Is it Possible For Cats and Chickens to Live Together?

Yes! Cats and chickens can live together. It is quite rare for a cat to prey on and kills an adult chicken. Cats will see them as difficult preys because of a chicken’s beak and talons. No cat would want a dinner that hurts.

A Cat’s Nature

We all know that cats are carnivores. What are carnivores? It means that cats love meat! It is definitely a part of their diet. A question is now probably lingering in your head: can cats eat raw chicken? To answer that question – yes, they can! Their stomach juices can easily handle and break down a raw diet. 

Now, what does that mean for chickens? Well, it does not automatically mean that chickens, despite being under the delicious meat classification and a classic cat favorite, will be an automatic food choice for cats! Especially the big, adult-sized live chickens.

Cats Know Best

Remember that cats, albeit hunters and carnivores are smart and cunning. They are able to assess well which prey is most suitable for consumption. Meaning, they know that adult chickens will be a struggle to eat and therefore not very much appealing to them. They usually choose preys that are smaller than them, like smaller birds, rodents, and others. 

Good Manners and Right Conduct – For Cats!

They can live harmoniously perhaps, especially if your cat happens to be one of the friendliest cat breeds there are! Or, if you are able to train your cat to act nicely around other animals. Here is to hoping the friendliest cat breeds won’t kill chickens. The key is you also have to teach your cat how to behave well around other creatures.

Domestic Versus Feral

Now that we know that cats and chickens can live together, we have to further assess what type of coat we are talking about. Remember that cats that we have been talking about in the previous paragraphs are cats that live in our own homes. They are the domestic cats that we know full well.

What about cats that we do not know? Those feral cats that are stray and we do not have any control over? Well, they are the ones that could become a problem. That is to say of course, that not all feral cats will attack and kill chickens. It is just good to take note and be cautious with these cats.

Feral cats live in the open and may not have a steady source of food, unlike domestic cats. So a chicken can sometimes be appealing to them.

How To Keep Cats Away From Chickens

Chickens do not come out of an egg as big adult chickens, that cats would want nothing to do with. Perhaps, your concern will be about little chicks and sometimes even bantams – these are definitely smaller than the adult chickens. And these might become appealing to cats especially the tiny chicks. These smaller chickens are extremely vulnerable, as they have not yet fully developed the same characteristics adult chickens have.

Coop Up To Cope Up!

In order to address this matter well, perhaps what you could do to keep your cats from getting rough with the little ones is to establish your little chicks’ space. Coop them up well in a secured area where your cat may have little to no access. If a separate area is not entirely possible, keep the chickens in a cage where they will be safe from a prying cat’s paw.

Usually, your cat would just want to play with these tiny chicks, but it could probably mean injury for the small chicks. So better be safe than sorry!