[Mel]

 I say the Neighbours Feral cat as it is wild,spits at you when you walk past it,I caught it two days ago trying to run off with one of my call ducks,and just in time! Now another duck-runner- has gone missing without any trace whatsoever. The cat was attacking my hens throughout the winter-and no it is not playing as has them by the neck and tried to drag them away.

The entire paddock is fenced off,the bottom pen is barb wired,the fences are over 6ft in height,the pond has another fence around it as is in the allotment area,to the left is pig wire,this is where the cat tried to pull my Angel through-Call duck.

I have beent old the neighbours used to have a dog and did not look after it,this horrid cat is really big,I caught it in my kitchen last summer and it spat fire at me,jumped past me whilst screaming...kind of scary I must say...

Any advice would be so appreciated!

[hughesy]

I would discreetly shoot it. Not ideal I know but how many birds do you want it to take?

[doganjo]

Have you spoken to your neighbours or are they hostile?

[Fleecewife]

The best weapon against a cat is a large water pistol such as those Super Soakers that were all the rage amongst kids a few years back.  They hate it and if you took time to lie in wait and soak it a few times it would probably stay away.  I say probably.  Sounds as if it isn't the cats fault but it's being left to feed itself. Sounds like Greebo in the Terry Pratchett books  .  My father used to shoot the farm cats when their numbers got too high and that has never sat well with me.  We did have a beautiful toffee coloured Tom which was my Mum's favourite, but he used to sit on top of the brooders and whenever a chick popped it's head out to feed, he would have it - just the head !!  Eventually the vet was called and he was put down as Mum tried everything else, but she was heartbroken.
Have you looked for signs of where it's getting in, such as a trodden path in the grass leading to a hole or even an easy place to climb over?  Are you sure both deaths were the cat and not a fox?
In law a cat is vermin so you probably have the right to shoot it, and the owner is not obliged to keep it under control, unlike with dogs.

[sam.t]

I would discreetly shoot it. Not ideal I know but how many birds do you want it to take?

i thought that but didnt like to say lol
sam

[Mel]

Have you spoken to your neighbours or are they hostile?

Yes I have but they are just disinterested and say it is what cats do!

[Mel]

I would discreetly shoot it. Not ideal I know but how many birds do you want it to take?

i thought that but didnt like to say lol
sam

Hi,I have pointed the jet wash at it before and still it comes back,trouble is we have an acre out the back and is a bit of a wilderness behind the wire fencing,they jump up into the tree's and on to the sheds,they always find a way in-actually the neighbours have two cats,both are really big and horrid.

I am not saying I do not like cats,I had one of 14 years of age until he passed away 18 months ago-but these really do act like feral's,really vicious.I saw one earlier today sitting upon our fence which is in between us and the neighbours whom own them,it just sat there some 30 feet away and spat at me when I came out of the back door,when I walked passed it growled like something out of a horror movie,I am not kidding,another of our neighbours calls the black one Satan!

[hughesy]

I would tell the owners that if it gets near your birds again you'll have to shoot it. Then if they make no effort to keep it away do it. Or if you don't feel up to it I'm sure there'll be someone local with an air rifle that'll do it for you.

[CameronS]

just incase anyone wondered if you can actully shoot feral cats, i did a wee google an found this

There is nothing to stop you shooting a feral cat provided you are absolutely certain it is feral.

http://www.shootinguk.co.uk/qa/452145/Am_I_allowed_to_shoot_feral_cats.html

http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/index.php?/topic/86261-shooting-feral-cats/

both these sites say you can shoot feral cats

[spikey_fridge]

orange peel round the borders i've heard. not sure how true or good this is. probably an urban myth

[doganjo]

That might work. Cats and dogs don't like oranges, and cats don't usually like water, so I'm surprised the water cannon didn't work.  Do you have a dog that could be left roaming?  Maybe train it to chase cats if it doesn't already.  Mine would - they are controlled by Rio my own cat  but any other is fair game if it trespasses onto our patch.

[Izzy]

Surely if the cat belongs to your neighbour it is not feral? Someone in my village took an airgun to a number of cats. The owners' took it to the police who put a fair amount of effort into an investigation but nothing came of it. Shooting wildlife (swans etc) with an airgun is an offence so I'm pretty sure shooting someone's pet is too. If you hold a shotgun licence for pest control then a neighbour's cat wouldn't be covered I suspect. By the way I'm not a fan of cats but I think some of the advice here is a bit unwise.

[Mel]

Surely if the cat belongs to your neighbour it is not feral? Someone in my village took an airgun to a number of cats. The owners' took it to the police who put a fair amount of effort into an investigation but nothing came of it. Shooting wildlife (swans etc) with an airgun is an offence so I'm pretty sure shooting someone's pet is too. If you hold a shotgun licence for pest control then a neighbour's cat wouldn't be covered I suspect. By the way I'm not a fan of cats but I think some of the advice here is a bit unwise.

That is correct,I did say "Neighbours Feral cat as it is wild" They arrived home with it one day,it never goes in their house,they feed it at the back door~Sometimes,I have only seen it maybe 3 times in their garden since they got it,but see it more around the outskirts of the paddock and fields in the village.So Unfortunately it cannot be shot as they may try to take it further saying it was their domestic cat-Domestic cats do not act like feral's however we may be liable.This is our problem!..in the ditch on our left you can see remains of Pigeons and Doves virtually every day,this is that cat's work,it always has some form of wildlife in it's mouth.....I have been offered a suggestion from a friend whom is a game keeper-he said he would bring his fox traps-and take it away-let it out many many miles away!~seems like an idea...but again,we may have the neighbours pointing fingers!

[hoggsbreath]

if an animal feral or not is repeatedly taking livestock then im pretty sure you can shoot it.especially if you put it on the road outside your house and run over the no good murderous little git a few times.then its road kill.just a bit of bad fortune.

[robert waddell]

well if the lead did not get it the tyres did