My hens are all getting on very well on the patio. I enjoy being able to see them out of the french windows. I can keep an eye on what is going on. Butch (my ex-stray) potters around with me as I tend the hens, and they take no notice of him at all. Periodically a large grey Bengal Tiger comes around, rippling muscles and a predatory stare, and all the hens go beserk! They clearly recognise this cat as a danger.
A few days ago, the hens started squawking and Butch immediately became alert and ran over to the window where he growled at the grey cat who was stalking the chickens. Nothing more happened.
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| Lulu watching from the door of the cube |
Today I heard loud howling and looked out of the window to find Butch standing between predator cat and the large eglu cube. All the hens were hiding inside the cube - the little sabelpoots were in their eglu run huddled together keeping very quiet. Lulu, my bantam silkie, was peeking nervously out of the cube door. There was a clash and butch and grey cat fought (much white Butch fur flew) then they parted and butch stood his ground. I took the two photos as the grey cat stalked away. It looked for all the world as though Butch was defending the chickens. Do cats do that?
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| Grey cat slinking away |
The hens seemed very grateful, and eventually came down and started pottering about their business.
I have just met a neighbour from four doors down at the vet. Her cat is being terrorised by the bengal! The cat is three years old and has had 20 courses of antibiotics as a result of attacks from the grey bengal. The bengal seems to flip the little cat over and savages her. Worse than that, the neighbour had a little kitten. After her innoculations, she took her outside for her first outing. The phone rang so she popped inside to get the cordless phone and her little kitten wandered out of sight around the corner of the building. The neighbour ran back outside, but by the time she got to her kitten, the bengal had attacked it and disemboweled it - all its intestines were hanging out and it died. I hadn't realised how dangerous bengal tigers were! Butch is getting the odd scratch, but seems to be holding his own. I'm very impressed - but a little concerned that such a dangerous animal is allowed to prowl. My neighbour has been in touch with the owner and asked him if he could keep the cat in for 4 hours in the morning so that her cat could go out in the garden. He said the cat more or less lived outside apart from coming in once in the morning for food. If kept indoors the cat would yowl so loudly they couldn't stand it. The cat was inside when they were talking on the phone and my neighbour could hear how noisy he was. Quite a problem.
ReplyDeleteA couple of months ago a 'lost cat' notice was posted through my door. The photo looked exactly like the grey cat. I'd noticed that Butch (who was getting more and more stressed by the cat and licking himself bald around the tail and belly) had stopped over-grooming and was starting to look all nice again. I phoned the lady who explained that she had been on holiday and her cat had escaped when the pet sitter opened the door to feed him. I felt very sorry for her, but very much relieved that my chickens are much safer and Butch is no longer stressed. He is now (21st December) a happy and sleek cat again. Clearly the grey cat is gone for good
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