Cats killing chipmunks...neighbors complaining...

I'm having a lot of pet problems, and a lady just knocked at my door with a handful of printouts on wildlife preservation and telling me my Maine Coon cats are killing the chipmunks, which I know is true, as I saw them with three yesterday! I was dismayed by this also, but other than keeping these cats inside all the time, I see no other solution. They love to go outside and hunt, and one of my reasons for buying this house was because it was on a quiet dead end street with little traffic. They get wild and destructive if I try to keep them inside. Should I just try this, or risk letting them outside again, or get rid of them?
Patty

I know they wouldn't like this either, but have you thought of building a huge cage outside for them during the day so they can run around but still be confined.....kinda like they do in the zoos?

I know it is hard to keep any critter from doing what is natural to them. I even struggle with my doggie & his natural instinct as you might have read in some of my Kentucky wildlife posts. The poor little mole & the racoon present....then today when my friend got out his weed eater, he stured up a little rabbit.....my doggie was on his leash, but wow, through he was going to get pulled away from me to get that cute little guy.

Hope you can come up with some other solution that finding them a new home because they probably are very attached to you no matter what their wild tendencies are.

I'm sure some solution will come to you,
Debbie

My opinion is to heck with the neighbors..... I also know the concern of wildlife.. but there is a cycle to things too.. I grew up on a farm and that is just the nature of things.. My community was all farming.. and life/death is a part and parcel.

My neighbors cats bring me "presents" all the time..

just my opinion..

regardless of your decision, it has got to be tough on you...

Thanks, Eskie, but I don't see a solution other than keeping them inside all the time!
I'm stressed already today after a day with my mother..(.whole other area! ) Then come home to find my Samoyed had escaped by jumping the fence again, and then the neighbor with the complaints! I went out to check to see if the shock collar was still working, and there is a break in it somewhere. I'll fix that, and it will keep her in, hopefully. Cats and dogs! Maybe I'd be better off without any of them!
Patty

Freewill...I have that attitude also! These cats love to hunt!
When I keep them confined for more than 24 hours, they are so rowdy and destructive.
I've learned since moving here that some people hate cats! My next door 80 year old neighbor is vehement about my cats!
I should have moved to a farm!
Love
Patty

Heck, my cats bring home moles, mice, and chipmunks as well as birds. These are gifts to me for being a good owner. This is natural cat instinct. Unless there is an endangered list of chipmunks, your cats have freedom to hunt. Animal love includes enabling cats and dogs to be "natural" in their needs also.

Lori

Thanks, Ingrid...
I worry about someone poisoning my cats as they go out about their natural business! I really don't know what to do, but will probably just continue to let them go out...maybe just at night, as they prefer to be outside nocturnally.
Patty

if they are use to being outside I say let them continue. as another poster said it is part of the cycle of life.

As long as the cats are not getting anyone's pets, there is little your neighbor can do about I believe. They are considered feral animals and do not fall under the same laws that dogs do. You cannot train a cat or keep them from foraging and hunting, it is part of their makeup. As long as it is legal to have the coon cats....you should be ok.

Hugsss
J

Thanks, Sabau and Bebop!!
These two cats were really "about their business" yesterday, for sure, and one even brought a chipmunk into the house after I left the garage door up 6 inches.
I don't like that they kill birds, moles, and chipmunks, but that's their nature. As I said...shoulda bought a farm!
Patty

Sorry, but I disagree. I'm an animal lover and have had cats for the last 20 years, also two dogs.
Cats are the only animal that kill just for the fun of it...they do not need to eat the chipmunks or rodents to survive and rarely do.
They are causing destruction of the wildlife. Some people (neighbors) may just enjoy having nature at their door in the form of birds and chipmunks, etc.
Why allow your cats to kill other animals?
I have read that one typical house cat that is allowed outdoors is responsible for killing 150 small animals each year.

I can't stand for my cats to kill anything. I rescue lizards, little snakes, bugs.....and that's just what I see them with!!!! I can't have them in but they have never brought me anything here. They did on the ranch. It was shrew city there.....I don't like killing of any kind. I don't even kill snakes. I remove them.......even rattlesnakes if they aren't a threat........xoxoxo pat

I am sure you read my post about my doggie & the mole he was after. I couldn't call me off the mole either.....I had to figure out how to get him to want to come to me more than continue trying to kill the mole. It is the nature of even our most domesticated pets to hunt.....& my doggie is not in need of any more food than what I keep his bowl full constantly.

Nature is something we can't escape, & have to work around given our situations. Keeping animals indoors can drive them as crazy as it drives us. Normally in nature, the wild cayotes or cats only kill for food, but it does seem that our domesticated animals do kill because they are excited when they come across the wild animals. I honestly don't have a solution, but it seems that it is an animal by animal trick to find what works to keep them from killing the outside wildlife. As far as that goes, that is why ranches/farms get cats....to keep down the rodent population....our "mousers"....that is their job on the farm.....even when they are fed their daily food.....it is just something that happens.

I do hope you can find something that helps cut down their ability to hunt like that....I am sure it doesn't make you happy that they are killing the chipmunks either. The right solution will come up in the soon. When I have a problem & start thinking about solutions, they do happen....maybe not soon enough to pleast the neighbors (like yesterday), but the answer will come to you.......the answer that will be best for the cats, neighbors & you....something will trigger the solution. Maybe even brousing on the internet might give you some ideas,
Debbie

I don't like the killing, either, and I would try to prevent it whenever possible, but cats do have that instinct. I think there's advantages to keeping cats inside, as well as allowing them outside. I'm against declawing cats in either case. It may not prevent every kill, but how about putting a bell around your cat's neck?

I also want to point out that cats are not the only animal that kill for the pleasure of it, according to something a teacher of mine said once. She said minks are the only animal that kill for pleasure; but I think cats do it, too, so there's at least two animals that do it.

I try to avoid killing of any kind, too, even bugs. They're just trying to live their lives, and as long as I'm not facing an infestation or something, I try not to kill them.

It is the cycle of life...and can be very painful to watch. Maybe the neighbor saw an attack? I know my grandmother, in W. Va., used to bring me to the window to watch two little chipmunks. It brought her great joy. I can imagine what she'd feel if she saw them attacked.

I had two outside cats once...all before and after were and have been inside cats. They used to bring home ground moles every day almost for a while and my neighbors loved them. One came and asked if they could have one of my cats! LOL. So that's one neighbor on the opposite side of the spectrum, I guess.

I get upset because alot of people around here HATE cats. I won't say some of the stories I've been told. They've complained to me about the two I had...getting in their garden, walking across their new truck, trash, etc. There were many strays though and that's why I had to bring those two in actually. I was worried about disease.

I don't think we're going to please everyone, Patty, when we own outside cats because many don't like them. I also understand the difficult decision you have...bringing them inside. It was very difficult for me to do. They acted out big time, but one thing about cats? They're amazing at adjusting. They'll adjust...especially if you work them into it, I think. They should, still though, if you don't.

I wish you well. I know you're in a rough spot here. If nothing else, bide your time...fall, then winter, will be around soon enough.

KD

Well, I'm keeping all three cats inside today to see how it goes. One coonie is wandering thru the house "hollering" to be let out! I'm hoping they will adjust to being inside! as Kimmy says!
I also agree with Gtrplayer about the quantity of wildlife these cats kill! I've had many birds killed and brought into the yard...and house, as well as the ground squirrels, moles, even rabbits!
The lady who came to complain was very nice, explaining that this chipmunk had been under her house for a couple of years and had babies. (I think my cat killed it, as she explained it had a short tail, and I think I saw one like that in my cat's mouth!) She even asked to see the carcass for identification...but it was long gone!
One other solution I've thought might help is putting bells on the cats, but they usually manage to tear off tags and even collars....
Patty

when i do bring mine in, Patty, they adjust quickly. thank goodness, there isn't anything small here except squirrels and the cats can't catch them.

Mikee was on house arrest for about two weeks while the wrens hatched out. he complained for about two days and tried to escape, and did, but he settled in.

lita is a big threat here. she gets after my toads. she got after a big one last night and he attacked her. it was quite wonderful. it scared her good. she is the jack russell. she won't kill them, just bark in their face til i go out and make her come in. there are giant lizards here that are too big for the cats to handle.

i know it will work out for you. try the pine litter......less odor. and easier to clean out. last a long time also. they sell it at most grocery stores now and Wallyworld.

love, pat

LOL, Pat, no "Wallyworld" here in WV, but I think they will adjust to being inside...and I won't worry about them so much once they're inside cats! I do worry about exposure to diseases, people harming them, poisoning or torture. I've had students relate how they like to torture or shoot cats!
Both coonies are wanting outside right now, hollering!
Patty

poisonings would really worry me.....i don't worry about that here. but i did in Oklahoma. my house is so teensy that one cat fills it up.....

Cats, by nature, don't do anything for the fun of it. They are honing their skills or killing for a later feed. Cats are a lazy and relaxed animal and don't like to do anything unless they absolutely need to. So they won't 'just go out and kill something because they feel like it'. They are killing it to hone skills and will eat it later or offer it to someone or something else later. Cats do not waste energy or food. They are natural conservationalists in their own rite...which is what explains the inordinate amount of time they spend napping.,,,you never know when they are going to need that energy.

In other countries, cats roam freely and kill off all other rodents and this is the norm and acceptable behaviour. Why? Because other 'pests' like squirrels and rabbits get into attics and crawl spaces of homes and really cause major damage and cats are seen as a natural and pesticide free way of maintaining that problem.

Unfortunately here in North America, it is viewed upon as a terrible thing to let nature take it's course, and we are expected go against nature and against animal ethics and lock them up like prisoners keep them from living their natural instinctural ways.

So, keep your cats inside, and when your neighbour starts to have her attic and crawl space eaten by squirrels and rats because your cats aren't helping, tell her to call her local pesticide company and have them extract the pests for tons of cash and pollute her home poison the environment with the chemicals needed to do it the unnatural way.

ABT

I completely agree that instincts are natural and I have two cats. availability of food in the home does not deter animals from stalking and hunting other animals. It is part of the life cycle. I don't like seeing rabbits die, but I can't validate it just because they are cute. every animal on this planet is prey or predator. We have domesticated almost every type of living creature on this planet. Whether it is in personal homes, cages or zoos and reserves, we have domesticated animals and they still require the ability to live a "normal" lifestyle for them. smaller life species are extremely numerous and multiply more because of the quantity of species that prey on them. Anytime we have tried to prevent natural processes, we have tipped the balances in nature. Let the cats do what they do. It is instinctual whether they capture something cute or something we want to get rid of. Let them live life naturally.

Well, I kept the two coon cats in all day, despite their hollering protests. I'm up late, and have let them out, only to find them wanting back in after only a few minutes outside! I'm thinking I should continue to keep them in most of the time, and they seem to be adjusting!
Patty

Seeker

Don't get rid of your kitties! I would just limit their time outside. Don't let your neighbors bother you. It's in a cat's nature to kill squirrels and birds......rodents. It's part of the life cycle of animals.

Your neigbor(s) should be more concerned with abused children and poverty amongst the young and old than your kitties eating rodents!

Zen

Thanks, Zen...I had to run out quickly to the vet with one of my dogs this morning, and the cats were outside. I hope they were not too bad! Both are back inside now and I hope to train them to at least stay inside during the day. Last night when I was out talking to a neighbor, the animal control person drove by...surely because my neighbor has called and complained!
Patty

as Gilda Radner said, "it's always something".......