Expert: Dear Tabbi - 9/30/2009

Question
I have a wonderfully bold 5 month old kitten. He has free run of the farm and he originally was a barn kitten. He is the best cat I've ever had. He is affectionate, comes when called and sleeps in the house.  AND he has started stalking my homing pigeons.This has never been a problem with any other cat I've ever had. All the animals on the farm have always gotten along after all.  

I believe I can break him of this, although I've only had to do it with dogs and I used adverse methods. I'm thinking of putting kitten in a large carrier with wet (and disposable) pigeons for a few hours at a time.

I want him to fear pigeons but not me. The only other solution is to find a new home for him and my family will hate me for it.

The pigeons are an important source of family income and we are not set up for an indoor cat.  

Answer
Steve,

A pigeon is natural prey to a cat. That is normal, especially for a kitten. If it moves or flies, it is fair game to 'play with'. I spoke to a friend who has pigeons (nothing fancy) and has cats too. They are in an enclosed environment though...all in her big bedroom! She had to train the cats by, according to her, "whipping their butts" when they went after the pigeons. But she also has a pigeon that would attack the cat if it got too close! After her cats were grown she didn't have any problems with them. A cat that has a lot of feral background will have a stronger instinct to hunt....it comes from heredity.

I don't know about putting the kitten in a carrier with a pigeon, but you need to try whatever will work to discourage the kitten from going after pigeons. But there are no guarantees when it comes to birds and cats. It's not the kitten's fault. That is how Mother Nature made them. You just have to do the best you can to protect the pigeons until the kittens gets a little older and loses interest in them.

Tabbi