[StuartDH]

As part of the new 'How to...' series that we're currently developing for the new resources section of the website, we're building a guide to keeping cats out of the garden to help protect birds and small mammals.

We'd like to hear all your suggestions, tips and tricks, so please feel free to post your ideas here and we'll add them to the completed guide.

To start you off, here's what we've got so far:


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Creative Ideas

Fill some small bottles with water and place them randomly about the garden. Apparently, cats don't like the light that reflects off the waterr and will stay away.

Moth balls can be a great way of keeping cats away, however, they are also highly toxic and dogs usually find them very appetising...which is not a good idea.


Natural Remedies

Most cats will tend to stay away from pepper, especially cayenne, or mustard powder, but these may also deter small mammals.


Protect your Bird Feeders

Move them away from places where cats can hide and wait, out of sight from the birds


A waterhose/sprinkler placed in the garden and connected to your kitchen tap will enable you to give any unwanted visitors a quick spray


Ask your neighbours if they'll fit a bell collar to their cats. Some won't want to as they often consider a collar to be a strangulation risk and claim that the quick release collars just end up getting lost, but some might be hapy to.

Fit some bells or chimes to branches of your hedges or along the top of fences to warn birds as soon as the cats get close.


Lay out plenty of food for the birds, so that they don't have to forage under bushes.




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Feel free to add comments, suggestions and ideas, new sections, product reviews or any other relevant info.

Thanks

Stuart