Hi
I have just moved into a house that has a wonderful garden and there are so many birds, it's wonderful.
The only problem is I have 2 young cats.
I have bought one of the feeding stations where everything is on a pole in the hope that the cats can't get the the birds. The pole also has a bowl for water and a mesh tray for birds like Dunnocks etc.
My question is, where do I put it? I know the birds need cover nearby to fly to and from the feeder but I don't want it so clise that the cats can hide in it. We do have some trees but they are too tall for me to hand feeders on them.
I know cats are the bane of the bird population but I do so love watching the birds that I want to try and find a way that I can feed them in a safe way.
Thanks
Heather
Hi Heather, thanks for getting in touch!
• Place feeders high off the ground but away from surfaces from which a cat could jump - so an open area is probably best.
• Place spiny plants (such as holly) or an uncomfortable surface around the base of the feeding station to prevent cats sitting underneath it.
• Place an upturned tin or cone underneath the table to prevent cats from climbing the post (squirrel ‘baffles’ are already commercially available).
• Make the table-stand slippery using a metal post, or plastic bottles around non-metal posts.
• Plant wildlife-friendly vegetation, such as prickly bushes and thick climbers in the garden to provide secure cover for birds. This should be close enough to where birds feed to provide cover, but not so close that cats can use it to stalk birds. See "Planting Gardens for Birds"
Position nest boxes where cats cannot reach them or sit close to them (preventing the parent birds from getting to the box).
Hope that helps!
L
Hi Lloyd
Thanks heaps for all the great advice. I was planning to plant a holly anyway so I might incorporate that somehow.
I know this sounds like a silly question but, there are a few blackbirds that are currently filling themselves up on worms in the lawn. The cats can't get out yet as we have only been here a week. Will the birds spot them straight away and not come down to land?
2 neighbours have dogs so I am guessing the cats won't go in their gardens, will the blackbirds be able to go there instead.?
I love my cats, just wish they would be vegitarian like me ;o)
Thanks again, I will try to incorporate all your advice.
Suggest to help the birds you put collar with bells on the cats.
Many people tell me that they have been able to train their cat not to catch birds, although I don't know whether they stop catching birds or simply stop bringing the dead things into the house. One trick that is likely to work, however, is aversion therapy. Nature's own defences rely on bad smells or tastes to stop a predator taking certain animals. We all know the bad smell and taste of the liquid a ladybird exudes - it is so fowl that no predator will twice make the mistake of trying to eat a ladybird. We can use the same principle with domestic animals. If your cats turn out to be killers, I suggest you gently remove any bird they bring to the house without scolding the cat, and then, out of sight of the cat so it does not suspect fowl play, prepare the dead bird. I hope you are not squeamish. Cut the skin in the chest area and separate it from tissues underneath it (there should be no bleeding and it is easy to do since the skin is very losely attached at this point) to create a cavity. Stuff this cavity with the strongest mustard you can get your hands on (or a very strong toothpaste), pull the skin back over and give the bird back to the cat to play with. It will not take long before it tastes the mustard, and since vast majority of cats hate the flavour, it should not take many attempts to convince the cat that birds taste absolutely fowl, and this will put them off hunting birds in the first place. Let's hope you won't have the problem in the first place, but if you do and try out the 'therapy', I hope it works for you.