Ahhh cats!!!

[ediblehedge]

Hi everyone,
I think we're the only ones in our street consistently feeding birds - I bought two bird tables and there's feeders high up too, but the robins, blackbirds, dunnocks etc prefer to feed on the ground, plus you can't make sure birds don't go low as they feed in bushes etc... however, there are two cats that are constantly trying their luck with catching them. I've tried to place pots in the way, clear some areas so they can't lurk, put sharp holly etc around in certain places and also chase them ferociously with a large stick (I think they just see me as a game now!). I work at home and so I get to see a lot of what happens, and so far, one ginger one has cleared out a robin's nest and the b&w one has grabbed a few from the feeder area.
I went round to the owners house to ask if they had seen any robin young but I got a very frosty response. I wasn't trying to tell them what to do but I was trying to help the robins in case they had one that was alive... ah! We have a cat but he is old now and we trained him not to catch them by telling him off whenever/if he caught one, he seemed to regret it afterwards as he was never stroked or given nice food for a day and he got the message and now he sits and watches them but does not go after them (aren't we cruel!). So what shall I do with these other two?
I've thought about a potato gun, a water pistol... I don't want to injure them but every time our door opens they hear it and run off... part of the game I guess... I've got to the point I want to catch the cats and post them off to the RSPB with 'bird catcher around their necks'!!!
Thanks for your help!
Sorry if this question is not new and if there's an older thread but I guess there's lots of us feeding birds with neighbourhood cats and someone might have a fantastic solution ;o) I hope!

[bigdave60dog]

The really big Soaker water guns are good but after a while they just run off when they see you coming only to return when you are gone.
You wont change nature and a cat is a cat. Drives me mad though -and they are my cats.
Dave

[faz]

welcome to WAB ther are lots of threads on this subject im going to stand back put my hard hat on watch and see i use the hosepipe as soon as my door opens the cats are off so sort of a deteriant
good luck

[htcdude]

Try putting curry powder around sometimes this helps.

Do you know who owns the cats? Ask them to buy a collar with a bell on, at least the birds might have a chance of hearing them coming.

Otherwise find some small stones and invest in a catapult

Nige

[~T~]

I use a black widow catapault and some marbles. Seems to work after a few good shots. One in particular will walk round my garden and it once was probably the worst offender.

[stigofthedump]

Originally Posted by ~T~

I use a black widow catapault and some marbles. Seems to work after a few good shots. One in particular will walk round my garden and it once was probably the worst offender.

I'm toying with the idea of using a small catapault with frozen sweetcorn. I dont want to hurt the cat just give it a fright. I get as far as ordering one and think 'what if I hit it in an eye'.
So I'm just playing the mad man of the neighbourhood and chasing them, think the cats just think it's a great game.


Vince

[Pipa]

if you think hitting a cat with a catpault and a missile is any better than the cat killing a bird then there is something seriously wrong with people (refering to the guys/girls with the catapult and marble/stones)
you condem a cat for doing something it does by nature, yet you intentionally want to hurt a cat..tsk...

there is some things you can get that cats do not like. certain plants and electronic repellers, (you would have to google for the cat repeller plants i forgot what they are called) a water pistol is good as cats dont like water, or doing what you do, chase it, clap loudly as you chase it and hope they get the idea

[htcdude]

Originally Posted by Pipa

if you think hitting a cat with a catpault and a missile is any better than the cat killing a bird then there is something seriously wrong with people (refering to the guys/girls with the catapult and marble/stones)

My idea was to scare the cat off by hitting something nearby, not the cat itself.

Nige

[ediblehedge]

Hi, I bought some curry plants as they're meant not to like them but I caught one standing on one!
I love gardening and would never buy catmint etc and so have opted for sharp razor hawthorn, holly and roses!
I do like the idea of the hosepipe... if only I could rig it so I can put it on and point without opening the door which always alerts the cats to my presence!

We have a fox den in our garden and at night the adults seem to do a good job in chasing the cats out, I wonder if a cat deterrent would also deter the foxes and hedgehogs too? I wouldn't want to deter them.

[ForestPaul]

Originally Posted by ~T~

I use a black widow catapault and some marbles.

Cruel and illegal, and not something to boast about on an open forum I would have thought.

To give you an idea of how other people might see it, try reading this - Cats seriously injured in ‘barbaric’ catapult attacks