Cats

 

Neighbours have 2 young cats which  ... and killing the birds.

 ....

Not that old chestnut ...... don't take it personally, that's what cats do and they don't kill very many cos it's easier to eat at home rather than catch their own tea.

The estimated 16 million birds a year killed by cats sounds a lot to me.  The trouble is that cats hunting instinct cuts in and when they catch a bird they often don't kill it but leave it in a terrible mess.

And who is it that estimates that? 

I read about the numbers in a story by A. Rook, he often writes articles for the Daily Nest.

Pepper is a good repellent the trouble is you have to treat the area every time it rains. I use an electronic gadget which keeps them away but the batteries don't last long. Throwing rocks at them is the most fun and though I have yet to get a direct hit I live in hope.

Pepper is a good repellent the trouble is you have to treat the area every time it rains. I use an electronic gadget which keeps them away but the batteries don't last long. Throwing rocks at them is the most fun and though I have yet to get a direct hit I live in hope.

That's OK ,untill they start throwing the rocks back

And who is it that estimates that?

Just google it Molly.  If every cat had a collar with a bell on it chances are that the numbers would fall although nest predation would probably continue.  From the reading I've done over the years I think there is some exaggeration of the numbers but 16 million seems fairly reasonable.  Studies have found that some cats never appear to catch/kill birds in their lives. Whilst others appear to kill double the average.  I live fairly close to the centre of a small town and we get an average of between 20 or 30 bird kills a year left in our garden and we don't have a cat.  Last year I had to kill 2 swallows that had been badly mauled by a neighbours cat. 

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/cats-birds.html#cr

http://www.rspb.org.uk/makeahomeforwildlife/advice/gardening/unwantedvisitors/cats/birddeclines.aspx

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/10319711/What-effect-do-cats-have-on-British-wildlife.html

We rarely get cats in our garden, Our dog just loves to chase cats. The cats have learned to steer clear and just Poo, Pee and dig up the plants on all the neighbouring property. 

I quite like seeing cats, but not in my garden. 

K 

P.S  If you really want to find out how to stop the cat menace and don't have a dog, have a quiet word with a experienced pigeon fancier. They don't have any cat problem either.  

How come this thread was moved if it's not about pets?

(I believe that cats don't consider themselves to be pets - especially when they aren't yours)

One of the high powered water pistols.

Have to admit to using one of these to deter cats, a "super soaker". I like cats, but I don't want them in my garden. They're not daft, and very soon catch on to where they're not welcome, and give our patch a wide berth when on their rounds.

Yes, not only are they a nucience at home, they are becomming a nucience on site as some people seem to think its nice and clever to bring these awful things with them and let them roam all over the site, leaving their filth wherever yhey want. The club should ban them!! 

One of our neighbours has just got two young cats. We have a bird feeder outside our front window, on the open plan front garden. The cats lie in wait below this, frightening the birds, if not actually catching them.

I like cats, and certainly would not wish to hurt them. I have thrown things in their general direction, they think that this is a game and chase the clods of earth that I have thrown for their entertainment. I have opened the window to shoo them away, and they have treated this as an invitation to come into the house via the open window.

We have two dogs, but they are never left unattended in our enclosed back garden, so their cat deterent potential is limited. I am now faced with having to construct some mesh screens to guard the open windows of our rear conservatory, as I caught one of the cats attempting to prise an open window wider, so that it could enter and presumably attack the guinea pigs that live in there.

Imagine the out roar if dogs were allowed to roam freely through neighbours gardens, chasing cats and other wildlife ?