Sudden Cat Problem in garden, should i stop feeding birds?

Hi am66 sorry you found the bird remains in your garden, but the feathers do suggest it could have been a Sparrowhawk.  I know how you feel as I have a cat problem too and have lost birds to them.  My favourite solution is to spray them with water, but that only works when I'm there.  You could try Hazel's suggestions, but I wouldn't advise you stop feeding.  If you have feeders on the ground make sure birds have a clear view all round and there's nowhere a cat can spring out unseen.  Good luck.

Hi everyone, thank you very much for your replies. I found feathers and what looked like a beak left behind,that was all, really horrible. I have a large laurel hedge and I would be very surprised if it was a sparrow hawk as its not an open space, but I don't know much about them. I had assumed that the cat had hidden in the hedge and pounced. I will have a look at the ultrasonic device, I had seen something similar but was concerned it may upset the dog! :) will look into it. Have not had this problem before as I live near quite a busy road and not good for cats. Hopefully Brian(the greyhound) will give them a bit of a shock and they wont return!

Hi am66,  good luck finding a solution to the cat problem;  regarding the Sparrowhawk,  it has no trouble diving into our Laurel bushes in pursuit of the birds so it looks quite likely that is what happened with finding remains of the bird.  I'm sorry it was so upsetting for you but sadly that's the more grim side of nature I'm afraid and the Sparrowhawk needs to feed too, at least it is killing for food and out of necessity and not just for the fun of it.    Its never nice to see predatory action but on the bright side, the Sparrowhawk's success rate is less than 10% on average.        There is an interesting article here about them  - it is a PDF file which you download. 

Good luck, hope Brian helps protect your back garden so you can continue enjoying the birdlife .

X-post with Alan (Doggie)   !!

Hi, sounds like sparrowhawk and not local cats to blame then! I was upset thinking the cat had got it for no other reason than to play with it as they certainly aren't hungry(unless they are feral cats) as you say its nature and sparrowhawk has to eat. i find it hard with cats as its not for food, its just for fun, know that's how cats are and don't like them because of it! They wreak havoc on the natural wildlife and poo in your garden to boot! :)

Thanks for the info, it amazing what you learn on here, I would never have thought a sparrow hawk would be around in gardens in built up area.

You're welcome am66,  I hope you continue to enjoy your bird friendly garden and see lots of nice visitors, especially during the spring season.  If you have a nesting box you may find a Blue Tit will find your garden and maybe raise a brood.  There is lots of information on this website for nesting boxes and attracting more birds into the garden.  If you do want to add a nesting box, for better success try facing it between North and East direction and about 10ft off the ground.  For sparrows you could put a box under the eaves of the house.      Good luck, sounds like you have a lovely garden with shrubs to attract the birds :)

Hi Hazel, thank you for that. Have never had nest box as neither me or partner great at DIY. My garden is very wildlife friendly as in a lot of it is untouched! I have 2 large hedges, laurel in front & I don't know what the other one is usual hedging plant(box?), but it is a bit of a monster now, probably 15ft, neighbour has asked if he could cut it to 8ft which is fine as long as he does it soon before nesting starts. :)

LOl! Brilliant :)