My great uncle had a farm. Some years agon when he was still alive there was a Wolf warning in his area, so he installed cameras for insurrance and for safety. A week later or so he spots the wolf during the night limping on the camera. So he informed the local hunter to be safe since a hurt animal is very dangerous. Two days löater he calls the family and the hutner to his house, cause he couldnt believe his eyes. The wolf returned and our cat wasnt having it, thrashing that poor bastard around like its his daily buisness. The small british shorthair cat.
I lived in W. Houston suburbia in the 90s before it totally developed and we still had wildlife. My 5 pounds or less little lady cat was a terror to anything she didn't want in her territory. She took on huge rattlestankes and copperhead snakes; killed them quick and easy like a mongoose. She saved the neighbor 's braind damaged cat (he'dgotten hit by a car and was never quite mentally there afterwards), her BFF, from a hawk. There were hawk feathers and blood everywhere, but the hawk escaped and she didnt have a mark on her. Her biggest win was her taking on a full grown coyote and ot running off screaming.
Thing is, she was sooooo small and dainty. Not an ounce of fat or bulked muscle on her. And ahe was the sweetest cat to any human and most other animals.
I read somewhere that cats have a faster reaction time than snakes and they'll never be able to hit the cat but tire themselves out trying and then murder cat does what murder cat does (murder in case I didn't make that clear)
I saw video proof of this on reddit not long ago. In slow motion it showed the snake strike, which the cat stopped in a split nano second. (Not about the nano).
They fight like berserkers, too. Not many animals will enter a fight by hurling themselves bodily at an opponent several times their size, flailing knives attached to every extremity and screaming like a banshee.
Cats are calculating predators, but unhesitating, frenzied combatants when the occasion arises.
My mom had a similar cat. Tiny little 7 lb thing, super cuddly and friendly towards humans, a complete terror to anything else with a pulse and defended her 2 sibling cats against anything remotely threatening. She lost an eye when she was just a couple years old and we all assumed she would hunt less or be less successful at it - not even a little. She lived to 20 years old.
I had a very very similar cat as a child! She used to like to lay in the grass and go full face-hugger on the poor deer in the yard lol. She only broke 5 lbs once in her life and she gave birth to 3 kittens the next day. She was just the teeeensiest little perma kitten who spent 20 years fiercely protecting me from all the outdoor dangers id wander into
This is why large cats like lions and panthers scare the absolute shit out if me. I've seen my cat fight off a pretty big dog more than once without any issues. My neighbor's dog got loose a couple times and made the mistake of being waaaaay too friendly with her and she wasn't having it. Cats are no joke.
We had the same there. Died of old age at 22 (!) We didn't have really wildlife but we were near a big river and we were in the countryside near the fields. Only at the end of her life she began coming back with little wounds. She used to hang out with us when we were walking the dogs. I saw her running after really BIG dogs (as in : dog that could make fall a human by bumping against them if they wanted) that were harassing our little dog.
We got a kitten once and she ... raised him ? taught him the ways ? We were seeing them leaving at nightfall and coming back at dawn.
Picturing a lil 5 pound ladycat fighting off a hawk for her disabled best feline friend felt like a cartoon in my brain lol. How cute, thank you for sharing that with the class.
I had a Siberian female kitty that was never let outside, except this one time... I went out our back sliding glass door not noticing our neighbor cat was looking in the door at the same time. Zoe saw that cat and screamed like I've never heard before, this was 20 years ago and the hair on my neck stands up from the memory. She chased that poor sucker through our yard, I think he got over our 6 foot fence in one leap!
I have a little black foster fail girl. She’s the mascot of r/powdereddonutlips. She will take on anything that comes into her space. If she doesn’t like you, you don’t get to stay. She wouldn’t let my roommate up the stairs for a long time and would never let her pet her. Cat has good instincts.
My BF's cat was like that. Im a cat person, but his cat absolutely would not let me into his room at his parent's house or cuddle on his bed. I had to pay th "bite tax" where she would sneak attack and draw blood.
There is a scene in Naussca Valley of the Wind where a scared fox animal bites the protagonist and she calmly takes the bite to show she isn't a threat. I had to do that for this cat a few times. Apparently, his only previous GF was a funky person and the cat distrusted him bringing another woman home. During our early dating years i would bring his cat treats, nip and toys just for her and spend time on just her before my BF. We eventually became friends, the cat and i, but mu BF was always her man.
She never integrated with my cats when we started living together. We had a "crazy blanket" used to throw over my BF's cat on the fee occasions she got out of her toom when it wasn't her time. We had to have a schedule where my cats roamed the house during the day and his cat at night congruent with our 1st/3rd shift working schedules to maximize their people time. The "crazy blanket " was the only way we could separate my BF's cat because she always went for the kill on the other cats; then 5 min later be beck to her sweet self with her human.
This makes me giggle because I have a little British short hair & she's such a little coward. 😂 I did have an American short hair yeeeeaaaarrrrs ago & she fought off & rode a raccoon off the porch because it was eating her food. She never allowed anything but other cats eat from that bowl. Lol
I had a cat growing up. Pansy was her name. Well she had kittens. Our dog and the neighbors got too close to them. She was usually friendly with them. Both dogs had to have stitches after. About a year after that incident I was out riding my bike and a Rottweiler chased me home. Just after getting in the driveway my cat came running past me. I didn't want her to get hurt but she ran right into that dog. Knocked him over and it sounded like a pack of dogs after a 3 legged cat. However the cat won. Never saw that rottie again.
I concur, my uncles cat was a former barn cat. The dogs would pull their owners into the street to go around his house. He Was 16 pounds of pure hatred for anything on paws. Loved people though. Miss ya Roly!
Living on a farm has been an enlightening experience. Our family farm has a barn cat named "Six". Six looks like a small coyote/fox from a distance and has a confirmed kill count of one coyote and two Bobcats (that have been found). My cousin saw the one bobcat kill and said that it was minding its own business... But Six was clearly offended by that.
Cats are way more territorial than i ever thought, until we moved into a neighborhood with strays
One female cat in particular “owned” a certain section of the neighborhood, no other cats bothered to come there…if they tried the moment she saw them it was like WWE RAW.
Watched her beat the daylights out of a male cat near my house, poor bastard was so tired he just fell over and laid there while she watched him, eventually a passing car distracted her and he sprinted off.
A psychopath is someone with a severe personality disorder marked by a profound lack of empathy, remorse, and conscience, coupled with manipulative charm, grandiosity, impulsivity, and antisocial behaviors, often leading to exploitation and harm to others.
I just remember when I was a teenager we had a bunch of cats all around outside and were slowly whittling away the tom cats balls
Two tom cats got into a death roll of a fight suddenly in the backyard and I ran over with a broom and was trying to break them up. Suddenly the small mother cat of one of the tom cats throws herself into the fray and breaks it up.
The other cat ran off and she smacked her son up a bit.
My family's barn cat saved me from a dog of that kind of size when I was a kid. She came at it like she was shot out of a canon! The thing wanted no piece and immediately fled at max speed.
Cats in general are no joke. I have an indoors only ragdoll who we used to let roam in the garden out in the countryside house since she generally never went anywhere. But one day she returns limping with a fox canine in her leg and two weeks later we found a dead fox with a scratched up face and no eyes.
Tbf the missing eyes could very easily be post mortem. They're usually the first thing taken by scavengers since it doesn't take opening the carcass, so even little birds can get at them.
My great aunt had barn cats. The leader was a big 20 pound male named Big Papa, dude was all muscle. He would protect the other smaller cats and the horses plus the other animals.all the time. The neighbor had a Rottweiler that would get out and try to mess with the horses sometimes and usually my great uncle would handle it but it made the mistake of pissing off Big Papa once. The neighbor got really upset because his dog got its eye ripped out.
Dogs are strength and endurance builds, while cats are full agility/dexterity. I've seen a video of a cat take on a pack of like 5 stray mutts and not only get away, but had all 5 dogs scared to approach.
When I was a kid our neighbors farm cat was the undisputed king of the area. Their dogs were a bit wild but when that cat came they all shut up. Fairly certain it killed another neighbors schaefer dog because both disappeared and then the cat came back without an ear. Killed a bunch of foxes as well. Lost it's tail bit by bit over the years.
Neighbors with pets did not like it at all, because it wouldn't let any other animal (except two cats) be outside their designated area without getting attacked.
Yeah I mean canines only have one attack, and it's with their face. Not a great strategy against a cat with sharp claws and insane reaction time. Average cats fuck up pretty much all dogs, unless it's a very large/strong/aggressive dog that can win with one shot.
Based on what. A coyote is killing a cat if the cat isn't able to get away, and there are tons of dogs that would obliterate a coyote.
Pound for pound cats are nasty little buggers for sure, and coming away from a fight with them unscathed is unlikely with their claws and reflexes but, unless you mean getting in some scratches before it dies the average cat isn't fucking up pretty much all dogs.
Not surprising, my grandparents tabby used to chase off black bears on a regular basis, and they are smart enough to know the chicken is friends with the cats own owner. or what ever the equivalent in cat logic would be.
That's what I was thinking. Cat didn't want to look out for chicken, but cat wants chicken to himself lol. Like when my cat ignores me until I start petting my dog, then she's all about it.
Unfortunately, unless that bird got antibiotics within about 8 hours of that bite it's going to die from fowl cholera anyways.
Both foxes and cats carry Pasteurella multocida as part of their normal, healthy mouth biome. And that particular bacteria causes birds to get a version of cholera and they usually die within 24-36 hours later.
Interesting! Years ago, when I was living at my parents rural home, I spotted a fox wandering by with one of my parents chickens and managed to scare the fox off. The bird seemed to not be too badly injured, but it did die about 2 days later. I'd never heard this before. Good to know.
Do "we"? I grew up on farms, cared for and loved the animals for significant parts of my life, even though I'm not a vegetarian. Which I do not find hypocritical. I did feel bad when foxes came in and brutally killed the chickens I cared for.
I think it would only be hypocritical if we cheered on the worst parts of the industrial farming.
These days I'm not on a farm and buy from as ethical sources as possible, which I'm not saying is as moral as being vegan, but hypocritical is a stretch.
it's organic. The body will decompose, insects will eat what they can get (and birds will eat those insects), mycellium will take apart the nutrients bit by bit and feed it to trees and other plants, etc
I mean, in that scenario, no one gets to eat the chicken and it just gets destroyed.
That being said, I tell people that all animals have the intellect and understanding of a 3-5yrld child. Especially birds, which have the some of the highest concentrations of neurons per cubic centimeter of gray matter.
I absolutely think we should treat them more humanely but I don't think we shouldn't eat them. It looks like the animals in the video likely had a great life considering how they were allowed to roam.
Imagine if on that camera you just hear some hardened farmer thrice yell "swiper no swiping," the third time with a specific level of gusto. Then see the fox stand up on his hind legs, hunched in defeat swing one of his forelegs and somehow form his digits to snap and then says audibly "awe man..."
But how do we get the three of them across the river in this boat that can only hold one of them when we can't leave the fox alone with the chicken or the cat alone with the fox?
Cross with the fox. Return for the cat. Leave the cat on the other side, go back with the fox. Take the chicken across, go back to take the fox across again.
For those not in the know, that fox wasn't going to stop at one chicken. Foxes will kill an entire coop full of dozens of chickens. Without that cat the farmer would have walked out to every single chicken dead.
Same with my parents' flock but it wasn't a fox. Either raccoon or coyote. The worst thing is they just kill them all then leave most of the carcasses, such a waste.
Thanks for pointing that out. I live in rural Maine and most people I know who own chickens have had their entire livestock killed in one night by foxes or coyotes. Multiple times
Cats actually don't usually don't see adult chickens as prey, they are much too large. Chicks? Possibly depending on how good the cats temperament and training are. Anything bigger than rat sized isn't really seen as a meal to cats usually.
Our mean Ole cat attacked the lab/pit that was mauling our jack Russell when I was a kid and ran it off. She never showed a shred of acceptance to our dog except to save his life that one time. Princess.
definition of a sibling. they will call you shit and bully you around on the daily but nobody else is allowed to even look your way wrongly 🤣thats cats with dogs
Yeah they are so territorial. I have a cat who used to be a farm cat when she was a kitten, and she will growl at anything that walks by the window outside. I have to calm her down if it’s a large enough animal to upset her.
It's called fright molt (moult in British English)
In nature, fright moult for example happens then a predator captures a bird. By losing some feathers on the rump and tail, the bird may be able to escape. The predator will end up with only some feathers in his claws of talons. So this special type of moulting is a natural protective reflex of the bird’s body.
Ah thank you! I was surprised I had to scroll so far to see someone asking my question about the feathers. I grew up always having a small flock of chickens for our family’s egg supply, but I never saw a fright molt happen. Kind of like lizards dropping their tails to help them escape.
moments like these really make me wonder what is going on in the brains of these animals. like how does the cat know it's not allowed to eat the chicken and even knows to protect it. i know animals are not dumb, but still.
Cats are colony animals, so like how dogs can protect sheep, they have an understanding of "This animal is in my group, even if it's not the same species."
So I’ve been curious about this strange behavior in other animals a while back. There’s something kinda like interference competition. While the cat doesn’t really care for the chickens, the fox disrupts his territory and may possibly interfere with what the cat does like. Chickens and cats don’t compete for resources so they kinda coexist.
Any professional insight to build on this would be awesome.
Domestic cats have a sense of community and territory. Feral ones will live in colonies in which the members will share in taking care of kittens and repeling intruders. They don't need to hunt cooperatively because their prefered prey is smaller than them.
That cat is habitualated to thinking of chickens as part of its colony, as it would people. The fox is an outsider and attacking that chicken is more than enough to warrant a forceful retaliation.
Cats generally just don't mess with chickens. It's part of why they work well in farms. Otherwise I don't think "allowed" is a concept they understand. In this case the cat probably is just defending its fiefdom and it's servants.
"That smelly forest dog-thing is on our territory again, better keep an eye on it... Oh shit, it's going after Human's groundbirds! Human takes care of groundbirds every day, they are part of the pack!! They don't fight well at all... Hold on groundbird, I'll take care of this!!!"
Cats are social and territorial. They understand who's part of the group and who isn't. A lot of barn cats befriend the livestock on their farm, including chickens. (The chickens might not reciprocate friendliness but there can be a mutual understanding.)
Tdlr: hunting isn't meant to be a fight and predators get deterred easily. Groups of herbivores gang up and set the standard. Farmer's reward sticking to the status quo. Domestication. Animals can become friends. Animals have strong 'in group/out group' instincts. Needs being met decreases competition.
The rooster of the flock could actually fight a cat fairly well, and will easily scare the predator pets whilst they're kittens or puppies and they learn that way as well as following the farmer's lead.
All the livestock are also usually kept in groups and can fight and drive off a lone predator. Chickens are actually pretty vicious tbh. Foxes get them all easily in a hen house because it's small and they can't get out/panic. A rooster would likely try to drive off a fox if they attacked a hen outside. It's usually about winning by numbers against a predator and deterring them/making them think it's not worth the fight - hunting takes a lot of energy and predators can't risk getting too injured or tired from a single hunt.
Also, cats often go for prey smaller than themselves that don't fight back. The flock will also protect and warn each other, which is why a lion will go for stragglers after making a herd run, it wouldn't just run into a big group and attack all of them. That's why prey animals usually form big groups as a way to protect from predators.
But the bigger thing is that domesticated farm animals coexist in a certain type of way - they understand they're all part of a group that mutually benefits and they are rewarded for staying in line with the status quo, e.g. the farmer gives them food and warmth and affection.
Farm cats actually very often patrol the territory and follow the farmer when they're feeding or moving animals, etc. They know the livestock well. We know that different species can make friends, e.g. dog and cat, cat and rabbit, etc, especially when they're not competing for food and all their needs are met and they're socialised to accept who is in the pack and who isn't. Farm cats will actually more often fight with other cats/the same species because they're competition and often be neutral with other species.
It's like how we domesticated wolves to be livestock guardians - dogs will literally sit and guard a newborn calf all covered in blood and placenta, even though it seems unintuitive. Those same dogs, however, would likely eat a newborn calf if it was from a different farmer's herd or they were starved.
Domesticated predator animals very much understand what their role is and where they fit in on a farm, and care about protecting the territory from 'out groups.''
The livestock animals will also usually gang up on a cat or dog if they're being out of line, and the farmer will also set the expectations of how the livestock is treated from the beginning.
Carnivores and herbivores actually coexist quite well in the wild and live close to each other - think a Serengeti watering hole where its like a 'truce.' Predators are actually pretty cowardly and can be deterred from a hunt quite easily - its the competition fights that are much more scary, e.g. a bull charging you, two rhinos or giraffes going at each other, etc, because they go for much longer and are actually a fight.
I love that cat's badass attitude. First surveying the situation like a sniper to detect the weakest spot, then attacking with that "and stay out!!!" attitude.
The fox and chicken both went in the same direction. That fox is definitely taking another go at the chicken he's just going to be faster about running off with it this time.
CATS ARE AWESOME. This morning my boy cat escorted me downstairs in the sweetest way. 😭 Like a little gentleman. He even opened the fucking door for me. 🤣
Cats are underrated guard-animals, but it's not a matter of training, it's a family/pack thing... maybe territorial too? I've seen my house cats go full murder-fluff-machine to defend my family from perceived threats on several occasions.
I have two slightly feral smaller cats, and they take it as a personal slight if anything tries to hurt the chickens. Between them and my male turkeys I have a weirdly safe flock.
Cat-like reflexes being a thing (something like .12 seconds reaction time) with claws and teeth.. seems most animals have a genetic memory not to fuck with the little 4 pound killing machines
My grandparents lived on a farm before they passed and had about 7 barn cats. Sadly, due to people throwing out their cats like garbage on their country road, they had all ended up there from my grandad feeding in their barn. Maaan, did they chase off armadillos, raccoons, opossums, even cows when they were being too ornery lol. They were brave af.
I live way out in the north woods. My neighbors with several cats almost never lose chickens but those with only dogs lose chickens to wild predators every year
Cats are tough creatures. I had a cat growing up that was originally a stray that we took in. She was always very nice to people, but she would messed up the local fisher cats on multiple occassions and was never worse for the wear.
Like, she's blind in one eye and will go to war with Foxes and other cats.
She's so sweet and cuddly and will follow you around the neighborhood, but has zero interest in actually being held, or coming inside. Somebody took her inside once and she destroyed their foyer and front room. They DID manage to get her to a doctor to get some shots, cleaning, and they gave her an AirTag.
I was walking my dog one night, heard a fox yelling, then heard a big fight, the fox runs up this little bowl in our neighborhood, crosses the street and into the woods. Like thirty seconds later the cat walks up to me and my dog from the same direction like, "Sup guys."
She's so funny. I get worried when I go a week or so without someone in my family seeing her, but that rarely happens.
A pissed off cat will go off like a hand grenade and punches way above its weight.
Every time I'm on r/cats and someone is asking if their play fighting kitties are really fighting, I get a chuckle because they've obviously never seen a real cat fight where the air is thick with flying fur and the sounds coming out of that battle will haunt you.
u/Alphaxfusion, our users say your post fits the subreddit! Welcome!!
Barn cats are no joke. I've seen one chasing a German shepherd and the dog was running like it's life was on the line
My great uncle had a farm. Some years agon when he was still alive there was a Wolf warning in his area, so he installed cameras for insurrance and for safety. A week later or so he spots the wolf during the night limping on the camera. So he informed the local hunter to be safe since a hurt animal is very dangerous. Two days löater he calls the family and the hutner to his house, cause he couldnt believe his eyes. The wolf returned and our cat wasnt having it, thrashing that poor bastard around like its his daily buisness. The small british shorthair cat.
I lived in W. Houston suburbia in the 90s before it totally developed and we still had wildlife. My 5 pounds or less little lady cat was a terror to anything she didn't want in her territory. She took on huge rattlestankes and copperhead snakes; killed them quick and easy like a mongoose. She saved the neighbor 's braind damaged cat (he'dgotten hit by a car and was never quite mentally there afterwards), her BFF, from a hawk. There were hawk feathers and blood everywhere, but the hawk escaped and she didnt have a mark on her. Her biggest win was her taking on a full grown coyote and ot running off screaming.
Thing is, she was sooooo small and dainty. Not an ounce of fat or bulked muscle on her. And ahe was the sweetest cat to any human and most other animals.
I know it was a typo but “rattlestank” is my new favorite
Yo, new Battlefield name just dropped
Cross a rattlesnake with a skunk and that's what you get, something that kills you and leaves a foul smelling corpse.
Well to be fair most corpses don't smell nice.
I wish I wasn't a fat old lady because I want to front a band called Rattlestank so bad.
Please, for the love of god, do it anyway
How about an all female punk band called Rattleskank!
Don’t let your dreams be dreams dawg
“rattlestanke”
It’s proper now.
Hoobastank cover band
My brain read right over that, so glad you pointed it out! 😂😂😂Excellent band name!!!
I read somewhere that cats have a faster reaction time than snakes and they'll never be able to hit the cat but tire themselves out trying and then murder cat does what murder cat does (murder in case I didn't make that clear)
I saw video proof of this on reddit not long ago. In slow motion it showed the snake strike, which the cat stopped in a split nano second. (Not about the nano).
and thats even when the cat was only playing with it.
So I have a potential snake killer in my lap right now?
They’re little murder machines. I’ve see. One chase off a black bear.
They fight like berserkers, too. Not many animals will enter a fight by hurling themselves bodily at an opponent several times their size, flailing knives attached to every extremity and screaming like a banshee.
Cats are calculating predators, but unhesitating, frenzied combatants when the occasion arises.
Reminds me of the little boy who was attacked by a neighbor’s dog and their family cat ran out of nowhere.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=E1k4wNXfDB8&pp=ygUXQm95IHNhdmVkIGJ5IGZhbWlseSBjYXQ%3D
We filled the Internet with fluffy little murder machine images and we worship them.
They don't call em murder mittens for nothin.
Yes you do!
My mom had a similar cat. Tiny little 7 lb thing, super cuddly and friendly towards humans, a complete terror to anything else with a pulse and defended her 2 sibling cats against anything remotely threatening. She lost an eye when she was just a couple years old and we all assumed she would hunt less or be less successful at it - not even a little. She lived to 20 years old.
I require the cat tax! Please provide photo.
This is killing me as a response to mentions of a cat that was alive 30+ years ago 😭 I hope they have a photo regardless
https://preview.redd.it/5z1h9kf90h6g1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=16cd7a538373d571bc63041cbd1b017017b82de4
Not who you requested, but have a pic of my own dearly departed demon floof as cat tax interest while we wait.
Spectacular photo! Thank you for sharing. Beautiful baby.
Sounds like little kitty has the aura of a tiger
that your tiny lady's BFF with and protected a brain damaged cat is so sweet. I want a cartoon short made of it.
I had a very very similar cat as a child! She used to like to lay in the grass and go full face-hugger on the poor deer in the yard lol. She only broke 5 lbs once in her life and she gave birth to 3 kittens the next day. She was just the teeeensiest little perma kitten who spent 20 years fiercely protecting me from all the outdoor dangers id wander into
This is why large cats like lions and panthers scare the absolute shit out if me. I've seen my cat fight off a pretty big dog more than once without any issues. My neighbor's dog got loose a couple times and made the mistake of being waaaaay too friendly with her and she wasn't having it. Cats are no joke.
We had the same there. Died of old age at 22 (!) We didn't have really wildlife but we were near a big river and we were in the countryside near the fields. Only at the end of her life she began coming back with little wounds. She used to hang out with us when we were walking the dogs. I saw her running after really BIG dogs (as in : dog that could make fall a human by bumping against them if they wanted) that were harassing our little dog.
We got a kitten once and she ... raised him ? taught him the ways ? We were seeing them leaving at nightfall and coming back at dawn.
Cats are really terrors when they want to :'D
Picturing a lil 5 pound ladycat fighting off a hawk for her disabled best feline friend felt like a cartoon in my brain lol. How cute, thank you for sharing that with the class.
I had a Siberian female kitty that was never let outside, except this one time... I went out our back sliding glass door not noticing our neighbor cat was looking in the door at the same time. Zoe saw that cat and screamed like I've never heard before, this was 20 years ago and the hair on my neck stands up from the memory. She chased that poor sucker through our yard, I think he got over our 6 foot fence in one leap!
You lived in Whitney Houston?
I have a little black foster fail girl. She’s the mascot of r/powdereddonutlips. She will take on anything that comes into her space. If she doesn’t like you, you don’t get to stay. She wouldn’t let my roommate up the stairs for a long time and would never let her pet her. Cat has good instincts.
My BF's cat was like that. Im a cat person, but his cat absolutely would not let me into his room at his parent's house or cuddle on his bed. I had to pay th "bite tax" where she would sneak attack and draw blood.
There is a scene in Naussca Valley of the Wind where a scared fox animal bites the protagonist and she calmly takes the bite to show she isn't a threat. I had to do that for this cat a few times. Apparently, his only previous GF was a funky person and the cat distrusted him bringing another woman home. During our early dating years i would bring his cat treats, nip and toys just for her and spend time on just her before my BF. We eventually became friends, the cat and i, but mu BF was always her man.
She never integrated with my cats when we started living together. We had a "crazy blanket" used to throw over my BF's cat on the fee occasions she got out of her toom when it wasn't her time. We had to have a schedule where my cats roamed the house during the day and his cat at night congruent with our 1st/3rd shift working schedules to maximize their people time. The "crazy blanket " was the only way we could separate my BF's cat because she always went for the kill on the other cats; then 5 min later be beck to her sweet self with her human.
You dropped this
This makes me giggle because I have a little British short hair & she's such a little coward. 😂 I did have an American short hair yeeeeaaaarrrrs ago & she fought off & rode a raccoon off the porch because it was eating her food. She never allowed anything but other cats eat from that bowl. Lol
Tenacity always wins in nature. Look at honey badgers. I mean dont get me wrong 1 and a half claws are no joke but they are relentless.
That's why only stupid people think dogs always win against cats. Dogs may have size, but nothing matches a pissed off cat's ferocity
I had a cat growing up. Pansy was her name. Well she had kittens. Our dog and the neighbors got too close to them. She was usually friendly with them. Both dogs had to have stitches after. About a year after that incident I was out riding my bike and a Rottweiler chased me home. Just after getting in the driveway my cat came running past me. I didn't want her to get hurt but she ran right into that dog. Knocked him over and it sounded like a pack of dogs after a 3 legged cat. However the cat won. Never saw that rottie again.
Chicken running off, BUT MAH CLOTHES, IM NEKKED!!!
I have to second this, I have been around many foxes and barn cats and let me tell you, foxes are smart to gtfo when that cat comes at them.
I concur, my uncles cat was a former barn cat. The dogs would pull their owners into the street to go around his house. He Was 16 pounds of pure hatred for anything on paws. Loved people though. Miss ya Roly!
I concur, my uncle was a former barn cat.
Sorry, my dyslexia read it as that and I giggled.
Living on a farm has been an enlightening experience. Our family farm has a barn cat named "Six". Six looks like a small coyote/fox from a distance and has a confirmed kill count of one coyote and two Bobcats (that have been found). My cousin saw the one bobcat kill and said that it was minding its own business... But Six was clearly offended by that.
Barn cats are NOT fucking around.
Cats are way more territorial than i ever thought, until we moved into a neighborhood with strays
One female cat in particular “owned” a certain section of the neighborhood, no other cats bothered to come there…if they tried the moment she saw them it was like WWE RAW.
Watched her beat the daylights out of a male cat near my house, poor bastard was so tired he just fell over and laid there while she watched him, eventually a passing car distracted her and he sprinted off.
Cats are basically made of knives and crazy strong
I like to refer to my cat as a fluffy little psychopath, with switchblades on his paws. 😉
Sounds about right.
I read the first paragraph and thought " Oh, this person definitely has a cat"
Strength-to-weight ratio is insane
My ex and I used to rescue feral, and getting hold of them when they don't want it is scary as shit
Had my thumbnail pierced straight through by a feral kitten I was trying to put in a carrier. Tore my arm up too. Shit sucked lol
Do not come between the Nazgûl and its prey
In a fight they'll get on their back and use their hind legs to try to disembowel whatever animal is attacking them.
I just remember when I was a teenager we had a bunch of cats all around outside and were slowly whittling away the tom cats balls
Two tom cats got into a death roll of a fight suddenly in the backyard and I ran over with a broom and was trying to break them up. Suddenly the small mother cat of one of the tom cats throws herself into the fray and breaks it up.
The other cat ran off and she smacked her son up a bit.
I was just like 👀
They did what to their balls?
Trap neuter release one hopes
You probably shouldn't whittle a cat's balls.
My family's barn cat saved me from a dog of that kind of size when I was a kid. She came at it like she was shot out of a canon! The thing wanted no piece and immediately fled at max speed.
Cats in general are no joke. I have an indoors only ragdoll who we used to let roam in the garden out in the countryside house since she generally never went anywhere. But one day she returns limping with a fox canine in her leg and two weeks later we found a dead fox with a scratched up face and no eyes.
"Call the veterinarian... but not for me!"
“Tis but a scratch. Now where’s my morning Post”
Jesus. That escalated quickly.
Good for her. She should teach self-defense classes.
Tbf the missing eyes could very easily be post mortem. They're usually the first thing taken by scavengers since it doesn't take opening the carcass, so even little birds can get at them.
Possible. But we know it was probably the same fox, because the fox had a broken canine tooth that matched the one in the cats leg.
My great aunt had barn cats. The leader was a big 20 pound male named Big Papa, dude was all muscle. He would protect the other smaller cats and the horses plus the other animals.all the time. The neighbor had a Rottweiler that would get out and try to mess with the horses sometimes and usually my great uncle would handle it but it made the mistake of pissing off Big Papa once. The neighbor got really upset because his dog got its eye ripped out.
The dog tried not running once before. He's never doing that again.
Dogs are strength and endurance builds, while cats are full agility/dexterity. I've seen a video of a cat take on a pack of like 5 stray mutts and not only get away, but had all 5 dogs scared to approach.
When I was a kid our neighbors farm cat was the undisputed king of the area. Their dogs were a bit wild but when that cat came they all shut up. Fairly certain it killed another neighbors schaefer dog because both disappeared and then the cat came back without an ear. Killed a bunch of foxes as well. Lost it's tail bit by bit over the years.
Neighbors with pets did not like it at all, because it wouldn't let any other animal (except two cats) be outside their designated area without getting attacked.
I've seen a video of a cat scaring away bears before, so I don't doubt it one bit. An angry cat will fuck you up
Yeah I mean canines only have one attack, and it's with their face. Not a great strategy against a cat with sharp claws and insane reaction time. Average cats fuck up pretty much all dogs, unless it's a very large/strong/aggressive dog that can win with one shot.
They're tougher then you think. After all, they evolved to hunt with their face.
Based on what. A coyote is killing a cat if the cat isn't able to get away, and there are tons of dogs that would obliterate a coyote.
Pound for pound cats are nasty little buggers for sure, and coming away from a fight with them unscathed is unlikely with their claws and reflexes but, unless you mean getting in some scratches before it dies the average cat isn't fucking up pretty much all dogs.
It's a STR/END build vs a DEX/AGI build, a cat can absolutely clown a dog but if the dog gets a hold of it the cat is done for.
Not surprising, my grandparents tabby used to chase off black bears on a regular basis, and they are smart enough to know the chicken is friends with the cats own owner. or what ever the equivalent in cat logic would be.
Cat logic: As lord of these lands, it's my duty to protect my serfs
Cats really are the chivalric knights of the pet world..
Some are badasses, some are absolute layabouts, but they all expect an unequal share of the bounties of our labor..
My cat was supposed to go to Jerusalem one time but he sacked Constantinople instead.
Catstanpinople you mean
Nowadays they call it Hisstanbul
Now it's Catstanbul, not Catstantinople.
"Hey! HEY! I'm supposed to get a piece of that thing later! GET BACK HERE!"
That's what I was thinking. Cat didn't want to look out for chicken, but cat wants chicken to himself lol. Like when my cat ignores me until I start petting my dog, then she's all about it.
"My housekeeper isn't here to tend to the livestock, which makes this a bad day... for you..."
This is the most spot on comment I've read maybe all year.
They may not look it but cats are pack animals.
They think humans are just big strange cats in their pack. Fair to assume they just add the other farm animals to this list too.
I’ve seen a ‘wobbly’ cat sprint across the yard to protect his chickens. . . from a squirrel. They definitely develop colonies.
Them chickens are MY toys!! >:(
Didn't the fox just go after the chicken Ken again at the end? The cat's job wasn't done.
Unfortunately, unless that bird got antibiotics within about 8 hours of that bite it's going to die from fowl cholera anyways.
Both foxes and cats carry Pasteurella multocida as part of their normal, healthy mouth biome. And that particular bacteria causes birds to get a version of cholera and they usually die within 24-36 hours later.
Interesting! Years ago, when I was living at my parents rural home, I spotted a fox wandering by with one of my parents chickens and managed to scare the fox off. The bird seemed to not be too badly injured, but it did die about 2 days later. I'd never heard this before. Good to know.
How one video of a chicken being killed makes us say "unfortunately" while we slaughter them en masse. We're such hypocrites😂
Do "we"? I grew up on farms, cared for and loved the animals for significant parts of my life, even though I'm not a vegetarian. Which I do not find hypocritical. I did feel bad when foxes came in and brutally killed the chickens I cared for.
I think it would only be hypocritical if we cheered on the worst parts of the industrial farming.
These days I'm not on a farm and buy from as ethical sources as possible, which I'm not saying is as moral as being vegan, but hypocritical is a stretch.
We, as a species, are. But I do respect your attitude toward farm animals.
Well, the chicken will die without feeding anyone or the fox. So that is kinda unfortunate.
it's organic. The body will decompose, insects will eat what they can get (and birds will eat those insects), mycellium will take apart the nutrients bit by bit and feed it to trees and other plants, etc
nature doesn't really have "waste"
I'm pretty sure the fox got it
But we don’t know that. Which is why that scenario would be unfortunate lol.
I mean, in that scenario, no one gets to eat the chicken and it just gets destroyed.
That being said, I tell people that all animals have the intellect and understanding of a 3-5yrld child. Especially birds, which have the some of the highest concentrations of neurons per cubic centimeter of gray matter.
I absolutely think we should treat them more humanely but I don't think we shouldn't eat them. It looks like the animals in the video likely had a great life considering how they were allowed to roam.
Yeah, I don't think the fox gave up. I'm going to guess the chicken might still be dead, since the cat wasn't on him for a second save.
Wanted to cook him on the Barbie later
I was waiting for round 2
This is what bothered me
It's because nobody yelled "SWIPER NO SWIPING!"
Imagine if on that camera you just hear some hardened farmer thrice yell "swiper no swiping," the third time with a specific level of gusto. Then see the fox stand up on his hind legs, hunched in defeat swing one of his forelegs and somehow form his digits to snap and then says audibly "awe man..."
The cat, chicken and foxes sounds like a British pub.
Or the start of a joke
Or an Aesop's fable.
Sounds like they need to be carried across a river, but the boat can only fit two of them at a time
And there's a bag of seed for some reason.
They'd call it the Foxy Cock and Pussy or something.
But how do we get the three of them across the river in this boat that can only hold one of them when we can't leave the fox alone with the chicken or the cat alone with the fox?
Cross with the fox. Return for the cat. Leave the cat on the other side, go back with the fox. Take the chicken across, go back to take the fox across again.
Easy, you cook the chicken, skin the fox, then cross the river wearing a fox pelt, eating fried chicken, while petting the cat.
Hey, it's a cat fighting a dogcat!
i hope the cat kicked ass again, but the fox is just foxing... godspeed everyone.
Poor chicken.
For those not in the know, that fox wasn't going to stop at one chicken. Foxes will kill an entire coop full of dozens of chickens. Without that cat the farmer would have walked out to every single chicken dead.
Yup, happened to my mom's flock once. It was devastating.
Same with my parents' flock but it wasn't a fox. Either raccoon or coyote. The worst thing is they just kill them all then leave most of the carcasses, such a waste.
Thanks for pointing that out. I live in rural Maine and most people I know who own chickens have had their entire livestock killed in one night by foxes or coyotes. Multiple times
And people think cats don’t care
"That's MY prey !"
"if I'm not allowed neither are you!!!"
Cats actually don't usually don't see adult chickens as prey, they are much too large. Chicks? Possibly depending on how good the cats temperament and training are. Anything bigger than rat sized isn't really seen as a meal to cats usually.
It probably doesn’t. The fox is just in its territory.
Our mean Ole cat attacked the lab/pit that was mauling our jack Russell when I was a kid and ran it off. She never showed a shred of acceptance to our dog except to save his life that one time. Princess.
definition of a sibling. they will call you shit and bully you around on the daily but nobody else is allowed to even look your way wrongly 🤣thats cats with dogs
Cats go after anything. They fear not.
Yeah they are so territorial. I have a cat who used to be a farm cat when she was a kitten, and she will growl at anything that walks by the window outside. I have to calm her down if it’s a large enough animal to upset her.
Aside from the bite, why did the chicken lost that many feathers? How?...
It's called fright molt (moult in British English)
Ah thank you! I was surprised I had to scroll so far to see someone asking my question about the feathers. I grew up always having a small flock of chickens for our family’s egg supply, but I never saw a fright molt happen. Kind of like lizards dropping their tails to help them escape.
Cartoon logic of chickens exploding with feathers is real I guess.
Thanks for asking the question that I completely forgot I was scrolling for.
moments like these really make me wonder what is going on in the brains of these animals. like how does the cat know it's not allowed to eat the chicken and even knows to protect it. i know animals are not dumb, but still.
Cats are colony animals, so like how dogs can protect sheep, they have an understanding of "This animal is in my group, even if it's not the same species."
Donkeys too!
So I’ve been curious about this strange behavior in other animals a while back. There’s something kinda like interference competition. While the cat doesn’t really care for the chickens, the fox disrupts his territory and may possibly interfere with what the cat does like. Chickens and cats don’t compete for resources so they kinda coexist.
Any professional insight to build on this would be awesome.
Domestic cats have a sense of community and territory. Feral ones will live in colonies in which the members will share in taking care of kittens and repeling intruders. They don't need to hunt cooperatively because their prefered prey is smaller than them.
That cat is habitualated to thinking of chickens as part of its colony, as it would people. The fox is an outsider and attacking that chicken is more than enough to warrant a forceful retaliation.
Cats generally just don't mess with chickens. It's part of why they work well in farms. Otherwise I don't think "allowed" is a concept they understand. In this case the cat probably is just defending its fiefdom and it's servants.
"That smelly forest dog-thing is on our territory again, better keep an eye on it... Oh shit, it's going after Human's groundbirds! Human takes care of groundbirds every day, they are part of the pack!! They don't fight well at all... Hold on groundbird, I'll take care of this!!!"
Cats are social and territorial. They understand who's part of the group and who isn't. A lot of barn cats befriend the livestock on their farm, including chickens. (The chickens might not reciprocate friendliness but there can be a mutual understanding.)
Tdlr: hunting isn't meant to be a fight and predators get deterred easily. Groups of herbivores gang up and set the standard. Farmer's reward sticking to the status quo. Domestication. Animals can become friends. Animals have strong 'in group/out group' instincts. Needs being met decreases competition.
The rooster of the flock could actually fight a cat fairly well, and will easily scare the predator pets whilst they're kittens or puppies and they learn that way as well as following the farmer's lead.
All the livestock are also usually kept in groups and can fight and drive off a lone predator. Chickens are actually pretty vicious tbh. Foxes get them all easily in a hen house because it's small and they can't get out/panic. A rooster would likely try to drive off a fox if they attacked a hen outside. It's usually about winning by numbers against a predator and deterring them/making them think it's not worth the fight - hunting takes a lot of energy and predators can't risk getting too injured or tired from a single hunt.
Also, cats often go for prey smaller than themselves that don't fight back. The flock will also protect and warn each other, which is why a lion will go for stragglers after making a herd run, it wouldn't just run into a big group and attack all of them. That's why prey animals usually form big groups as a way to protect from predators.
But the bigger thing is that domesticated farm animals coexist in a certain type of way - they understand they're all part of a group that mutually benefits and they are rewarded for staying in line with the status quo, e.g. the farmer gives them food and warmth and affection.
Farm cats actually very often patrol the territory and follow the farmer when they're feeding or moving animals, etc. They know the livestock well. We know that different species can make friends, e.g. dog and cat, cat and rabbit, etc, especially when they're not competing for food and all their needs are met and they're socialised to accept who is in the pack and who isn't. Farm cats will actually more often fight with other cats/the same species because they're competition and often be neutral with other species.
It's like how we domesticated wolves to be livestock guardians - dogs will literally sit and guard a newborn calf all covered in blood and placenta, even though it seems unintuitive. Those same dogs, however, would likely eat a newborn calf if it was from a different farmer's herd or they were starved.
Domesticated predator animals very much understand what their role is and where they fit in on a farm, and care about protecting the territory from 'out groups.''
The livestock animals will also usually gang up on a cat or dog if they're being out of line, and the farmer will also set the expectations of how the livestock is treated from the beginning.
Carnivores and herbivores actually coexist quite well in the wild and live close to each other - think a Serengeti watering hole where its like a 'truce.' Predators are actually pretty cowardly and can be deterred from a hunt quite easily - its the competition fights that are much more scary, e.g. a bull charging you, two rhinos or giraffes going at each other, etc, because they go for much longer and are actually a fight.
They see their owners tend to them and cultivate them in a similar fashion.
The fox is coming and disrupting and attacking. The cat knows it's not right and protects it like one of their own pack
Yeah, that fox got that chicken.
I love that cat's badass attitude. First surveying the situation like a sniper to detect the weakest spot, then attacking with that "and stay out!!!" attitude.
Plus that fox is at least 3x the cat's size.
Cats are bosses.
That fox wasn't done!
Cat be like: "Not on myow watch!" :D
Not on meow watch!
I was split on weather I just use "meow" or if I integrate the "my" into "meow"
NG
The cat just sees the fox as an intruder on his turf causing trouble. He also let the fox run right back towards the chicken after.
The fox ran across the back, not towards the chicken and the cat aimed for the fox again. Little foxy is getting clawed!
The fox and chicken both went in the same direction. That fox is definitely taking another go at the chicken he's just going to be faster about running off with it this time.
CATS ARE AWESOME. This morning my boy cat escorted me downstairs in the sweetest way. 😭 Like a little gentleman. He even opened the fucking door for me. 🤣
Cats are agile, fast, have teeth, claws, attitude and are territorial.
And now the fox has ro go hungry.
That fox didn't want no thunderbolt and lightning
Cats are underrated guard-animals, but it's not a matter of training, it's a family/pack thing... maybe territorial too? I've seen my house cats go full murder-fluff-machine to defend my family from perceived threats on several occasions.
Cats can be so scurry…BUT also SO super brave.
do chickens just eject feathers when in danger? lmao
Barn Cat, hooooooo!
I have two slightly feral smaller cats, and they take it as a personal slight if anything tries to hurt the chickens. Between them and my male turkeys I have a weirdly safe flock.
"I WAS GONNA EAT THAT!"
Cats are such gangsters
Do chickens just strip naked as a defense? The amount of feathers flying around is weirdly cartoony
Lol the cat was probably like “Look buddy this is my territory, if anyone is going fuck with these chickens it’s gonna be me.”
Cat-like reflexes being a thing (something like .12 seconds reaction time) with claws and teeth.. seems most animals have a genetic memory not to fuck with the little 4 pound killing machines
Man, that’s why I love house cats. They will throw down with absolutely anything without hesitation, no matter how big or small their opponent is.
Cats punch above their weight
Cats are freaking fearless.
My grandparents lived on a farm before they passed and had about 7 barn cats. Sadly, due to people throwing out their cats like garbage on their country road, they had all ended up there from my grandad feeding in their barn. Maaan, did they chase off armadillos, raccoons, opossums, even cows when they were being too ornery lol. They were brave af.
That cat is the opposite of fuckin around
I live way out in the north woods. My neighbors with several cats almost never lose chickens but those with only dogs lose chickens to wild predators every year
Birds saved: 1
Birds killed: 327
Defended? Sure. Saved? Unfortunately don’t think so.
Looks like the fox had another go out of the picture.
Something tells me that fox got what he came for eventually.
Chicken is dead. Fox got it on the 2nd run in as the cat gave up.
This is exactly why outdoor cats are such a disaster for wildlife. They are hunters and killers almost without equal.
“Give me back my dinner!!”
Do chickens dump feathers like that as a defense mechanism
Fright molt, yes!
r/Catswithjobs would love this
Cats are tough creatures. I had a cat growing up that was originally a stray that we took in. She was always very nice to people, but she would messed up the local fisher cats on multiple occassions and was never worse for the wear.
what was making the chickens feathers explode all over the place?
Seems like it was just being carried in the mouth but feathers were blasting in all directions like it blew up over and over
We have Maine coons for barn cats and they’re awesome!
We have a Neighborhood cat that lives W I L D.
Like, she's blind in one eye and will go to war with Foxes and other cats.
She's so sweet and cuddly and will follow you around the neighborhood, but has zero interest in actually being held, or coming inside. Somebody took her inside once and she destroyed their foyer and front room. They DID manage to get her to a doctor to get some shots, cleaning, and they gave her an AirTag.
I was walking my dog one night, heard a fox yelling, then heard a big fight, the fox runs up this little bowl in our neighborhood, crosses the street and into the woods. Like thirty seconds later the cat walks up to me and my dog from the same direction like, "Sup guys."
She's so funny. I get worried when I go a week or so without someone in my family seeing her, but that rarely happens.
A pissed off cat will go off like a hand grenade and punches way above its weight.
Every time I'm on r/cats and someone is asking if their play fighting kitties are really fighting, I get a chuckle because they've obviously never seen a real cat fight where the air is thick with flying fur and the sounds coming out of that battle will haunt you.
Good kitty 😌
What does the fox say?
In this case "Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit"
What bothers me is that the fox actually ran after the chicken at the end of the video. That probably didn't end well for the chicken.
AI for sure