Do Minks go after cats?

Does anyone know if a Mink would attack a cat? I didn't know we had Minks where we live but my neighbour told me the other day he found 10 of his chickens dead. He said he didn't think the wolves or the bear did it and suspected it was a Mink. He said the chickens were all laying there as if they had had heart attacks. They weren't ripped apart or anything.
I have an outdoor enclosure for my cats and it is a mixture of different types of fencing with the largest holes being about 3 inch squares.
I'm feeling nervous about putting my cats in their enclosure now even though I've been putting them out there for 2.5 years.

Now there's a question we hear every day! LOL I found this:

http://www.petplanet.co.uk/news_arti...article_id=322

and this:

http://www.igorilla.com/gorilla/anim...e_to_kill.html

I doubt they'd bother with a cat, or that they were the culprit with the chickens, if none were ripped into. Do you even live near water or a stream? Why does he thinks minks were even the culprit? Did he see footprints?

I DONT THINK THEY WOULD GO AFTER AN ADULT CAT WHO CAN BITE AND SCRATCH, MAYBE AN OLDER CAT OR KITTEN.:eek:
I THINK THEY GO AFTER EASIER PRAY THAN A CLAWED FIGHTER LIKE A CAT!!!:love::love:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Karen

I doubt they'd bother with a cat, or that they were the culprit with the chickens, if none were ripped into. Do you even live near water or a stream? Why does he thinks minks were even the culprit? Did he see footprints?

---

I'm not sure why he thinks this, he just mentioned it to me in passing. He did say that Minks suck the blood out of their prey and don't bother with the rest of it. I don't know if this is true or not. I didn't even know we had Minks in this area until he told me and I've asked around and apparently we do.
As far as living near water, we are pretty close to the ocean but for fresh water we have a large pond in our yard, kind of like a mini lake. I think our neighbours have a pond too (not the guy with the chickens though).

There was a bear in his yard that he said wandered into our yard after it ate his fruit from his trees. And the wolves pass through both our yards in the wee hours of the morning. I guess he thought it was a Mink because the chickens were mostly in tact and so was their enclosure.

Medusa wrote:

Quote:

---

Now there's a question we hear every day! LOL

---

I know! I felt kind of silly asking such a question. LOL Thanks for the links, I read them both. Sounds like they could go after a cat but would be far more interested in other animals to prey upon like rabbits and birds and stuff.

Catmandu wrote:

Quote:

---

I THINK THEY GO AFTER EASIER PRAY THAN A CLAWED FIGHTER LIKE A CAT!!!

---

I think you're right about this. :)

But I must say, when I went out to the enclosure to bring George and Ollie in, George was in a real state. He was puffed up like I've never seen him and he was looking towards the wooded area that my neighbour lives on the other side of. He was crouched down and had a full mohawk going down his back. His eyes were as wide as saucers. My dogs were out at the same time and their area is right next to the cat enclosure so I don't think it was the bear. Muddy smells the bears right away and barks his head off.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Emeraldgreen

I'm not sure why he thinks this, he just mentioned it to me in passing. He did say that Minks suck the blood out of their prey and don't bother with the rest of it. I don't know if this is true or not.

---

It is not at all true! I think he's confusing minks with vampires. Minks are predators, and eat the flesh of their prey - it'd be pretty hard subsisting on fish blood, and fish are one of their primary food sources in many areas!

I'm sure George would love to go after a mink - he can smell them, I am sure, but I am glad he didn't try it, as they are vicious critters with sharp teeth!

Sounds like either a Chupacabra, poison, or a disease. And I've yet to see convincing evidence of a Chupacabra.

Love, Columbine