Cats are hunters and predators by a natural instinct. It’s what cats do… If you have a problem with mice in your house or barn, then an organic rodent controlling cat is a godsend. But if you enjoy bird watching and backyard chicken raising then this friendly pet could be a formidable threat. According to the Audubon Society, cats are responsible for killing millions of birds each year in North America alone. However, according to most chicken keepers, the family cat can co-exist with the flock in most situations.
Last year I shared my experience with one of my cats using a nesting box as a perfect spot for a catnap (click here: Cats and Chickens). I received several comments from Community Chickens followers about how their cats and chickens not only tolerated each other, but seem to enjoy each others company. Does that mean that there isn’t any reason for concern or caution shouldn’t be taken when mixing these two family pets? Of course not! Within the same comments were stories of a family cat, a stray or a neighbor’s cat attacking and killing the chickens.
Knowing your cat’s personality – and supervising their first reaction and interaction with the flock is probably the safest approach to integrating these family pets… Vulnerable newborn or small chicks are especially fair game to a hunting cat and there are some cats who will attack anything – even a full grown hen. Predator proofing your coop and run, not allowing your flock to free-range (unsupervised) and a protective rooster are a few safeguards against any attack.
Share your stories, experiences and advice in a comment below and if you have photos of your flock with the family cat – post them on our facebook page! Click here: Community Chickens Facebook
These cat toys are made of re-purposed wool coats and sweaters and filled with organic catnip from my garden.
60 Comments
Please enter me in your contest. Thank You. CECE
We have a cat named Tilly and the only way she will stay in the fence is if she can watch the chickens and “hunt” them it’s funny though because she runs up to them and then flops over at their feet and they are all bigger than she is.
Nice post. This is a great blog and I have to congratulate you on the content.
I have seven cats and a few kittens. They all get along well with my five chickens. They actually eat together and lounge around together. It’s a delight to watch.
This contest has ended and a winner has been chosen. Thanks for all your comments!
We were given a few orphaned kittens several years ago and after they were old enough to go outside, the came face to face with a flock of “retired” laying hens. We’ve never had trouble with any of them picking on hens, roosters or chicks but they have been wonderful keeping the rodent population under control. 🙂 We’ll see if we have the same luck with a dog.
-Rachael from The Rehomesteaders
http://therehomesteaders.blogspot.com/
I have two cats, one dog and a 9 sheep plus about 60 hens and roosters. Neither of my cats have ever tried to chase down and get my chickens. In fact my chickens are true pasture raised in that i don’t lock them up in a run or coop. I have more problems with my dog wanting to “play” with my chickens than my cats. Trust me my cats have killed them selves a bird or two. They also don’t bother my baby chicks because I let the mommy chickens hatch and raise them and woe to anyone who gets too close to their babies.
We have 3 dogs and 1 cat all indoor/outdoor. the dozen hens, dogs and cat get along great. at first the large female Rott thought they got out when I turned them free range for a few hours. She had them all corralled and kept walking around them to contain them. The hens lay eggs in the cat house and sometime the cat naps on the eggs. My cat is one heck of a hunter but birds within our fence and the chickens are not allowed. The Terriers have prey instincts but leave the chickens alone.
my kitty cats watch the chickies from the kitchen window….oh, if they could only taste one of them!!! have a wonderful day!
joanie.m.parker@hotmail.com
Back when I was young, we had a three-legged cat named Kitty. She never attacked our chickens and was their protector and friend. Kitty could often be found sleeping in their hen house during the day. I remember one day I heard cats fighting and when my mother and I made our way out to the coop, Kitty was standing between the chickens and the neighbor’s cat, keeping them out of harm’s way. Her best friend was our turkey who honestly thought he was a chicken himself. autumn_rain45@hotmail.com
I manage a feral cat colony with 4-6 members and have a small flock of 2 hens, a rooster, and 3 chicks (which are confined in the brooder). For the most part the cats and older chickens get along well. One of the hens likes to lay her eggs in the cat’s sleeping basket, the cats like to nap in the run, they share water bowls, and the chickens like to raid the cat food bowls. However when the chickens were younger, I had to scold the cats for stalking or scaring them. Now I have to scold the chickens for pecking at the cats (one feral is so afraid of them he’ll run away if he sees them coming). It’ll be interesting to see how the new chicks change the situation.
snkelso@yahoo.com
We have 2 cats, 7 hens, 7 broilers, 3 turkeys, 3 ducks, all free-range during the day, along with rabbits and quail that don’t. The cats showed some interest when the hens were small. They are avid rat and vole hunters and it appeared they were thinking about adding chicken to their diets. A few hen-pecks changed their minds. They walk among each other, but when the cats notice who their neighbor is, they move out quickly, lol!
seasonschanging@aol.com
I’m friending you on fb too – and maybe instagram {I’m recently addicted!}… My fb id is robin phillips knotts.
cokelush at gmail
The birdie toys are adorable!
We don’t have chickens yet, but hopefully by next spring, so I’m not sure how my i/o cat would do with them – I’d like to think she’d do ok as long as they weren’t smaller than her. Ours will always be in chicken tractors tho’ as we are surrounded by woods {hawks, owls, mammals} & two of our three dogs are hunting breeds – the lab might be okay with them after they peck him a few times, but the blue tick won’t miss a beat. {we also have a fenced yard – the blue tick kept bringing home wildlife}
cokelush at gmail
I have eleven cats (and one foster cat) that are inside/outside as they please. I also have nine adult chickens (eight hens, one rooster) and nine guineas. This year I have added a lot of chicks so have twenty four between two weeks and three months old. The adult chickens and guineas are free range during the day, but locked up at night because of the raccoons. Every morning I let the adults out and throw out scratch. The cats usually follow me around outside and they will sit and watch the chickens, guineas and a family of Cardinals cleaning up the scratch. They have never shown any interest in attacking the chickens and seem to think the Cardinals are just small, funny looking chickens. When it was cold I had the brooder out in my Florida room. It is just a big plastic container with holes in the top. There was usually a cat or two asleep on top of it because it was warm. In the five years I have had chickens the only ones that were lost were to raccoons and a neighbor dog (have since fenced her out). If the cats and chickens both want to be in the same place, the cats will give way every time. Even the feral cats that come and go leave the chickens alone. ltillinghast@tampabay.rr.com
Our cats and chickens get along fine. In fact our neighbor’s cat gets along with them too. I think the cats find them interesting to watch but don’t want to get to close to. LOL
alishamommyof5@gmail.com
We have 4 cats 1 and extremely good hunter so he’s never been buy the little chicks but they all leave the full sized girls alone even when roaming free. Now my golden retriever is the one I don’t trust even thought she knows not to. Its more tempting mthan she can handle. Super7plus1@gmail.com
I had 4 indoor cats when I got my first 3 chicks. I put them in a cage and had to laugh since there was one cat for each side of the cage. They would watch the chicks intently and occasionally, I’d see a paw reach in just to touch & play. The chicks were raised inside for a while till they were ready to be in the big girls dorm. There are only 3 cats now and 4 hens. They still come to the back door while the cats are watching them. The girls seem to remember when they were living in the house. One of the cats gets out once in a while & hangs out with the girls in the yard. Now there is an urban raccoon that comes into the yard to finish what the girls didn’t eat. One of the hens is my alarm & lets me know whenever he’s around. I don’t think he’s tasted blood since he seems to be more interested in the compost area & my garden. I see a live trap in his future…
Cats should be exterinated at every level,Horrible pets should be considered pest ,
strays should be used for target pratice
I am shemusic@hotmail.com Oreo is a tuxedo mix that adopted my chickens when he was barely weened. We came home from vacation and found him asleep in the coop. I have seen him inspect the feed and taste it before he would let the chickens eatand he will make sure I get all the eggs gathered. He does get his share of pecking but in a loving way. When they are out of the lot he watches over them and keeps them together. I seriously think he sees hisself as a chicken. If one is missing he will not let me close the coop. He is a wise one and I wouldn’t trade him for anything. The coop is his safe haven and the chickens will look for him and run to him if he gets too far from the flock.
You made those adorable birds! Leonardo (my prince, my cat) would love that. He is allowed to roam pretty freely though in the reverse of what my mother used to do I keep him in at night and he sleeps until around 4am (or dawn). We can’t have a cat-door because racoons will come in through it but there is usually someone puttering around to let him back out, or he waits. He’s such a good boy.
margueritecore [at] gmail [dot] com
I like you over on facebook too; I’m Margot Core there.
We have 2 indoor/outdoor cats who reside very nicely with our chickens. The male cat, in fact, has taken it upon himself to alert us if not all the birds are in the barn when we go out to close it up. He sets up a fuss and usually leads us to the bird(s) who has decided it is too dark to find the barn or who just isn’t ready to go to bed for the night. At first, we didn’t believe the cat was really doing this, but as time has passed and he sets up a fuss only when a bird goes renegade, I must come to the conclusion we have a wonderful and loving herding chicken cat and we give him special treats for his wonderful saves for us all.
We have 6 outside working cats and around 30 chickens. Only twice did we have kittens grow up to go after chickens, so those cats found another home. More than a few of our cats love to sleep inside the chicken house at night, where it is nice and cozy in the laying boxes. If our cats get too close for comfort, our chickens peck at them, which sends the cats away pronto! We do keep our smaller chicks in a separate house to protect them from the cats and bigger chickens. All in all, everyone gets along just fine. We do have to keep the dog away though. When we are not looking, she thinks chickens are toys that are fun to chase.
Victor visits
Our cat is named Victor. He was getting too heavy so my husband
put him on a diet so he could get to a healthier weight. My husband
found Victor sneaking into the chicken house so he could snack on the chicken’s food in between meals. He is not interested in the
chickens – just their food thank you very much. haha
jelawyer@gmail.com
The best way to train a y. cat or dog to stay away from the chicks is to have a goose around. They are Johnny-on-the-spot each time the animal approaches the fowl and a couple of well-aimed pinches give a very quick lesson to stay-away from the poultry. anviallee@earthlink.net
When I was a child, we had a large hen house for our layers. Our farm also had an abundance of cats that kept the rodent population down. At one time, we had 3 nests of kittens. The hens would set upon the kittens and lay in those nests,then Mommy cat would come along to nurse the kittens. It was fun to gather the eggs and know one might reach into the nest and find warm kitties amongst the eggs. We had only one cat that was predatory against the young chicks. She went to another home quickly. anviallee@earthlink.net
i dont have cats, i have 3 min. schnauzers. however, the guinea’s drive my dogs nuts….they are so loud. my neighbor has abt 15 and they wonder all over everyone’s property looking for bugs…i live in the country, so i also have lots of Canadian geese, which i cant stand. my oldest dog will chase them out of the yard…sandyandevie@yahoo.com
We have a barn cat that adopted us several years ago as a stray feral cat. She loves our chickens and has never harmed a one. We see her following the flock at times and trying to rub upon them. Its the chickens that at times will turn and give her a peck on the head. We recently adopted a new dog and I was trying to socialize him with the chickens as they are free range. Well I thought he would be ok with them and let him off leash and turned my back for a split second and he grabbed a hen. The cat came flying at him and attacked the dog in a whirl of dog, chicken and cat. Everyone was ok but she let him know dont mess with her chickens. M.ogden@softhome.net
I have 4 cats. 3 spayed females & 1 oversized lazy neuterd male. All avid rodent hunters except the male. I don’t think he could care less.. I have wondered how they would react to chickens as I would like to keep a small flock. Generally my cats avoid anything larger then a mouse. They are terrified of other cats or anything larger then they are. They seem to tolerate the skunk that resides somewhere on the property. Do to the skunk I know I have to predator proof the chicken coop & run. So the cats should not be a problem. I would love a catnip bird also as Ducky one of my female cats loves catnip toys. She is a white manx and looks like a duck walking away from you. Thank you
Thank you for offering this giveaway! I “Like” your facebook page! My email is graceinapril@gmail.com
There is no way I would be able to have chickens in my backyard – our neighborhood is just chock full of cats! My cat, Shadow, would love to have one of your catnip birds! Thanks.
We have one cat and several dozen chickens. The cat has been known to chase a chicken but when she gets too close, the cats stops almost as if she doesn’t know what she will do if she does catch the chicken. She is scared to death of chicks in a brooder … we think because there are so many and they can be noisy that she might think it’s one big noisy animal rather than small vulnerable individuals. The one time the cat walked into the coop and out into the chicken yard, she panicked and we had to help her escape back outside. melted21@aol.com
Our barn cats, eat sleep and live with the chickens and have had no problem with it but a peep with out a mom is just a baby bird to them and I have had them eat peeps
I had six cats a one point and they all got along with the chickens wonderfully. We had a hammock in a grove of trees at the edge of the lawn and afternoon naps brought the dog, Doberman, the six cats and the 11 chickens plus one rooster all hanging out together. It was really cute… 😉 bmw0574@yahoo.com
We have just one cat. He’s a orange tabby and he just ignores the chickens. He walks by them as if they weren’t there and sometimes a young one will follow him around.
dragonfly4044@hotmail.com
We have four cats and our flock varies in size from 10-20 hens and 1-2 roosters. I would never leave a cat alone with chicks, but once they are a couple of months old, the cats are leary of being pecked. The love seems to flow one way: The hens are fascinated with the cats and try to get close and follow them around, but the cats keep a zone of safety between themselves and the chickens. The cats hang out in the chicken orchard to hunt mice, so the cats and chickens expect to be in each others company on a daily basis…a peaceable kingdom.
Before we brought Stray Cat #1 to live inside permanently (aka Ed) he shared a sizeable backyard with 5 hens.
The only time he lashed out at them was during dinner when the humans would bestow treats and attention upon the birds and his jealous tendencies took over.
If it got too bad, he was removed to the shed for some time out, but it never turned violent.
In fact, when he first appeared on site, it was he who was in danger as the Hen Posse was fast approaching the interloper before we interceded.
(sssstuff at gmail)
I don’t raise chicks but I have 10 cats and they are all scared of the chickens. When I let the chickens out, they scare the cats away from the cat food so they can eat it. I did raise a few chicks back in March and the cats never came near them. In fact, if the chickens don’t make it back to the coop before dark, they sleep in the cat house!
The picture of the cats and chickens looks like it was taken at MY house. Got the cat as a kitten and taught him not to attack the chicks when they were added to the flock. Everyone else was already bigger than him and he has LOTS of squirrels to chase so no problems here.
Woodrwoodg@aol.com
We have an indoor cat who loves to watch the chickens in the backyard through the screen door. We take the cat out on a leash on occasion and she just ignores the chickens. The chickens, however, really want to check the cat out. They come right up to her and follow her around for a bit. As soon as they realize that she has no treats for them, they start to ignore her too.
sarahjurban@gmail.com
I’m cornsilkdreamer@gmail.com
When my cats were kittens, I carried them into the coop and sat and pet them as we watched the chickens go about their business.
My cats and chickens coexist nicely, as a result. Except for when a greedy hen decides to steal a cat’s kill!
The dog is another story!
I was leary of letting Bailey out with our girls, but the interacted fine from Day One. There was a bit of curiosity at first, and Baily like to wander into the chicken run (god only knows why). No issues whatsoever. But I would never let a cat and a chick together – ever. I’m at all4jen@yahoo.com
Congratulations Jen! You’re the winner. – Check your email for more info!
how do you include your email address in a way that is not public?
Boogie came to us as a kitten, about the same time we added some Black Ameruacanas to our flock. Not sure if it was the fact they were the same color, age or just a happy home, but Boogie the black tom cat and his chicken sibblings have always gotten along. They eat snack together, if Boogie’s interested. He also naps in the nest box in the winter. We have since added more chicks and even though they are smaller than he is and free range, he doesn’t bother them. Boogie seems content to just watch them play. 2laurabanks@gmail.com
My cats are fine with the chickens as is my dog. At my house they learn quick that everyone gets along or else!!! It’s the neighborhood cats I’ve caught stalking my chickens.
I have 4 cats and 5 chickens. One of the chickens and all of the cats are indoors. The cats have no interest at all in the chickens, though my neighbors feral cats will watch the chickens from a distance. I do all I can to dissuade the ferals from coming in my yard, so they don’t usually come too close. But I still don’t let the girls free range when I’m not home as I am not sure what they’d do when I wasn’t there. ~ lialleycat at hotmail dot com
We have three cats, and they all pretty much ignore the chickens. Two of our Japanese Chin (Hi Dorrie!) also don’t mess with them. The third one, still a puppy, is being rehomed due to his propensity to “play tag” with chickens and goats. I’m afraid the goats will hurt him. It’s interesting…the chickens put up with him, until someone is in a bad mood. She’ll screech at him and run at him as though she’s on the attack. he retreats awhile, and all is well.
Oh, my Kitty, my Cat (that is her name) was a stray that we rescued several years ago. I would have thought she would be really interested in the ‘birds’ after living outside for so long. But I have now raised probably 6 incubators full in the brooder in the house until they were old enough to go to the garage. She could care less. The first year I put them in the big bathroom thinking they would be ‘safe’ from her…..but other than peaking in from the side she has ignored them. Right now there are 28 in the brooder in the dining room and she could care less as long as she can get to her spot in the window…..where she watches the birds and dreams of her former hunting glory….inside, where she is safe and under AC in the summer and heat in the winter. I’d say she has a good life and she really is a good cat!!
I don’t have any cats ,but I sure would like my dogs (shitzu and Jap Chin) not to act like the chickens are treats ,, they run for the chickens cage and just constantly try to dig and get in. I am afraid to let them get close to each other , I wish it was not that way.
tigger586@msn.com
I am owned by a cat and many chickens! We are very fortunate. Our cat has never once attacked a chicken. She actually ranges with them! I’ve hatched over a hundred chicks and not once has she even attempted to eat one, not even the occasional brooder escapee. We had a budgie that flew around the house occasionally and she never took a bat at him. Our cat Sammy recognizes these other animals as belonging to our family. They are our pets, her brothers and sisters, not her prey. I wish that I could say as much for the birds and squirrels that she occasionally leaves on my welcome mat.
Cyndi Hannahs
channahs @ yahoo dot com
This comment has been removed by the author.
We have a cat who loves to hang out in the yard near the chickens. I think the sounds they make and the scratching they do makes him feel happy and relaxed. I often see him napping by their area. When they are free ranging, they usually leave him alone, but if he gets too close to them, they will stand up straight and flap their wings at him. This scares the cat and makes him run back to the house. =)
I have no doubt that if the chickens were small, the cat would kill them. (he’s quite a hunter) But he will not try to take on a full grown hen. He’s also afraid of our little bantam Cochin hen.
I have an indoor/outdoor cat, as well as 3 indoor/outdoor little dogs, and all 4 of them love our chickens. They chase them around sometimes, but just with the intention of playing. Other than that, they will all just lay outside together while the chickens do their own thing in the yard. Our neighbor across the street also has a little dog that comes over just to say hi, I’ve even caught him out there licking the chickens, and the chickens just standing there like they didn’t even notice the little dog came to see them, lol.
My cat loves hanging out in the run below my portable coop. She uses it to stalk little birds flying in to feed on random scratch on the ground. The chickens and her get along fine unless she startles them trying to catch a bird flying in.
dbuckles@gmail.com
Cats and birds can get along, I have 14 chickens in a tractor, 1 free ranging duck, a classified number of house cats, and 2 feral cats that I look after. I have had this set up for a couple of years and have never had an issue. In fact the duck protects the chickens relentlessly but will allow the feral cat to come to eat everyday but will not let other critters come and eat the cat food. 🙂
We have chickens and a cat. (also a dog and goats) We always keep our baby chicks away from him until they are full grown and can defend themselves. Our cat is an outdoor cat and came home with what looked like a ‘beak-size’ hole on his hind leg. We are not sure if it really came from the chickens or not – maybe defending themselves from our curious cat but ever since then the cat and chickens leave each other alone.
I have 3 outdoor cats and 10 chickens(and 5 goats)in my back yard and love it. Especially since a couple of my cats are avid hunters-I choose to purchase full size chickens-young layers. This was just what I thought was best for us and easiest. The chickens are not in fear of the cats and they are too big to tempt the cats(-: My neighbor cat did totally freak my chickens out once with a late night visit. Now I make sure to lock the chickens in the coop at night, so they can rest in safety.
I will be a new fan of your page in seconds!
daisymaycd@yahoo.com
Charity