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The cat next door!

Ladybarefoot
08/06/2019 21:51

Hello everyone, I am new here and this is my first post - I am after some general advice please about garden birds.

I always keep food out for the birds that visit my garden, and love seeing the sparrows coming to raid the bushes for insects and have a communal bath. I have blackbirds who visit, too, and I’ve even grown to love the pigeons who clumsily raid the feeders. My problem is that my next door neighbour has recently got a cat, and it turns out he is a keen hunter. At first he wore a bell, but she took it off him because she doesn’t want him to wear a collar, for his safety (which is fair enough, I love all animals).

A few pigeons have had near misses with this cat, as there are lots of bushes where he can hide, and I’ve seen him bring home a sparrow from another neighbour’s garden (and I’ve learned that they are category red?) Disappointed I stopped putting food out then, because I was afraid I was just creating a complete playzone for him. But since then, the birds have been coming as usual to the table and where the feeders were, but of course just finding them empty. I’m conscious that it’s breeding season and they will have young to feed. A local bird rescue posted about young starving birds being brought in to them and I just feel so much guilt.

I’m wondering really if anyone has advice on what I should do? Am I wrong to put out food when I know there is a predator around? Or is it wrong to not provide food when it has been so readily available? I’ve put ground coffee along the places the cat was hiding to try to deter him, and I’ve not seen him in a few days now. I’d love to hear what other people think as I’m torn completely on what to do for the best. 

Here’s some pictures of some of my visitors (Though I’m not great with a camera) Thank you for reading, Kath x 

  • 16/06/2019 21:31 in reply to VivienneV-34940929
    I think someone else must have mentioned that in a conversation with you. I didn't mention coffee, although my wife has mentioned to me in the past that she had been told that cats don't like the smell of coffee granules. Maybe it's that you need to invite your neighbour round for a coffee and casually mention the carnage that cats cause.
    I'm pleased that the obstacles seem to be working, they certainly do for us. I had observed the places that the cat suddenly dashed out and dragged a bird into the bushes and it cannot do that any more. Feeding birds successfully is down to observation of the habits of all the birds and also garden predators. They all have habits such as appearing at certain times of the day and once you know what they like, where and when, you can adapt to suit them.
  • 16/06/2019 22:19
    Yes, the coffee was one of the tips I picked up from a google search when my neighbour told me she didn’t want him to wear a collar for his safety. The smell of ground coffee is enough to put some cats off hanging around, supposedly. But I’ve got plenty of branches/twigs/plantpots that I can keep around the bushes now and move them around like you suggested so he can’t form any lurking habits here.

    A few weeks before this cat stopped wearing a bell, his owner actually helped me catch a sick pigeon from my garden so I could get it to a local bird rescue (a week later we got the sick partner to rescue too, and they have both since returned, but that is another story altogether!) So I know she does have some compassion for wildlife. I have never been a cat owner, but from speaking to friends of mine who have been, their predation seems to be an accepted part of life with cats! As surprised as I was to see a sparrow-hawk in the middle of Cardiff, I suppose I’ve been lucky to have only wild predators here for so many years, since cats are a big part of so many people’s lives. I’ll just have to learn to be more vigilant and now will be spreading the word amongst my cat-owning friends too!
  • 02/07/2019 16:57
    We have a bird bath in are gardarn
  • 29/07/2019 18:33 in reply to Lola123
    The birds seem to love the bath, I woke up one morning last week to a lot of commotion and found 5 pigeons all having a bath at the same time in this tiny bird bath! Kodak moment without a camera nearby...

    Still casualty free here anyway thankfully. Apart from the young Goldfinch who I found this evening, I think it must have flown into my patio doors as there was not a mark on it’s little body. Poor lamb :( but at least not a cat kill.