cats food high up or else the hens would bully my cats away from the food and eat it all.


dunno about rabbits though

Lumen

lifeandtimes wrote: »

I'm just fed up as it's our garden and we have our run and shouldn't have to defend our animals right to free range around our garden as well (sometime we let them out to roam the whole garden before putting them back in.)

Legally speaking you should have had the chickens fully enclosed from Dec 23 2016 to April 25 2017, as a precautionary measure against bird flu brought in by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

http://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/compulsory-housing-order-for-poultry-in-ireland-extended/
http://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/compulsory-housing-requirement-for-poultry-lifted/

PucaMama

Nekarsulm wrote: »

Aldi (or perhaps its lidl) had Anti Climb paint on offer recently. They could still have some, I cant see any cat relishing getting that stuff on their fur.

Also, if you have a good nozzle on the hose pipe, drench the cat.

And if the cat does get it on it's fur and licks it off it could be poisoned.

Op reinforce your run. It's your responsibility to protect your animals from predators. Cats don't know it's your garden.

lifeandtimes

Lumen wrote: »

Legally speaking you should have had the chickens fully enclosed from Dec 23 2016 to April 25 2017, as a precautionary measure against bird flu brought in by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

http://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/compulsory-housing-order-for-poultry-in-ireland-extended/
http://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/compulsory-housing-requirement-for-poultry-lifted/

We've only had the hens since the middle of may

lifeandtimes

PucaMama wrote: »

And if the cat does get it on it's fur and licks it off it could be poisoned.

Op reinforce your run. It's your responsibility to protect your animals from predators. Cats don't know it's your garden.

Ok but what if it was a dog who jumped the opposing wall and killed our pets, is it still my fault then? Chicken wire won't stop a dog getting in and a cat is an animal that should be kept under control, plenty of people I know who own cats have their gardens cat proof i.e. the have partitions in their walls at a 45 degree angle so the cats can't get out

pilly

lifeandtimes wrote: »

Ok but what if it was a dog who jumped the opposing wall and killed our pets, is it still my fault then? Chicken wire won't stop a dog getting in and a cat is an animal that should be kept under control, plenty of people I know who own cats have their gardens cat proof i.e. the have partitions in their walls at a 45 degree angle so the cats can't get out

There are 1000's of feral cats in Ireland, you'll have to figure out a way to protect your animals from them and other predators I'm afraid.

lifeandtimes

pilly wrote: »

There are 1000's of feral cats in Ireland, you'll have to figure out a way to protect your animals from them and other predators I'm afraid.

Thanks and I get that but currently there is only one cat and it's owned by someone as there is a coller...i wonder if I'd be considered mad to put up posters asking to speak with the owner to come to some agreement to both our benifit, some people can be reasonable, I know I would be

endacl

https://nerf.hasbro.com/en-us/toys-games/nerf:super-soaker

lifeandtimes

endacl wrote: »

https://nerf.hasbro.com/en-us/toys-games/nerf:super-soaker

Thanks but I can't be there 24/7 waiting to soak the cat

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lifeandtimes

....... wrote: »

Which is why you need to put a solution in place that doesnt require you to be there, ie, cover the run.

Personally I think its madness to have an unsupervised open top run in a back garden for chickens and rabbits - its just not safe in my mind at all.

That's fair enough and personally I don't think it's fair that a cat is allowed roam free around a neighbourhoods to possible hurt other animals in someone else's back garden. People don't allow their dogs to roam free as it's illegal and I'm sure it's the same for cats.

Iv created my run for my animals with the mindset of they are contained in my area in my back garden, they aren't escaping but other peoples pet coming in and hurting them isn't fair.

Proper animal ownership is needed.

I don't want any harm to come to my pets or the cat for that matter but someone less scrupulous than me may do something to the cat if it's gets on their property

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cbreeze

A cat used to get into the top of one of our hedges and lurk until sparrows landed on top and prey on them. I got rid of the cat after only two jugs of water and a chase down the garden, screaming. Me, not the cat.

pilly

lifeandtimes wrote:

That's fair enough and personally I don't think it's fair that a cat is allowed roam free around a neighbourhoods to possible hurt other animals in someone else's back garden. People don't allow their dogs to roam free as it's illegal and I'm sure it's the same for cats.

No it's not illegal for cats to roam.

I think you're being very unreasonable to be honest.

You won't spend any money to protect your animals but you're expecting a neighbour to spend money to keep their cat enclosed?

lifeandtimes

pilly wrote: »

No it's not illegal for cats to roam.

I think you're being very unreasonable to be honest.

You won't spend any money to protect your animals but you're expecting a neighbour to spend money to keep their cat enclosed?

It's not that I wont it's just I'm currently on a tight budget, I'm going to look into the anti climb paint.

However it's not unreasonable for me to expect my garden to be a place that isn't invaded upon by other people pets. Every other normal household pet is kept under control i.e. dogs, birds, rabbits, hamsters, ferrets the list goes on. Cats are the only ones who are let out to roam and other people have to make changes at their expense incase these days invade their property and I understand catts don't know boundaries but you can understand my point I hope.

Iv been checking other boards and people shoot and poison them and I don't want to do that as at the end of the day it's someone's pet who is probably loved just like ours are and it will be our family who suffer due to someone else's pet

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lifeandtimes

....... wrote: »

So you are just here to have a rant about cats?

No I can here for advice and for people to see my point of view.

I have taken on board what people have said and will look into these options

cactusgal

What are you going to do about magpies? They can be vicious, my friend's pet rabbit was killed by a magpie.
You also can't control them.

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jimmycrackcorm

Check ebay. You can get automatic cat repellent devices that squirt water when an animal is detected.

lifeandtimes

....... wrote: »

What about pine martens? They love terrorising chickens.

Iv live in this address for 10 years and there has never been any wild animal in our garden and the only others are what we have put there until now with this cat. We live in a populated estate that doesn't have urban foxes or pine martens or the like. Like I said the magpie aren't an issue at all, in fact woof pigeons and other birds have started to populate are garden at times due to the increawe in food.

This cat is my only issue and I'm going to figure out how to keep the cat from entering our property by some humane means

B0jangles

lifeandtimes wrote: »

It's not that I wont it's just I'm currently on a tight budget, I'm going to look into the anti climb paint.

However it's not unreasonable for me to expect my garden to be a place that isn't I tried upon by other people pets. Every other normal household pet is kept under control i.e. dogs, birds, rabbits, hamsters, ferrets the list goes on. Cats are the only ones who are let out to roam and other people have to make changes at their expense incase these days invade their property and I understand cents don't know boundaries but you can understand my point I hope.

Iv been checking other boards and people shoot and poison them and I don't want to do that as at the end of the day it's someone's pet who is probably loved just like ours are and it will be our family who suffer due to someone else's pet

I've raised this point multiple times on around here and every time the vast majority of cat people reject any suggestion that they behave as though they are in any way responsible for their pet's behaviour, like dog-owners are rightly expected to do. I used to have a pond with koi carp in my garden that I had to get rid because my neighbours' pet cats treated my pets like chew toys and my garden like their playpen/litterbox.

Until cat owners are made to take responsibility for their pets, like pretty much every other animal owner is expected to, nothing will change.

All you can do is try to protect your own animals from them, and if that doesn't work you may have to give up having them. In my experience, hoping the average cat-owner is willing anything whatsoever to help control their pet is a complete waste of time.

lifeandtimes

B0jangles wrote: »

I've raised this point multiple times on around here and every time the vast majority of cat people reject any suggestion that they behave as though they are in any way responsible for their pet's behaviour, like dog-owners are rightly expected to do. I used to have a pond with koi carp in my garden that I had to get rid because my neighbours' pet cats treated my pets like chew toys and my garden like their playpen/litterbox.

Until cat owners are made to take responsibility for their pets, like pretty much every other animal owner is expected to, nothing will change.

All you can do is try to protect your own animals from them, and if that doesn't work you may have to give up having them. In my experience, hoping the average cat-owner is willing anything whatsoever to help control their pet is a complete waste of time.

Thanks for your input.

I know in oz cats have to be microchiped and are not allowed outside as they have an effect on the local eco systems and wildlife and if you want a pet cat in an apartment block you to keep them indoors.

I'm not suggesting that all cat owners keep their cats in doors but it's not unreasonable to expect that they are kept on their owners property of house and garden and there are lots of different ways to do this like I suggested early i know of people who put up partions or gutters at a 45 degree angle so their cats can't leave their garden

Lumen

lifeandtimes wrote: »

We've only had the hens since the middle of may

Ah, fair enough. I have mine free range too, although circled by 8kv electric netting. My cat won't go near it. Not ideal with small kids though and wife is not happy.

pilly

lifeandtimes wrote:

I'm not suggesting that all cat owners keep their cats in doors but it's not unreasonable to expect that they are kept on their owners property of house and garden and there are lots of different ways to do this like I suggested early i know of people who put up partions or gutters at a 45 degree angle so their cats can't leave their garden

And as I've said already but you ignored why do you expect other people to spend money that you won't?

lifeandtimes

Lumen wrote: »

Ah, fair enough. I have mine free range too, although circled by 8kv electric netting. My cat won't go near it. Not ideal with small kids though and wife is not happy.

That's a solution for some and I'm happy it's working for you but he we have 3 kids and would end up in A and E with an electric fence haha

lifeandtimes

pilly wrote: »

And as I've said already but you ignored why do you expect other people to spend money that you won't?

Because it's not my cat.

Let me put it this way, if cat owners spent money to keep their cats in their property then people wouldn't have to spend money to keep them out. They want them then they have to accommodate them The people who would suffer the most shouldn't have to carry the expense in my opinion. My garden has been kitted out incorporate and house our pets, it's not to keep other unwanted pets out.

Unfortunalty I will have to fork out when really it should be the other way around

pilly

lifeandtimes wrote:

Unfortunalty I will have to fork out when really it should be the other way around

Or you could just kill this particular cat as it's the only animal who's ever going to enter your garden.

You're living in a fantasy world if you think one cat is the whole problem.

Pilly... Whilst I'm pretty sure your suggestion to kill the cat is hyperbole, please be aware that your words may be, and have been interpreted as a literal instruction. Please be careful how you phrase things.
Thanks,
DBB

eeguy

lifeandtimes wrote: »

It's not that I wont it's just I'm currently on a tight budget, I'm going to look into the anti climb paint.

However it's not unreasonable for me to expect my garden to be a place that isn't invaded upon by other people pets. Every other normal household pet is kept under control i.e. dogs, birds, rabbits, hamsters, ferrets the list goes on. Cats are the only ones who are let out to roam and other people have to make changes at their expense incase these days invade their property and I understand catts don't know boundaries but you can understand my point I hope.

Iv been checking other boards and people shoot and poison them and I don't want to do that as at the end of the day it's someone's pet who is probably loved just like ours are and it will be our family who suffer due to someone else's pet

You can argue online about the whys and the wherefores, but realistically the only person who's going to take action will be yourself.
Run down to a garden center and get some heavy netting and twine. Shouldn't cost more than €15. Enclose the top of your run and it'll give you piece of mind.

Harming the cat isn't going to make you any friends and there'll always be more cats, dogs, foxes, birds etc.

muttnjeff

lifeandtimes wrote: »

Iv live in this address for 10 years and there has never been any wild animal in our garden and the only others are what we have put there until now with this cat. We live in a populated estate that doesn't have urban foxes or pine martens or the like. Like I said the magpie aren't an issue at all, in fact woof pigeons and other birds have started to populate are garden at times due to the increawe in food.

This cat is my only issue and I'm going to figure out how to keep the cat from entering our property by some humane means

The increase in food will also attract rats-believe me you may be glad of the cat. Our cat was very curious about our hens when we got them first and always watched them very closely.If she came near them they ran at her squawking and chased her off. I would be more concerned about rats and magpies and huge rooks coming for food-filthy creatures pooing allover your garden. I would cover the coop as there are foxes around and they will find your hens sooner or later.If you are on facebook put up a request looking for spare chicken wire-I've often seen people pass things along like that through facebook.swop for the promise of half a dozen eggs:).

Kablamo!

I kept rabbits for years and had one killed by a fox. How are you planning on protecting your pets from those?

lifeandtimes

muttnjeff wrote: »

The increase in food will also attract rats-believe me you may be glad of the cat. Our cat was very curious about our hens when we got them first and always watched them very closely.If she came near them they ran at her squawking and chased her off. I would be more concerned about rats and magpies and huge rooks coming for food-filthy creatures pooing allover your garden. I would cover the coop as there are foxes around and they will find your hens sooner or later.If you are on facebook put up a request looking for spare chicken wire-I've often seen people pass things along like that through facebook.swop for the promise of half a dozen eggs:).

Thanks that's actually a pretty helpful suggestion.

eeguy

Also you seem to have your mind set on stopping this cat. Your focus should be keeping your pets safe from everything, not a single curious cat. Anti-climb paint isn't designed to stop cats, and believe me, cats will always find a way around obstacles.

You could easily spend more money on something that won't work, when a simple piece of netting or chicken wire will solve your problem.

lifeandtimes

Kablamo! wrote: »

I kept rabbits for years and had one killed by a fox. How are you planning on protecting your pets from those?

There are no Fox's here...like I did we've been here 10 years and have never seen any animal.in our garden other than what we've put there...its the way the estate is situated that are garden is inaccessible to anything except over a wall

eeguy

lifeandtimes wrote: »

There are no Fox's here...like I did we've been here 10 years and have never seen any animal.in our garden other than what we've put there...its the way the estate is situated that are garden is inaccessible to anything except over a wall

You don't see foxes. You just see feathers:p

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DBB

Lumen wrote: »

Legally speaking you should have had the chickens fully enclosed from Dec 23 2016 to April 25 2017, as a precautionary measure against bird flu brought in by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

http://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/compulsory-housing-order-for-poultry-in-ireland-extended/
http://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/compulsory-housing-requirement-for-poultry-lifted/

Not quite true.
The department were quite specific in providing alternative guidelines for owners of "backyard" flocks who could not keep their birds confined to barracks.

DBB

Folks... The op is getting a bit of a badgering here.
By all means, point out the dangers posed by other predators, but there's a bit of repetition going on in the "but what about... [insert x predatory species here]" department.
The point has been made, and as a poultry keeper I personally fully agree that a hen run should be as predator-proof as possible, but remember that the op has identified a specific cat that's causing problems. Now that it has been made clear that other dangers may exist, can we now limit this thread to suggestions on how to deal with the problem cat, please?
Might I also remind posters that advocating harmful control methods is not permitted in this forum.
Thanks,
DBB

muttnjeff

As a catowner I suggest spraying the cat with water every time you see him. -use an empty cleaning spray bottle filled with water. It wont hurt the poor cat and will shoo him away. Your kids could do it too, as long as theyre not cruel and doing it for fun. The cat is someones much loved pet and he is curious about your new arrivals....Then leave the spray bottle on the wall and a similar one at the henrun. the cat will avoid it. I always use this method to stop a cat jumping up on the worktop. I need only show the bottle now and she runs.
((But I would still cover the run:) i never saw the fox that stole my hen either!!-and mine was covered. They are extremely clever.)))

Old 2litre drinks bottles filled with water left around the garden deter cats too. Dont know why!
I wouldnt worry about the cat with the hens. The rabbit isn't safe though!!!!