Strepsy Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 For some reason my ginger cat is still really scaring my new arrivals. He can't so much as sit at the back door without them getting flappy and clucking loudly, whereas they don't even bother acknowledging my black and white cat when he walks past. Do you think it's because he's ginger so possibly looks more like a fox? Or can they just tell that my black and white's a big softy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tessa the Duchess Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 For some reason my ginger cat is still really scaring my new arrivals. He can't so much as sit at the back door without them getting flappy and clucking loudly, whereas they don't even bother acknowledging my black and white cat when he walks past. Do you think it's because he's ginger so possibly looks more like a fox? Or can they just tell that my black and white's a big softy? It's weird you should bring this up. My next door neighbour has 2 huge cats, one is ginger the other black and white. My girls totally ignore the ginger cat, but bok bok like mad when the black and white one appears. I don't know if chickens can see colours, but maybe it is a threatening vibe thing rather than a colour thing? Tessa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janty Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 My cat used to stalk the chickens in the garden and we were quite worried about the bantams for a while. However, on one occasion, my two brahmas caught the cat by his side and he avoids them like the plague now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strepsy Posted March 23, 2008 Author Share Posted March 23, 2008 Ah, that's interesting. 'Threatening vibe' , that's a good way to put it. Paro my ginger is definitely the hunter, Mally's never been bothered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janty Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 Sausage is definitely a hunter ... but not of chickens anymore. Get a brahma or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 We have a Burberry jacket wearing cat come to visit my girls on a daily basis. The don't even look up now, but they used to Bok Bok alarmingly when he first visited. He couldn't threaten to blink he is so daft, so maybe it is to do with vibes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyren Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 We have a Burberry jacket wearing cat come to visit my girls on a daily basis. Chav cat? Chickens have good colour vision, so they will easily be able to tell ginger cats from black and white or tabby ones. It's probably all in the body language, though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 We have a Burberry jacket wearing cat come to visit my girls on a daily basis. Chav cat? Chickens have good colour vision, so they will easily be able to tell ginger cats from black and white or tabby ones. It's probably all in the body language, though... Here he is listening for the bees in the lavender in my front garden. You couldn't be frightened by his body language could you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAJ Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 We have two cats one ignores the chickens and they ignore him. The other cat pounced on the run on day two and for the first week the chickens only needed to see him in the garden to all be making a lot of noise - now they just ignore him. Just give them time to get use to each other. Tracy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moomin Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 We have a Burberry jacket wearing cat come to visit my girls on a daily basis. I couldn't quite visualise this for a moment Egluntine - thanks for posting this pic though - 'cos now I can!! Whatever are they thinking? (Sorry if any of you guys stick their poor cat in one of these!!?? ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 We have a Burberry jacket wearing cat come to visit my girls on a daily basis. I couldn't quite visualise this for a moment Egluntine - thanks for posting this pic though - 'cos now I can!! Whatever are they thinking? (Sorry if any of you guys stick their poor cat in one of these!!?? ) I had a nosey under it once, and he has a sizeable scar on his shoulder, so I suppose it is for protection. He does his best to get out of them though, and has left two behind in my garden. Maybe he finds them embarrassing! I've no idea where he lives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moomin Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 ooohh feel bad now Poor old cat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 oh bless, is he still visiting you Egluntine? That first pic (on your original thread about him) made me laugh so much - poor old fella, I bet he hates it. I bet his owners are fed up with him coming back without his coat! Back to the thread ... I think it's a case of getting used to the cat, mine used to kick up a fuss and now they are not bothered. This is possibly because there was one stand-off (Chickens 1, Cat 0) and he's now terrified of coming across them free-ranging! Chickens can see colour, but I think it's more likely to be connected to the way they perceive him moving/behaving. If he visits the Eglu regularly they will get used to him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KateP Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 My girls seem to be scared of tabby cats. They don't bother about any other cats in the garden (and we have lots of them round here), but as soon as a tabby goes near them they go mad! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 Talking of cats and Chickens, has anybody ever lost a chicken to a cat? or visa versa!!! (sorry that made me lol!) I have two hunters and I'm intending to let the girls roam around the garden but obviously wouldn't consider if they were in any danger. That poor Burberry cat. what a riot! wonder what the husband has to wear! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susanbb Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 Bob our ginger tom is terrified of our chooks. If they are out in the garden he goes to the kitchen window which is at the front of the house to avoid walking by the chooks and a "peckfest" ensuing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinkybijou Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 Our Dora only ever bok bokked at our male tabby. He's daft as a brush but is a big fat thing so perhaps looks more menacing. As for the (now deceased) black and white moggy they weren't bothered by her at all and didn't even raise a feathery eyebrow when she wandered by. I took a fabulous video of Dora furiously bok bokking last week. I went out with my camera video on to see what the problem was and it was our poor tabby trapped in the shed, his little head poking out of the cat flap. Every time he tried to step out of the cat flap she bokked even more. He's a skittish thing and stayed in there all day in the end! I haven't worked out how to reduce the size of the vid so I can put it in the gallery, or how to put a pic here, but here's a link to a pic of our poor trapped moggy! http://club.omlet.co.uk/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=25340 Kris Doris, Welsummer Dora, Wyandotte Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyren Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 I don't recall hearing of anyone losing a chicken to a cat - or vice versa. Chicks would no doubt be vulnerable, or even small bantams if there were no larger chickens around, but adults - not very likely. Predators aren't stupid - they usually don't attack prey animals that are big enough and strong enough to injure them, unless they are starving (which pet cats normally aren't). On the cat side, only very young kittens would be small enough for a chicken to want to attack, and they are not normally let outside at that age. I think the hens would have to attack en masse in order to have any chance of hurting an adult cat - and thankfully chickens are not velociraptors! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strepsy Posted March 24, 2008 Author Share Posted March 24, 2008 Thanks for all your replies everyone, very interesting reading, and piccies! I do feel slightly sorry for the cats, they love being in the garden with me and follow me round whenever I'm out there but now they've been usurped by my feathery followers. Unless I'm in the front garden Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moomin Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 My husband thinks our 12 year old Burmese moggy might have a heart attack when he sees our new chickens! Their Eglu will be right outside the conservatory where he lives each day when we are at work. He is frightened of normal sized birds let alone great big chickens!! He has a lot of space between his ears and not much else unfortunately. Now I am worried - I even dreamt about him having a heart attack last night!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharonX Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 It's interesting reading how everyones chickens react to different cats. I have 3, a British Blue, British Lilac pointed & a grey tabby moggy. The latter 2 have no interest in the chickens what so ever which surprised me as they both hunt, but my Blue gets chased round the garden with his ears pinned back if he even so much as looks in there direction, which is strange because he couldn't even catch a fly if he tried & he's tiny. I wonder why they don't like him, very strange! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckov Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 PMSL at the Burberry cat Ginger and Nutmeg are scared stiff of our neighbourhood cats. I went out in the garden to find them cowering in a corner, being herded up by next door but one's little black cat, who (TBH) I think was just very interested and has probably never seen chickens before, and fancied a bit of a play. I am guessing that they are not quite fully grown though so are probably a bit more intimidated than a larger chuck. I am worried tho' that the girls won't lay, because there's a predator on the prowl - has anyone any experience of this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joojoo Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 My lovely big ginger boy "Parsley", is definitely the hunter out of my clan BUT he is the least interested in the girls out of all the cats. I've never seen him so much as glance in their direction, he just walks straight past the run looking the other way - unless this is a ploy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 My chickens went on laying even after I'd observed fox-prints on top of the Eglu, and then seen the little ginger beggar tugging at the plastic shower curtain on the run! There was a lot of bok-bokking, naturally, but it didn't put them off. All chickens are different, but if it did upset them they'll soon get over it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...