too many frogs

[Bluecurl]

Hello, I have a very small pond and a garden which seems to suit frogs. I'm not sure of the number but probably around 20, the problem is one of my cats, Harry, he likes to bring the frogs into the house and as soon as it rains he's out there frogging, that is catching them. He is very gentle and so far has not injured or killed any but this can't be good for them. I would like somewhere to rehome at least some of them as locally as possible. I live in Portsmouth and regually travel to Bournmouth so I could take them to either area, preferably Portsmouth but I would like to find them a good home where they won't get immediatly eaten by birds or another cat who has more of a killer instinct than mine. Any suggestions?

[Harry Eales]

Originally Posted by Bluecurl

Hello, I have a very small pond and a garden which seems to suit frogs. I'm not sure of the number but probably around 20, the problem is one of my cats, Harry, he likes to bring the frogs into the house and as soon as it rains he's out there frogging, that is catching them. He is very gentle and so far has not injured or killed any but this can't be good for them. I would like somewhere to rehome at least some of them as locally as possible. I live in Portsmouth and regually travel to Bournmouth so I could take them to either area, preferably Portsmouth but I would like to find them a good home where they won't get immediatly eaten by birds or another cat who has more of a killer instinct than mine. Any suggestions?

Hello Bluecurl,

I'd collect those the cat brings in and take them to a local pond and release them there. They'll soon be leaving the ponds anyway so the problem will cease, until next year that is.

Harry (not your cat)

[Dogghound]

They may stay all year near the pond so the problem may not be that simple to resolve. Is there any way you can keep the cat away from the pond?

[Bluecurl]

@Harry
what I'm asking is, does anyone know of a local pond I can release them to.


@Dogghound
the frogs are all over the garden the pond is covered so the cat can't get them whilst in it. I would have to keep the cat out of the garden which is not an option.

[leon_heller]

I've had Burmese cats that have brought a frog in, and a toad, unharmed. The toad was sitting on the carpet, looking somewhat bemused.

I thought that they only needed water for breeding, the rest of the time they are in the undergrowth. They need moist conditions, of course.

[Harry Eales]

Originally Posted by Bluecurl

@Harry
what I'm asking is, does anyone know of a local pond I can release them to.

Bluecurl,
A look at an Ordnance Survey map of your area should show up scores of ponds. If you don't have one, try your local lending library.

Harry

[Mark_b]

Hey Bluecurl,

It is nice to see someone caring about the amphibians in their garden

Although it is highly unadvisable to move any of our native amphibians to different locations as you could be spreading diseases such as chytrid (more info ... Amphibian and Reptile Conservation - Amphibian Disease).

Small movements arent that bad i.e. a pond down the road. But this will just be an endless cycle as the numbers in your pond will go back up again.

I dont see a way of stopping your cat catching frogs, so I think you will just have to save as many as you can.

[Gill Catton]

I'd agree about not moving them to another pond as you might spread disease and actually they might just as easily be eaten by herons or hedgehogs at this other pond!

Also The new babies from the pond each year would quickly fill any gap in the population that you created so you could be risking transmmitting frogs (and diseases you can't see) to a new population for nothing!

I'd suggest strategically placing piles of logs or rocks in the garden for frogs to clamber into away from cats when they are being harrassed. I did this at my old house and by and large it worked petty well (I put them at the edge of thge garden and one next to the garden path (because I kept finding them on the path for some reason!). You can always put alpines or house leeks or similar into the tops of any piles to make them more part of the garden.

[clarebear]

We have the same situation with our cats and the frogs in our ponds. Thankfully the cats do not injure them as far as we can tell and we certainly still have plenty of healthy frogs around. As has been said there is not a lot that can be done. Just keep taking them back to the pond. I just wanted to offer my support and say that you certainly aren't alone!

ETA: it was nice to read the title 'too many frogs' as frog numbers are decreasing. Which is the main reason why we built so many ponds and have just started our largest yet. I know this probably isn't much comfort to you Bluecurl but perhaps it might be a little.