I’ve dealt with feral cats eating my chickens in the past, but never to this extent.  It’s usually one maybe two A YEAR and usually by a dog, raccoon, or a skunk; I’ve never lost five chickens in two weeks to cats of all things.  I’ve seen them in the field behind my house a couple times in the past and they’ll breed and have kittens then run around, they’ve probably killed a chicken or two in the past, but usually they aren’t too much of a problem, until now.  Given it’s a little snowy around here so the food isn’t as easy to come by, but their little paw prints decorate the ground around my chicken coop telling me they’ve been hatching this plan for a while.  It wasn’t four days ago when I walked out to fill the water in the coop, that I watched on of the bigger cats crouch outside the door, wait for the hen, and pounce on her as she came outside!

Well I’ll tell you what, until these damned cats are gone, my chickens are staying right inside the coop, and my husband is building a run, one that’s fenced in too!  I won’t stand by and watch these feral cats eat my chickens or my name isn’t Angela.  I’m not only upset about this for the sentimental reasons that you’d be upset about losing a dog or cat, I mean I am of course, but do you know how much eggs cost these days!  If nothing else my chickens save me plenty of money by producing eggs for me.  Now half of them are dead and the other half are too scared to do any laying!  I had to go buy a dozen to make my grandmother a meatloaf just yesterday, and I am not very happy about it.

So, rather than replace the chickens (which I will do sooner or later) and watch these stupid feral cats eat them, I’m going to step up my game.  Not only will I have a fenced in run by next week, but I’m going to call Wildlife Removal, or any other trapping company that will take care of the pesky feline’s (I’d try the Human Society but they’d just be excited the cats were alive!).  Maybe I’ll even buy that Chocolate Lab pup my husband has been eyeing for a good six months.  Whatever happens it’ll be soon and it’ll be effective.  I’m not going to just watch the feral cats eat my chickens, I’m going to do something about it.