Hodmedod.one Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 All through the winter I have been feeding the wild birds that visit my garden. It has probably cost me over £100 but I am happy to pay that price to have 3 types of woodpecker, goldfinches, long tailed tits, bullfinches etc regularly visiting my garden. Today I went out to top up the feeders and found a half eaten goldfinch. I know it is the cat from a few doors down the lane that is responsible as I regularly see it stalking around the feeders. Why can't people keep their cats under control? "They are only doing what comes naturally" is no excuse. If I let my dog kill the cat and encouraged him to dump on my neighbours lawn he would only be "doing what comes naturally" but I don't think the neighbour would like it. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver pigeon 3 Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 Shame, if you lived closer i have a Patterdale/Jack terrier that really hates cats (don't ask how i know :o ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitebridges Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 (edited) Have you got lesser spotted woodpecker then? If a bloody cat got hold of one of them..........bad enough the thing taking goldfinch. We we could halve the number of domestic cats song bird numbers would go through the roof, relatively speaking. Oh and the world would be a much better place. Edited March 19, 2012 by Whitebridges Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laird Lugton Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 (edited) I use sonic alarms around the bird feeders and it seems to keep next doors cat away from the bird feeders. Edited March 19, 2012 by Laird Lugton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zapp Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 Posts alluding to harming pets have been removed. We have to do this every single time this topic comes up, and every time we try to remind people that this forum is open access for anyone wishing to read it. What you say on here reflects on us all. Any more posts of a similar kind will result in the thread being closed and people's accounts getting restricted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Mongrel- Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 I don't get this. If you choose to feed birds you will also attract anything that preys on them, you are actually part of the problem. To then moan about it is like moving next to a school/pub and complaining about the noise. I don't begrudge anyone feeding birds and enjoying watching them, but if you live in a relatively populated area then you just have to accept that other people and their pets etc are going to affect you. I don't like cats much either but have dogs so don't get them in the garden, however, we have shared off road parking and for some reason my motorbike seems to have become a local scenting post! C'est la vie, I just have to wash it more often...or move it. My choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karpman Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 It's a tough one mate. Not to much you can do unfortunately. My neighbour feeds the birds mercilessly and don't take care of his feeders to well so I get a few sick finches round here and the local moggy seems to do a fair job of cleaning em up. Karpman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSPUK Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 I know where you are coming from mate - we are plagued with kids - they gob - spit chewing gum all over the place - swear and cuss at everyone - spray walls - vandalise buildings and church's - pinch peoples property - play loud music - walk round with their rear end's showing - the young girls are pregnant every 9 months -their little spogs screem constantly day and night - it's costing me a fortune in family allowance - then lunch time they throw their chip paper all over the place - you would think the parents would keep control of them and not let them out till they can buy their own house's or they are old enough to go straight to prison - I don't know what world is coming to. And don't get me started on barking dog's that mess up the pavements all round my house - should I scoop it up and throw it back into their gardens or try and get it onto roof of their Range Rover Sport's - Then there are all these anti sociel people going out on calm summers day shooting and making life intolerable for rest of us - - then these other shooters shooting poor animals - I just don't know what to say - life's a bitch and you get moaning minnies all the time. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 Shame, if you lived closer i have a Patterdale/Jack terrier that really hates cats (don't ask how i know :o ) I thought he liked them, you know, the flavour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david hunter Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 ask your neighbour to buy a coller with a bell on it alerts the birds and they fly off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
death from below Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 What exactly would you want me to do (as a cat owner) to keep my moggy under control? I understand your angst at the local cat eating your birds but Jeez, that's life - A cat eating a bird is somewhat different to setting a dog onto another animal then tossing it into a garden. The natural pyramid of life ensures that there are more finches than cats, just as there are more worms in the ground than finches. If you stop cats eating birds, eventually it will lead to the destruction of mankind as per the natural foodchain (I'm laughing as I type this as I sound like some sort of raving end of the world nutjob). Let's face it, a cat eating a bird is far more organic than me going out and putting a load of 12 gauge through a wood pigeon (when I manage to hit a bird that is). I've never used this term before but feel the burning need to - MAN UP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 I don't think there is much that can be done to control a cat. But then perhaps if less people had the damn things there would be more birds about and less **** in my veg patch? I couldn't be nasty to a cat but I sure don't like them. If it was lawful to shoot them in my own garden I most likely would! They're an animal who's owners think it's fine to let them turn out their dinner on other peoples property... After all, how do you stop them? I had a neighbour once who got fed up with another neighbours cat dumping in his garden. He eventually managed to time his Labrador's walk so it did a huge steamer right in the middle of the path to said cat owner's house... The guy with the cat never did see the funny side but I thought it was hilarious! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CZ550Kevlar Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 cats can kill birds in my garden all they want, i`m serious. all i get are crows, pigeons, collared doves and magpies, i think because i live in a valley surrounded by trees they have established a very secure colony and wiped out the smaller birds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonwolf444 Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 thought i had stumbled into the RSPB forums...(no offence meant) if your that bothered about it build a really big fence, but really its impracticle to stop a cat doing what a cat does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V8 90 Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 Heard a statistic from a Twitcher the other day on TV - There are around 9,000000 cats in the UK & they kill approx' 60,000000 song birds each year :blink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gixer1 Posted March 19, 2012 Report Share Posted March 19, 2012 (edited) What exactly would you want me to do (as a cat owner) to keep my moggy under control? Keep the bloody thing inside - that's what a dog owner has to do if his dog can't be controlled...would you be impressed if kids vandalised something of yours and the parent said "what do you expect me to do about it" Cat owners are always saying how clever thier moggy's are so train them! Otherwise let the thing **** in your own garden! Selfish people who think others should look after thier pets! .....I will continue to "look after them" alright... We had a tabby that slept in with our dog and it really was well trained, so the old "they do what they want to" is a cop out..... Edited March 19, 2012 by gixer1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave-G Posted March 20, 2012 Report Share Posted March 20, 2012 What exactly would you want me to do (as a cat owner) to keep my moggy under control? I understand your angst at the local cat eating your birds but Jeez, that's life - A cat eating a bird is somewhat different to setting a dog onto another animal then tossing it into a garden. The natural pyramid of life ensures that there are more finches than cats, just as there are more worms in the ground than finches. If you stop cats eating birds, eventually it will lead to the destruction of mankind as per the natural foodchain (I'm laughing as I type this as I sound like some sort of raving end of the world nutjob). Let's face it, a cat eating a bird is far more organic than me going out and putting a load of 12 gauge through a wood pigeon (when I manage to hit a bird that is). I've never used this term before but feel the burning need to - MAN UP. Sorry DFB, but it's your pet you clean up after it, other pets are contained by their owners. Just because you are 'man' enough to tolerate cat scenting and their stinking ***** in the treads of your shoes and trailed through the house and carpets doesn't mean that your neighbours are compelled to endure the the vile anti social smells. If I wanted a cat hanging about my place I would get one. I respectfully suggest that many peoples responses about dealing with the cats are justified, but accept that the forum cannot allow them to be posted. That there are so many people who hate the damn things that get done in their gardens is testament to how much a problem it really is. The topic is about as taboo as discussions on race or religion - which is also a major problem for many. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick miller Posted March 20, 2012 Report Share Posted March 20, 2012 Your feeding the birds right? In doing so creating an artificially concentrated area of birds which, to an animal evolved over millions of years to be attracted to fast moving prey, is utterly irresistible. Then you wonder why the cat hangs around? Genius. Why not feed the cat relentlessly too? We have a dog, cat and a bird feeder. The cat is now so obese and sedentary he can't be ***** to catch birds. They land within feet of him as he sleeps in the current garden hotspot, he's so lazy its about all he can manage to glance dispassionately in their direction. Now there's thinking for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pointer Posted March 20, 2012 Report Share Posted March 20, 2012 When I lived in Germany, they have a law, that any domestic cat more than 100mtrs from a dwelling can be legally shot. Glad I knew that, as it was one of the questions that came up in my FAC exam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
storme37 Posted March 20, 2012 Report Share Posted March 20, 2012 you can get spikey things to glue on the top of 6 foot fences on ebay thats what we are going to do also keeping a dog and chickens seems to help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vole Posted March 20, 2012 Report Share Posted March 20, 2012 I would not like it either but I bet you have kept many more birds alive through winter to counter the odd one lost to a cat . If it was not a cat then it would be a sparrow hawk or something but I bet many many more just drop off their perches on cold nights . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
showe Posted March 20, 2012 Report Share Posted March 20, 2012 cat kept cuming in my garding went in the greenhouse my to cockers followd it and sum how the door closed dont no how like Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hopper Posted March 20, 2012 Report Share Posted March 20, 2012 do we not shoot with the same chance as a cat on a bird, thats life only thing is our pets dont have to pay , !!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hodmedod.one Posted March 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2012 I don't get this. If you choose to feed birds you will also attract anything that preys on them, you are actually part of the problem. To then moan about it is like moving next to a school/pub and complaining about the noise. I don't begrudge anyone feeding birds and enjoying watching them, but if you live in a relatively populated area then you just have to accept that other people and their pets etc are going to affect you. I don't like cats much either but have dogs so don't get them in the garden, however, we have shared off road parking and for some reason my motorbike seems to have become a local scenting post! C'est la vie, I just have to wash it more often...or move it. My choice. There is not much to get mate. My dog would happily prey on my neighbours cat. I keep my dog under control so it doesn't get chance to eat the cat. If owners kept their cats under control instead of kicking them out to merrily kill stuff and dump all over there wouldn't be a problem. I live on the edge of a very small village and I don't get any problems from dogs, just cats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
storme37 Posted March 20, 2012 Report Share Posted March 20, 2012 what ever comes in my garden is at the mercy of the dog and chickens so if a cat gets done over tough do do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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