Cats against martens - effective home remedy or deadly danger?

A comparison of cats and martens

Adult male beech marten grow up to 54 cm tall with an additional tail length of up to 40 cm. Cats are on average 50cm tall with a tail length of up to 30cm. Martens and cats are pretty much the same size. However, house cats with an average body weight of 4kg are significantly heavier than stone marten, which weigh only around 2kg.

Cat or marten - who is stronger?

However, body weight does not necessarily have to say anything about the balance of power - on the contrary. Domestic cats are often heavier because they are overfed and / or have little exercise. Martens, on the other hand, are used to defending themselves, climbing trees or gutters and jumping far.

Martens and cats - encounters in real life

In practice it has been shown: If there is a fight between the marten and the cat, both the cat and the marten can emerge victorious. In either case, the cat is likely to be harmed and such fights should be avoided.

In extreme cases, a cat, especially if it is a young animal, can die fighting a marten.

Cat as a home remedy for martens

So why are cat hair and cats recommended as home remedies for martens? Cats are naturally enemies of martens and a marten usually thinks about it three times before messing with a cat. This is especially true if a cat is already present in a territory and the marten is new. In this case, the marten will avoid the already "occupied" area and not get in the way of the cat.

Cats are therefore a useful, preventive measure against martens.

Put the cat in the marten area

The situation is different when a cat comes into an area where a marten already lives. Martens are territorial animals and are reluctant to be driven away. This behavior increases many times over when it is mating season or when a young marten capable of marten has. A mother would do anything to defend her young - including killing cats.

So it is imperative to refrain from targeting a cat on a marten!