Cats and coons and foxes.

Started by farmboy, January 18, 2017, 10:15:42 AM

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farmboy

The cat numbers have all but disappeared on the farm. I had around fifteen cats this summer and I am down to one. I let her into the house normally they are barn cats but she needs protection. Anyhow my question is this do racoons eat cats? I think I may have some in the yard. Do foxes eat cats? Could either one even catch a cat?

gitano

Foxes eat cats. 'Coons don't.

Paul
Be nicer than necessary.

farmboy

Interesting thank-you I would have thought the other way around. I should go get my predator caller and see if I can get the fox I saw at harvest time.

gitano

I'm sure 'coons have taken more than one cat, but cats are mostly too fast for 'coons. While 'coons are certainly 'bad', AND they're certainly big enough to take a cat, they're just not fast enough unless they can surprise the cat. Maybe 'coons found a place to ambush your cats, but otherwise, foxes are notorious as cat-killers.

Paul
Be nicer than necessary.

farmboy

We never have really had many foxes around here. Dad always said when you had coyotes you had no foxes. The last five years I have been on a serious coyote reduction program. To the point the last two years I have not heard coyotes howling at night first time in my life time I have not heard them. Anyhow I saw a fox running across my lane one night when I was coming in from the field. So I guess I have some of them. I have only shot a handful of them over my life time. Once a den at a graveyard where they were living in the graves and another den I found another time and that is my total fox hunting experience. So not even sure where to look for them in the winter.

gitano

Coyotes are even bigger cat-eaters.

Paul
Be nicer than necessary.

farmboy

They were relatively shy about coming to the yard. I perhaps made a mistake getting rid of them all. I had a great horned owl pair that cleaned the cats at three farmers yards mine being one of them. The owl finally got hit flying across the highway and I could keep cats in the yard again. That is what upsets me about losing the cats no cats around the yard equals way to many mice and all the out building s smelling like mode ***.

gitano

Owls are also great cat-killers.

Paul
Be nicer than necessary.

farmboy

I had a guy tell me to mix moth balls in come and set that out for the coons. He said they would not be able to go ten feet before they were dead. They are attracted to the sweetness of the come and the moth balls poison them. He had a couple die at the bowl he put out and another was about three feet away.

gitano

I like 'coons a lot, and probably couldn't get myself to poison them. In fact, I don't care for poisoning things very much at all. Except insects. And maybe politicians.

Paul
Be nicer than necessary.

farmboy

Some politicians are poison. Lol.

farmboy

Quote from: gitano;146949Owls are also great cat-killers.

Paul

Bingo! I think that is the problem the last two nights there has been a pair of great horned owls in the yard over night. I put my one remaining cat inside at night to make sure I have one left. I should ask the nieghbors if there cat population is going down as well. We are likely all feeding the owls.

gitano

Especially Great Horned owls!

Paul
Be nicer than necessary.

buckshot roberts

I have had coon problem for sometime, never lost a cat to them,  I have two cats missing now, and they where some tuff cats,  got to checking to see if they may have been hit by a car, two days ago saw a coyote in the back field.
We got too complicated......It\'s all way over rated....I like the old and out dated way of life........I miss back when..

sakorick

I'm an Owl lover nonetheless.......esp the GHO. Better to eat house cats than Quail!
Talk to yourself. There are times you need expert advice.

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