cats

Hi. I have a backyard habitat set up for birds, my neighbor has two lovely children and a killer cat. The kids love the cat, the cat eats my birds, saw a Harris Sparrow last month in its jaws as well as a indigo bunting. I have talked to him twice and he laughs at me saying that is what cats do. Any ideas what I can do? I did not think sprays worked and the yard is too big. Thanks
brainerd

Speak to him once more time nicely then check your townships laws about owners leaving their cats loose.

If its illegal (like most places) explain that to the neighbor and if he doesn't do anything about it tell him you will be forced to call authorities.

Its a bad situation but you need to give the neighbor as many chances as possible before calling the township.

Please keep us updated!

Brainerd... I had the same problem with my neighbors and did as Pelle has suggested.
In my backyard, I've found a 60 pound cat-hating chow and a psycho cocker spaniel do the trick. As the front yard isn't fenced, I had to take matters into my own hands.
I realize cats eat birds but the thing wasn't eating birds in the neighbors' yard... he was eating birds in mine. And a lot of birds... several cardinals, and I just can't take it when I see a female cardinal sitting alone in a tree as night falls, I just know she's waiting for her mate who's become cat food.
Anyway, after seeing the thing tackle a bluejay, I told them the next dead bird I found in my yard, I was taking their cat to the animal control shelter.
The next dead bird I found, I actually gave them one more chance... I wrote a note saying "One more bird and your cat is county property" and put the note on a ribbon and tied it around the cat's neck.
I hope he's found a good home.

This message was edited Dec 4, 2007 11:29 AM

In my county, it's a law that cats and dogs have to be in the house, or in the yard. Cats have to be leased in the yard. We've been here for over 10 yrs. and it seems the cat/dog owners don't give a darn about the law. I'm fed up with cats in my yard all the time; going potty in flowerbeds, stalking, killing and eating birds and even camping out in my yard! I'm fed up having dogs in my yard barking at me, going potty and running through my flowerbeds! I've seen cats sit under my bird feeders jump up to get a bird or two, wait till the birds fly to the ground to get them, sit and look up to the birds on the feeders, just waiting for a chance to get them and/or sit back hidden (or not) to stalk and surprise the birds. I've seen cats carry away a bird in its mouth, etc..............

:-(

The animal control is truly worthless! We used a small animal cage years ago (from them), placed a can of cat food in it and because we live next to acres of wooded pasture, would only get raccoons or possums. Then, they tell us that it's illegal to trap wild animals. DUH! We were only trying to capture cats for them to come get them. The only time a cat got trapped, the animal control officer couldn't get to the house til later and the rotten kids (7 -8 kids who never went to school across the street and were always outside playing and being terrors) trespassed into our yard when we went to get a bite to eat and let the cat go. Their dogs and cats were always loose and in my yard and one time one of their dogs followed me into the house. Thanks goodness they moved 3 yrs ago! Neighbors from he__ !!! From the parents all the way down to the 8+ kids!!!

I've cut thorny bramble branches to put in flowerbed, had orange and orange peels outside by the birds. Doesn't seem to stop the animals. :-(

It's extremely stressful and aggravating! And stress aggravates my MS too. Seems like everyday I have to yell and chase a darn cat(s) out of the yard. And, more than once a day (lots of times each day).

:-((



This message was edited Dec 4, 2007 12:14 PM

This message was edited Dec 4, 2007 4:52 PM

I wonder how spraying the cats with a good strong jet of cold water would work? Might be cruel in the winter but their opportunistic and probably unnecessary (for survival) killing is too. Thank Goodness I don't have any close neighbors, I'd go NUTS!

Point them at this website:
Cats Indoors Campaign
http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/cats/index.html

Guide them through all the nasty things that happen to cats when they're outside, getting run over, diseased, eaten by coyotes, stolen, shot, tortured by disfunctional kids, poisoned by discarded rubbish, etc., etc., etc. And how much safer and healthier their cat will be if kept inside.

Resin

Resin... do you know if that Website is available in Spanish?

Sorry, not that I know of. Maybe send them an e-mail and ask if they can get at least parts of it translated?

Resin

Thanks everybody. Yes we do have an ordinance here for loose cats and I could invoke that. You know the drill though, it would ruin the relationship with the neighbor, albeit one wonders if it is a good relationship if the neighbor only laughs at my concern. It is interesting the link about the dangers to outside cats, reason being they had two cats, the one being the ultimate stalker and killer, was run over by an 18 wheeler. When this happened the more gentle cat became a killer. He brings home birds daily to the neighbor and drops them on his porch. I have tried the waterhose, supersoakers, baseballs, full pop cans, gardening tools, whatever I had in my hand to throw at him to scare him but he just mocks me. He uses the whole block as a toilet as well. I guess it comes down to the neighbor or the birds. If it wasn't for his two wondeful kids, they just love that cat, I would live trap him and take him to the pound. I really am at a loss because i just love the birds. It is bad enough that we have so many sharpshinned hawks around and also these below zero temps, they really are the little vulnerable saints that do nothing to hurt anybody but yet are prey to so many adversities.

Check out this website for some unbelievable statistics on cats and the number of birds they kill in Wisconsin alone. http://www.wnrmag.com/stories/1996/dec96/cats.htm
I don't know how to create a hyperlink so if someone could explain it then you could just click on the above link. Thank you.
Jim

Arrghh!! Good luck and I hope you get the problem solved.

Here you go Jim.

http://www.wnrmag.com/stories/1996/dec96/cats.htm

Pelle, How did you do that please?

I'll D mail you Jim.

We have same trouble with a neighbbors cat -Rosie. Rosie was adorable as a kitten but has grown into a pesty beast. I asked Rosie's owner to at least but a bell on her but no luck. I told him we get Western Bluebirds to our bird bath - they are an endangered species - or were. His reponse a big no.

But my dear friends we found a solution. An electronic motion sencing device which emits a sound that only animals can hear. I observed Rosie as she approached her ususual spot near the bird station. She ran away - and has stayed away.

Snowtop,

Great!!! What's the name of it? Where did you get it? How much was it? How far does it work to keep the cats away? I'm wondering if I'll have to get more than one for my yard (I've spread out my bird feeding).

I've read that a bell or bells don't work, because cats can quietly sneak up on birds.

I think it's a crying shame that people anywhere in the U. S. allow their cats to roam freely outdoors in everyones' yard at all time and not give a darn other people having to put up with the cats in their yards. Since our county has a lease law for both dogs and cats, it's even more so of a crying shame! And, I have to put up with other peoples dogs and cats in my yard and have been doing so for over 10 years. Extremely inconsiderate!!! ;-(

Marilyn

Wow, Thanks snowtop!

Great information!

The cost is $50.00 - a bit pricey but worth it.

www.provenrepellents.com

Thanks Snowtop for the link!

I hope it won't scare the wild rabbits! I like for them to come around and eat the ground bird food.

Maybe after the first of the year, I can get DH to let me get it! ;-)

Marilyn

I have two questions:

1) It sounds like the electronic motion device works, but I am wondering if you have any experience with it scaring the wild rabbits. I would assume it would scare them away as well.

2) Has anyone had to quit feeding birds because of a neighbor's cat attacking birds/rabbits?

I have lived here three years and only today saw evidence that a cat had killed a bird. Although it is winter here, there has been a cat jumping my back fence and hanging around the yard.

Our Christmas guests are finally gone ... yippie ... now I can get back to my bird watching. I hope everyone had a good Chrismas and a better upcoming new year.

DH & I used to have a couple of cats (of course, we kept them indoors and didn't allow them to be pests for our neighbors). Our cats were wild about catnip. Just a little bit of it and they'd be stoned for a hour or more.

This may be a crazy idea; but who knows, it might work. Try putting out some catnip a few yards away from your bird feeders. It might work to lure the cats away from your birds.

Dried catnip is fairly inexpensive and you can buy it in the pet section of Walmart or similar stores.

There a nasty tempered foo-foo male dog that roams into our yard, lifting its leg on everything. I keep threatening to buy a high powered squirt gun (shoots up to X feet) fill it with red colored water and shoot at it. Won't hurt the dog,but will surely inconvenience the owner. Then keep my mouth shut about who in the world did that.

Jo,

DH thinks would would costs us a bunch to get those electronic motion devices, since my bird feeders are spread out, so we're not going to get them.

I like the wild rabbits eating the bird food on the ground (but not my flowers and plants), so I'm wondering if those things would scare them away too.

We've been feeding the birds every day and every year since Dec. 2000 and haven't stopped even though the neighborhood cats stalk and kill birds and rabbits. We just keep scaring the darn cats away. Cats don't stop coming into the yard in the Winter, at least around here they don't. I've seen them when the grass is wet from rain and has snow on it (and when its dry and cold).

Marilyn

Very interesting thread with some great links! Thank you Snowtop for the link for the electronic device! We have 4 cats in our household (was 5 until one of the old gal's passed last year.) We LOVE cats but we also LOVE birds and have many feeders and a few birdbaths in the backyard. Our cats are indoor kitties! The only outside they know is the screened pool enclosure that runs the length of the back of our house ... so they have lots of fresh air, year round! We too have a problem of neighborhood cats climbing the fence to go after the birds! Unfortunately our city and county don't have laws requiring owners to keep them indoors or on a leash. They are free to roam and kill birds at will. It really makes me mad! Cats are cats, yes and it's natural instinct for them to prey on anything that moves ... well fed or not, that instinct is always with them! I could maybe understand if it were a hungry feral cat, hunting and killing to have a meal. But, it really irritates me when people let their cats roam free and don't even care. 30 years ago we had a cat that roamed too and she came up missing. We never found out what happened to her so from then on any feline we added to our family has been an indoor only kitty. Unfortunately there are many, many pet owners (of both dogs and cats) who don't consider their pets as part of the family, they think of them as just animals, or property.

I might have to get one of those electronic devices and put it out in the area of the yard where the birdfeeder's are located to see if it will keep the neighborhood cats away.

The electronic device works! No more cat problems - Rosie (neighbor's cat) has finally been defeated. It's worth the money.

Very good! Glad to hear that!