Middle NZ: The cat's among the chickens

A roaming cat has meant the chickens are locked in at night. Photo / NZME

OPINION:
The cat is well and truly among the pigeons. The debate still raging on.

It started with a cat among Mr Neat's chickens. He spotted it out the window, went out to have a look and was convinced it was a wild cat.

So the debate started about what to do about the cat.

We don't know for sure if it's wild. We have seen cat poo on the property, but it's the first time we have seen a cat.

We all know what will happen if the cat comes back. We have bantams, they won't have a show of getting away, the bigger hens will be fine and I'd like to think that they would help the bantams out but judging by feed time I don't think that's going to happen.
It every hen for herself.

So what to do? Try a trap and take it to the SPCA? What if it belongs to one of the neighbours?

I have nothing against cats. We had our beautiful Pixie cat for 16 years. However, I really don't want to come home and find dead hens.

So far the cat has not been sighted since, but in saying that, we are not home 24 hours of the day.

Mr Neat decided that the most danger was at night, when the girls were roosting.

So now we have a new evening routine. It goes like this:

Mr Neat standing at the door (which has glass in it so he can see his chickens): They are not all in yet.

Linda Hall is assistant editor at Hawke's Bay Today.

A few minutes later.

Mr Neat: Will you get inside Cinderella. Oh I think they are in all.

Hand on the door ready to dash out and lock them in their coops for the night.

Mr Neat: Damn it. Scooby-Doo has come outside again.

Scooby-Doo is so named as we thought she was a he and when she was little and she kept disappearing — Scooby-Doo where are you?

Now Scooby-Doo has discovered she can fly up onto the fence. Time for a wee wing clip.
I digress.

Mr Neat is still standing at the door.

Mr Neat: Right at last they are all in.

Off he goes to shut the doors so his girls are safe and sound for the night.

We never used to lock them in, but better safe than sorry.

Hawke's Bay Today has had a few stories recently about roaming dogs attacking people and other animals.

Feral roaming cats also do a lot of damage to our native and non-native species.

Problem is, I'm not willing to take the risk of trapping this cat because it could well be someone's pet.

There's a hose by the chicken paddock, maybe that might do the trick.

In the meantime, Mr Neat will continue to make sure nothing gets into his hen houses.

Linda Hall is Hawke's Bay Today's assistant editor.