Is a weasle a danger to a cat?

Maybe this sounds like a stupid question to some of you, but I know little about weasles, except that they kill chickens. My next door neighbor told me last night that they now have a weasle living in their woodpile. And where there is one, I imagine there could be a family.

I usually let my cats outside daytime. They run around a bit, then Red Cat usually comes back in, but Purdy often spends much of the day sleeping on my porch. Do you think a weasle might get him when he's sleeping? Or would a weasle see a cat as a predator and not even approach him?

Yes, I would say your cats are in danger. I have seen a weasel attack a porcupine- so I really don't think that a cat would be much of a challenge for the weasel. If you decide to continue to let your cats out, know of the dangers of the animals outside that you are exposing them to. Just stay informed and make the best possible decision for them.

Thanks for the information, Hissy. Isn't it crazy, I've continued to let my cats go out for a year or two after seeing a coyote in the area and having the neighbor tell me he saw one go right through my yard. But now I'm scared to death to let them out because of a little weasle. There is a big difference, though. The coyotes most likely live about two or three miles from here on a game refuge, and though they might be out occasionally in the daytime, the big danger is from dusk to dawn and I keep my cats in then. But that little weasle lives right next door! And he is apparently so bold that he ran out about ten feet into the driveway several times while a group of six people were standing and talking right there in the driveway!

Man, I hate having to make my freedom-loving cats into indoor only! They all grew up outside, so are bored stiff inside. But it is a risk-benefit decision, and I think the balance has tipped toward the risk!

It's difficult to say. We have martens (weasel "cousins"), and I was shocked one morning to find that little ZsaZsa, all of six lbs., had managed to kill one almost twice her size (Boy, was she proud of herself - she dragged and strutted simultaneously). Weasels are very fast and have extremely sharp teeth, so, yes, they're a potential threat, but the cat's hunting/fighting skills definitely would play a role. I don't think cats would be a weasel's idea of "prey", but they do compete for food.

Originally Posted by twofatcats

Man, I hate having to make my freedom-loving cats into indoor only! They all grew up outside, so are bored stiff inside. But it is a risk-benefit decision, and I think the balance has tipped toward the risk!

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That would be hard but it can be done. All my cats are indoor only. I adopted Tango who lived on the streets fora while before I rescued him. He seems fine being inside. He hasn't tried to get out very hard so far and I have had him for about 8 months so far. I make sure to have plenty of toys, cat condos, windows to amuse the cats with.

Other options you might want to consider is put the cats on leashes and take them out for a while so this way they still get to be outside but you are there to supervise.

Another option is to make an outside enclosure where the cats CAN be outside but be protected by fences, etc from dangerous elements. Hissy had a great enclosure built- you may want to check that out. There's a thread in the feral section I believe with pics of that. You can also order an enclosure and I heard it's real easy to set up and can be moved. Here's the link if u're interested.
http://www.purrfectfence.com/outdoor_cat_enclosures.asp

Why don't you build an enclosure so that they can go outside, and still be safe.

I forgot to mention this - martens are known to destroy the wiring in cars, and one tip that is always given is to attach little bags filled with cat hair to the underside of your car. That would suggest that martens/weasels/ferrets, etc., tend to avoid cats.

Originally Posted by Pamela

That would be hard but it can be done. All my cats are indoor only. I adopted Tango who lived on the streets fora while before I rescued him. He seems fine being inside. He hasn't tried to get out very hard so far and I have had him for about 8 months so far. I make sure to have plenty of toys, cat condos, windows to amuse the cats with.

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There is a difference here, though. Purdy and Red Cat are both about nine years old! They were outdoor only before I got them and have been indoor/outdoor since. Sheba, though younger, came from a large outdoor colony. Judging by the area she came from, I'd guess that she might have been indoor/outdoor before the 94 year old lady went to a nursing home, leaving all the cats to fend for themselves. So becoming indoor only is a major change for them. They all try very hard to get out and make a general pest of themselves pleading. (And Red Cat has a BIG voice and drives me bananas when he does this.)

Sheba does at least find interest in all the toys, but Purdy and Red Cat aren't much interested. Nor do they play much with each other. So they aren't getting much exercise when they are inside. (I've kept them inside several weeks at a time before when I'd been spraying weed killer and needed to wait until it was safe to let them back out or when they were ill and needed to be medicated.)

Other options you might want to consider is put the cats on leashes and take them out for a while so this way they still get to be outside but you are there to supervise.

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I think this may be what I'll have to do. Actually, I even bought a halter for Sheba a couple of weeks ago, since I've been restricting her because of her bird-killing skill. Unfortunately, I've had so many other things on my mind that I haven't even got it out of the package yet.

Another option is to make an outside enclosure where the cats CAN be outside but be protected by fences, etc from dangerous elements. Hissy had a great enclosure built- you may want to check that out. There's a thread in the feral section I believe with pics of that. You can also order an enclosure and I heard it's real easy to set up and can be moved. Here's the link if u're interested.
http://www.purrfectfence.com/outdoor_cat_enclosures.asp

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One of these days I just may move and consider something like that. Where I am now with professionally designed landscaping in an upscale neighborhood, something like that wouldn't fit in. And now that I'm alone living on social security and a small pension, I'm lucky to still be able to live here, let alone add an upscale gazebo or other structure that would fit in for the cats. Wish I'd done that when we landscaped. With the way view property prices have skyrocketed here lately, maybe I should be thinking about selling out and moving.

From experience..
A weasel doesn't care one whit about enclosures, they won't keep them out, only slow them slightly.
They are excellent climbers, excellent swimmers and excellent diggers, and if they can get their nose through it, the rest of the weasel will fit too.
If they can't fit their nose in, they'll chew through.

Originally Posted by jcat

I forgot to mention this - martens are known to destroy the wiring in cars, and one tip that is always given is to attach little bags filled with cat hair to the underside of your car. That would suggest that martens/weasels/ferrets, etc., tend to avoid cats.

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Well, I don't know about weasles getting into the car I have sitting outside. But I just caught another mouse in the engine compartment a week ago. A few days before, my garage mechanic had found one had not only been there and left a mess, but had chewed through the wiring to one of my tail lights. It might not be a bad idea to put some bags of cat hair there until I get that car sold. Thanks for that idea!

Originally Posted by twofatcats

Well, I don't know about weasles getting into the car I have sitting outside. But I just caught another mouse in the engine compartment a week ago. A few days before, my garage mechanic had found one had not only been there and left a mess, but had chewed through the wiring to one of my tail lights. It might not be a bad idea to put some bags of cat hair there until I get that car sold. Thanks for that idea!

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They seem to prefer certain makes. We've always had VWs here, and have never had a problem. Our next-door neighbors have four Toyotas, and a constant problem with martens, and Renaults are apparently also very attractive.
Mice and co. can be a real problem with wires. We've had our front yard dug up three times in the past decade, because shrews managed to chew the telephone line.