My cat is showing bad behavior now!

meminikitty

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I have 3 basset hounds, 2 cats, and 3 hens currently out in the yard. My cats and dogs usually never bother the chickens and all of a sudden, today, I see one of my tabby cats running full speed at one of the hens. I raced outside (luckily my hen flew up to the top of a tree branch) and my cat hid, waiting for her to come down. Very shocked, I took down my hen, who was so freaked out that she could barely move, and after reviving her, I went inside to watch my cat closely from the window. A few minutes later, BOOM. My cat was after another hen. I raced back outside, scuffed my cat, and shook her, yelling NO. Later, she tried AGAIN. I checked to see if she had food, added a bit more, but she didn't want it. I am still keeping a close watch, but why is she suddenly doing this and how can I make her stop? The hens are a huge part of our family, and they have free run of the yard. I will not get rid of them. But my cat NEEDS to stop. I am considering spraying her whenever she does this. For now I have to keep a very close eye on her.
 

strange_wings

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Is she after the other hens? Maybe one of the hens did something and she's not viewing the chickens as prey but instead how she would another cat in her territory that she doesn't like.

You really only have two choices, contain the chickens or contain the cat. If your kitty is indoor/outdoor you could make her fully indoor. If outdoor you could make her an enclosure. Or if you want to keep her indoor/outdoor you could make an enclosure around the house with a door from the house or a window opening into for the cats to come and go.

I don't know where you are, but if coyotes are a possibility that would make it safer for your kitties, too.
 

babz

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Spraying her with water each time she goes near them might change the cats habits, but it's also in their nature so I'm afraid it would only be temporary. If you can't keep her indoors how about a collar with lots of bells on it? Do the hens have plenty of places to escape to? I don't know anything about hens, but maybe they can learn that the sound of bells is danger and time to look around and escape to the closest place? Just a thought. Good luck!
 
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meminikitty

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She does have several bells on her collar. The thing is, she doesn't give the hens much warning. Here's what she does: she casually walks towards the hens as they eat. They ignore her and continue eating. Then, without warning, she pounces at them and chases them around the yard. My hens do have plenty of places to escape to, but I'm worried that one day, they won't be able to get away as fast. I really don't like the idea of enclosing my hens, or my cat...
but I might have to. She's stopped for now. It was cute because when she was chasing my hen about half an hour ago, my basset hound ran after her and knocked her down. (my basset took care of the hens since they were baby chicks, so she is like their mother). It was pretty cute, but she just happened to be close by.

I'm wondering if shaking my cat was good or bad. When she did it earlier, I picked her up, shook her twice, and put her down. My brother said that was wrong.. and it's her nature, but I know she knows better. My other cats would never think about going after the hens, they know they are valued members of the family and are not to be possible prey. I have no idea why my cat chased them... she's never really territorial but I guess that could be an option... I am just so confused.

Thanks for the replies!

Any ideas why she would casually walk to the hens and then suddenly pounce WITHOUT any warning? And no, she's not playing. She's dead serious about getting them, that's what makes it so scary. Sometimes my animals will chase the hens playfully (and the hens won't mind) but she is super fast and my hens scream.
 

strange_wings

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Hm, that doesn't really sound like hunting but anything is possible. The problem is that you and your dog will not always be there to stop her.

Use google to look up DIY cat enclosures. If you're creative and have time (and help) it's not too difficult to come up with something that will work.
 

allmycats

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She's hunting. What you describe is stalking. All cats do this. You'll see dogs do it too. Yes, it is perfectly normal cat behavior, part of her nature. Shaking her won't do anything except cause her to fear you, and possibly hurt her. Confining the hens to a coop would not be cruel if that's what you're thinking. Nor would a kitty enclosure be. Good luck.
 

cheddi

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put the hens in a coop with a screened yard. You'll never change a cat's hunting behavior. The hens will mind being fenced in far less than your cat would. I don't have chickens, but my grandmother raised chickens & cats together (her cats kept the rodents out of the grain, so nobody would ever have thought of trying to inhibit their hunting habits!) that way forever.
 

calico2222

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Please, do not shake your cat. Would you shake a baby? They are about the same size and the damage to the brain could be the same.

It sounds like you cat is just hunting. Cats do that. How old is the cat? If it is still young that could be part of the problem. To young cats, it's a game and I really doubt if he is young that his intention is to kill. It's more of a "hey, look what I caught" kind of thing. An older cat that is hunting....you may have a problem with. If they are eating enough inside and aren't hungry they shouldn't be doing this, except for fun.

Bottom line is, cats chase birds if they are outside. I actuall6y don't blame them sometimes. My MIL (lives up the road) got some gennie hens. They came down EVERY DAY when I fed the barn cats and ate all their food. They almost attacked me one day because I was trying to keep them away from their breakfast. Sadly, they all went missing and now the kitties can eat in peace.
 

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Chickens do not mind being cooped. Fence off part of the yard for them that the cats cannot break down or into.

The prey instinct is an inherent part of a cat's nature, plain and simple. Your cat is doing nothing wrong. Your cat is doing something you don't want - VERY different. !!!!!
 

julie25

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I agree with the other person. Separate the cat from the chickens. In her eyes, she's just playing, like a little child. She doesn't understand what she's doing wrong.

I have had cats all of my life and have never sprayed one. I would no more do that to an animal than I would to a baby. It's cruel. Like children, animals respond far more quickly to reward than to punishment.

Would you put an ice cream on a counter and then spray a child who tried to eat it? That's kind of what you're doing when you have the hen and cat in the yard together.

Remember, it's not the cat who's behaving unnaturally here. Cats were put on the earth by mother nature to do exactly what your cat is doing. It's you who are trying to train your cat to be "unnatural" and behave like a human and it's not fair for an intellectual clever being to expect such behaviour from a simple cat.
 
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meminikitty

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I do feel bad for shaking my cat but I don't like the idea of putting my hens in a coop. I would like to somehow train my cat that the hens are off-limits, whether natural or not. My dogs are trained and my other cats are trained. This cat is just taking longer to learn (she's 2 years old). I cannot have her going after the hens or I'll just have to give her away. Is there anyway to train her not to go after the hens, kind of like how you'd train a cat not to climb on the couch and such?
 

strange_wings

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Originally Posted by meminikitty

Is there anyway to train her not to go after the hens, kind of like how you'd train a cat not to climb on the couch and such?
If your hens were an unmoving piece of furniture, maybe. But seeing as they're a living and moving animals, it'll be pretty difficult. I honestly think she's trying to chase off/play more than hunt the chickens, but the end result could still be the hens getting hurt. Really the only way for her to learn to leave chickens alone would probably be for her to have an encounter with an angry chicken that would fight back (I certainly learned never to go anywhere near a hen with chicks!) - but that's not likely to happen.

Pen the chickens or pen the cat up. That's you're only solution here.
Cats are animals that really aren't that easily trained - they can learn some things but ultimately their minds work much differently. They don't really have the ability to think things through before acting.
 

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Originally Posted by strange_wings

Pen the chickens or pen the cat up. That's you're only solution here.
Cats are animals that really aren't that easily trained


Ok you may not want to pen your chickens up but really theres no other answer, because trying to get a cat not to do whats natural to them i.e. hunt is like asking a baby not to cry.
 
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meminikitty

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I would understand if she's done this since I've had her but she's never done this before. In fact, her and the hens always got along (the hens would run to her whenever she came by, and now they're scared of her). She would even groom them. Now, I don't think it's play. I noticed that she chased one of the hens today and then began to run against the fence and trees. Territorial? And why all of a sudden? There is a small possibility she MIGHT be pregnant but I doubt that would cause any of this.
 
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meminikitty

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Sorry for the confusion. This is not Minnie OR Tanya, this is my other cat. She's never been spayed and hasn't gotten pregnant yet. I have 4 tabbies total now:

Minnie (spayed) 5 months old
Bella (not spayed) 2 years old
Laney (spayed) 2 years old
Cayla (spayed) 2 years old

and Tanya, who I found as a pregnant spay (3-4 years old and spayed)

Once more, sorry about the confusion.

Anyways, I was wondering if the fact that Bella COULD be newly pregnant would cause her to be territorial? Or some other reason?
 

strange_wings

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Originally Posted by meminikitty

Anyways, I was wondering if the fact that Bella COULD be newly pregnant would cause her to be territorial? Or some other reason?
It sure could. Pregnant kitties can change behaviors a lot. Some will even go from stanoff-ish/not really liking pettings at all to being cuddly. Cats are very driven by their instincts and what their bodies tell them to do.
The only worry is that this will become a habit with her that may not go away later after spaying.

If she is newly pregnant you still have time to get her spay, if you're not against aborting kittens..
 

strange_wings

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Originally Posted by meminikitty

So because she MIGHT be pregnant, she would change her personality against the hens? That actually happens?
Any change in an animals health status can cause a behavioral change. That's why whenever someone posts on here about kitties peeing where they shouldn't or suddenly getting aggressive everyone suggests the cat get to the vet ASAP.


Just part of the wonderful experience of living with animals that can't actually tell you when something is wrong.
 
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