Cats

[Danny]

The neighbours' cats are decimating the bird population in our garden.

Any ideas how I can deter them - preferably humanely?

NB Before I get any diatribes on the subject can I say:
a) I have nothing against cats per se
I know it is natural for them to hunt

However in the wild you wouldn't get five different cats regularly hunting in a small garden.

 

[gbb]

You can try orange peel scattered round.
I was told cats cant stand the smell...is it true, i dont know, but we had a big problem with cats using one area of our garden as a toilet. Bloody stunk
Scattered orange peel about...and the problem seemed to go away.

 

[Aperitif]

Make good friends with them...in a 'loving moment' - in your garden of course - gently massage a nice poultice of powdered, mixed Coleman's Mustard on the cat's bum.

Bye bye cat.

 

[wafflycat]

The best way is for the cats to be wearing collars with bells & ID tags. This is what my three have and they catch very few feathered things. Their preferred prey are small rodents.

Let's see, I have many bird feeders out in the garden & feed the birds year round, and there's *at least* six cats visiting regularly (my three and three from various neighbours) and the birds are fine on the whole. I keep the bird food up in the trees and food I put on the ground is out in the open, well away from shrubs or other plants that could provide cover for a stalking felines. Indeed the biggest predator of small birds in my garden this year has been a sparrowhawk who views my provision of food for birds as a fast-food restaurant for it..

 

[Wolf04]

Cats eat birds it's the great circle of life! Have you tried feeding them Whiskers instead of birds? Orange peel works according to my cat alergic co-worker.

 

[wafflycat]

You can try orange peel scattered round.
I was told cats cant stand the smell...is it true, i dont know, but we had a big problem with cats using one area of our garden as a toilet. Bloody stunk
Scattered orange peel about...and the problem seemed to go away.

Cats *loathe* any strong citrus scent - also strong onion scent.

 

[fossyant]

Citrus peelings will work - is it that the cats are 'killing' or is it just because the birds aren't visiting !

We've got 3 cats, fortunately they are not bird catchers ! Butterflies / moths and stuff !!!

 

[wafflycat]

Citrus peelings will work - is it that the cats are 'killing' or is it just because the birds aren't visiting !

We've got 3 cats, fortunately they are not bird catchers ! Butterflies / moths and stuff !!!

There is that possibility. I find that the volume of birds visiting the garden varies from day-to-day, also the numbers within a species varies too. Currently loads of blackbirds and collared doves with fewer great tits or blue tits, and that seems to tie in with the general level found in Norfolk this year (2008 RSPB birdwatch survey results)

 

[Mr Pig]

NB Before I get any diatribes on the subject can I say:
a) I have nothing against cats per se
I know it is natural for them to hunt

I don't like them, either as animals or in principal.

We've got pet rabbits. They're kept in a run in our back garden. If you have a dog you have a responsibility to keep it under control. Why is it that if one person in a street wants a cat, everyone else has to put up with the thing in their garden? I don't want a cat. If I wanted a cat I'd get one. So why should I need to accept cats in my garden because someone else wants one?

And they are utterly selfish animals. As far as I'm concerned the best thing about them is that they'll fit in a microwave!

And before all the humorless twats start bleating on again, no, I have never put a cat in a microwave or killed a cat in any way. But in principal I think you should be allowed to kill any cat that enters your property.

And they don't hunt. They just kill stuff for the fun of it. Evil vermin with bells on.

We actually have the opposite problem, too many birds! They fly into our rabbit run and steal the rabbit's food. The little cute birds I don't mind at all but it's mostly big black mothers, sometimes half-a-dozen of them at a time, and what a racket they make! I'd happily kill them all too :0)

 

[Melvil]

The best way is for the cats to be wearing collars with bells & ID tags. This is what my three have and they catch very few feathered things. Their preferred prey are small rodents.

Let's see, I have many bird feeders out in the garden & feed the birds year round, and there's *at least* six cats visiting regularly (my three and three from various neighbours) and the birds are fine on the whole. I keep the bird food up in the trees and food I put on the ground is out in the open, well away from shrubs or other plants that could provide cover for a stalking felines. Indeed the biggest predator of small birds in my garden this year has been a sparrowhawk who views my provision of food for birds as a fast-food restaurant for it..

Wafflycat, as a cat owner could I ask you some advice?

I'm thinking of buying a cat. Could you give me some words of wisdom as to what kind of care and provisions they need aside from the basics?

Also, if anyone else has any sage words they'd be mopre than gratefully received!

 

[Maz]

But in principal I think you should be allowed to kill any cat that enters your property.

Like a cat burglar?

 

[Danny]

The best way is for the cats to be wearing collars with bells & ID tags. This is what my three have and they catch very few feathered things. Their preferred prey are small rodents.

Let's see, I have many bird feeders out in the garden & feed the birds year round, and there's *at least* six cats visiting regularly (my three and three from various neighbours) and the birds are fine on the whole. I keep the bird food up in the trees and food I put on the ground is out in the open, well away from shrubs or other plants that could provide cover for a stalking felines. Indeed the biggest predator of small birds in my garden this year has been a sparrowhawk who views my provision of food for birds as a fast-food restaurant for it..

Unfortunately the cats belong to the neighbours who mostly don't equip them with collars and bells. The one cunning bugger which did have a collar seems to have worked out how to take it off as we found it on our lawn.

The bird food is up in the trees - unfortunately the cats wait in nearby bushes waiting to pounce on any birds who set foot on the ground.

We too have an active sparrowhawk, who at least manages to efficiently eat every bit of its prey. In contrast the cats are already pretty well fed so tend to use any birds they've captured as playthings.

 

[barq]

I'm pretty sure places like B&Q sell a spray for deterring cats. Although how you feel about spraying it on your garden is a moot point. Anyway I'd buy one of those super-soaker water pistols. You won't harm the cats, but after a few direct hits they'll spend less time in your garden.

Incidentally one of my cats removes his collars so I don't get very far with that. Fortunately he doesn't seem to go for birds.

Melvil: In my experience regular short-haired domestic cats are lower maintenance. You may need to budget for vaccinations and getting it spayed/neutered. Catflaps are useful, but not essential depending on how much of the time people are around. Treatment for fleas, ticks and worms, or rather prevention of, is a good idea every once in a while. As for toys, I pretty much gave up because cats are as happy with a paper bag or old tennis ball. IMHO cats are very individual in how much attention they need. My older cat is very independent whereas the other cat clearly misses me when I leave him alone for more than a few hours.

 

[Melvil]

I'm pretty sure places like B&Q sell a spray for deterring cats. Although how you feel about spraying it on your garden is a moot point. Anyway I'd buy one of those super-soaker water pistols. You won't harm the cats, but after a few direct hits they'll spend less time in your garden.

Incidentally one of my cats removes his collars so I don't get very far with that. Fortunately he doesn't seem to go for birds.

Melvil: In my experience regular short-haired domestic cats are lower maintenance. You may need to budget for vaccinations and getting it spayed/neutered. Catflaps are useful, but not essential depending on how much of the time people are around. Treatment for fleas, ticks and worms, or rather prevention of, is a good idea every once in a while. As for toys, I pretty much gave up because cats are as happy with a paper bag or old tennis ball. IMHO cats are very individual in how much attention they need. My older cat is very independent whereas the other cat clearly misses me when I leave him alone for more than a few hours.

Cheers Barq. Will bear this in mind! Any experiences with cat litter trays - do they stink out the house or are they bearable?

 

[wafflycat]

Wafflycat, as a cat owner could I ask you some advice?

I'm thinking of buying a cat. Could you give me some words of wisdom as to what kind of care and provisions they need aside from the basics?

Also, if anyone else has any sage words they'd be mopre than gratefully received!

If you're going to get a cat may I suggest getting one from an animal shelter? There are an increasing number of cats & kittens being dumped - credit crunch fallout. Then, may I suggest getting a black cat as they prove to be the most difficult to get rehomed. Not because there's anything wrong with black cats, just that even in the 21st century there are idiotic folk who think black cats are 'unlucky' or have 'black magic evil'...

Basics:-

neutering/speying - all should be 'done' If you don't an intact tom *will* roam, *will* get into fights, *will* spray urine round his territiroy (your home) and will add to the cat overpopulation problem. If you keep a female intact, she will come into heat again, and again, and again... and she will *howl* and *HOWL* and be a better escape artist than Houdini and she *will* come back home very pregnant..

Pests & diseases:-

Cats need to be vaccinated annually against several potentially fatal diseases. The first main vaccination is a series and after that it's an annual booster jab.. against cat 'flu, feline leukemia.. Worming - should be wormed every couple of months or so. Get a proper wormer, such as Drontal dual wormer either from vet or online. Fleas - there's no need for a cat to get fleas these days, as there's some seriously good flea infestation preventatives out there. I like using Frontline - you can get it from vet or online. I prefer Frontline spray as having three cats, the spray works out cheaper than the 'spot-on' stuff that's put on the back of their necks.

Food: If you get a kitten, it should be started on proper kitten food, small meals many times a day, reducing down meal frequency as it grows. Adults - normal adult cat food. Elderly cats (usually over 8 years) require a 'senior' cat food which is a bit lower in protein so kind on old kidneys.
Water - unrestricted access to water 24/7, fresh every day.

Longhaired cats require grooming daily - a good brushing stops fur getting knots and matting.

ID - either get your cat mincrochipped and/or have it in a collar with ID tag & bell. The bell serves to give a bit of warning to birds - works well.

Cat litter tray: Ideally 1 per cat with one extra. I prefer the lidded litter trays, as they stop litter being sprayed about the place as the cat digs. Must be cleaned of 'offerings' daily and litter renewed when required. Cat litter - loads out there to choose from. The traditional stuff is the grey 'fullers' earth' clumping litter. It's okay but quickly allows nasty niffs to develop. I prefer the wood based litters, that is basically pellets of compressed sawdust. Much more plesant smell from the litter itself and the wood absorbs feline nasty niffs much better than the clay-based litters IMO.

other advantages to getting a cat from a shelter include it may already be speyed/neutered so you don't have to figure that in as an extra cost. It may also be microchipped for ID and it may have it's first set of vaccinations already done.

Can I recommend Cats' Protection as a source of pet cat! They have a network of shelters throughout the land and I much prefer them to RSPCA in terms of the work they do to rehome & look after unwanted cats

http://www.cats.org.uk/homeacat/how_to_get_a_cat.asp

The other advantage of getting a cat from somewhere like Cats' Protection is that if your circumstances changed in the future, or if you and cat did not settle, they will take the animal back from you.

Hope this helps