I toht I taw a putty cat...

[ideasguy]

do you?




well, heres a closer view:


This annoying creature (I'm trying to be polite) has been stalking our birds in our garden ever since my best friend (our big black dog) passed away in April

Today as I looked out of the kitchen window over the patio - a grassed area, I spotted a few thrushes, what I now know to be a new 2010 flush - they were picking grubs.
A few minutes later, I spotted that putty cat emerge and walk over the patio WITH ONE IN ITS MOUTH
Out I went, shouting and waving frantically.
On the laburnam path I spotted the bird, lying on its side. Cat gone. I waited a minute or so and was very relieved to see it steady itself, and take flight.
I checked the garden a number of times over the next hour to make sure the cat was gone.
Then, I heard a commotion, and took the photos above, in a tree overlooking the patio.
I grabbed the camera, then "encouraged" that blasted cat to leave.

Ongoing....

[NightHawk]

I have to confess that I'm not a cat lover.  They seem so independent of their owners, staying away from home for hours every day, doing their business in other people's gardens, attacking defenceless birds and other creatures then returning home to sleep.  Before it all starts over again the next day.

Apologies to any of our members who are cat lovers - no offence to them, but you either love cats or hate them.

And once they find an alternative food source they will keep coming back.

George, I believe there is a plant that cats do not like, and may prove to be a good deterrent, if it's going to end up being a nuisance.  I don't know the name of the plant but a little research may pay dividends.

By the way, sorry to hear about your dog.

Laurie.

[ideasguy]

Lets just say I'm not a cat lover

Our neighbours behind- one has 3 cats, the other 5 (that I know of)
My new next door neighbour has 3.

I'll need a lot of those plants - or a new dog.

My big fella is sorely missed. As you know he was in most of my photographs - he was a very photogenic dog!
I have a new garden area planted where he was buried.
Only able to talk about him now, so will post a new topic.

[roiphil]

Not a cat lover or a cat hater we have 3, they do keep the mouse population down which is a good thing round here, but on the negative side they do harass the birds

[Lyn and Malcolm]

Keep the hose pipe handy, they don't like getting wet.

Thankfully the only time we get problems with cats is in the Spring after top dressing the flower beds. Nice soft dirt to poo in.
Being Mr Gadget, I did think of connecting the hose to a motion detector like you use for lights.
Cat comes over the front wall, then gets blasted with a strong jet of water. Bye Bye cat.
Don't worry about the postie, the detector would be controlled by a time clock, the cat only comes in under cover of darkness.

Malcolm

[ideasguy]

Hope we are not upsetting Eric (palustris) and other cat lovers.

Cat poo in the flower beds
I don't want that sort of surprise when weeding

I later discovered that the cat caught the fledgling in the greenhouse. I found feathers. Hope it wasn't another incident!
Since then, I haven't seen that cat OR the thrushes. I heard mother thrush calling her flock from up the lane on my boundary.
Plenty of hedging up there for shelter.

[newplantguy]

I agree with Malcolm, a hosepipe helps. Although we do have a cat!! - we kind of acquired him.
He does keep other cats away and where we live there the cat population has increased in the last few years.
Some people in our village have tried these sonic cat scarer's, I do no think they are always that effective.
If you keep pestering the cat it will move on to another garden nearby, if the owners do not , like cats they will do the same and it will return to you!!!
Paul.