Cat problems
Moderators: KG Steve, Chantal, Tigger, peter
We've just lost a robin's nest to a marauding cat. It was about 5 feet high in ivy on a sheer wall and the little beast jumped up last night, half pulled out the nest and got two youngsters. We patched up the nest and ivy (with two young still inside) but by this morning this had been destroyed, too. I am not madly fond of magpies but at least they kill for food but overfed domestic cats and grey squirrels which shouldn't be here in the first place? I could wring their necks. Sorry, all of you who have and love cats, but it does make me mad.
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oldherbaceous
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Dear Monika, i must say i'm quite fond of cats although i don't own one, but there are two new cats near to where i live, and they are catching a lot of the fletchlings, very upseting i must say, so i know how you feel.
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.
There's no fool like an old fool.
There's no fool like an old fool.
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Chantal
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I used to have 6 cats (now just Rosie left) and to protect the nests in the garden we used to stretch pea netting under the nesting areas. The cats never managed to get through it and the birds were fine and didn't get tangled.
Chantal
I know this corner of the earth, it smiles for me...
I know this corner of the earth, it smiles for me...
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Jenny Green
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We have two cats but we won't be getting any more once these have gone, much loved though they are (well, one of them at least!). The main reasons are that we can't go away easily and also it's heartbreaking to see the effect on wildlife sometimes. Cats are actually banned in some areas of Australia because they're so harmful. I'm not by any means saying other people shouldn't keep cats but personally I have problems with it now.
(Formerly known as 'Organic Freak')
Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed.
Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed.
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alan refail
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Monika
As a cat owner I sympathise with your loss. However, I would question the common assertion that domestic cats are the worst offenders (or, for that matter, even magpies and grey squirrels). If you look at the decline in wild bird populations from DEFRA, it is noticeable that farmland species have declined most markedly - it would take a lot of cats/magpies/squirrels to achieve that.
http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2006/061019a.htm
As I used to say to cat critics: When did you last see a cat driving a tractor on agri-business land, grubbing out hedgerows or crop spraying?
Alan
As a cat owner I sympathise with your loss. However, I would question the common assertion that domestic cats are the worst offenders (or, for that matter, even magpies and grey squirrels). If you look at the decline in wild bird populations from DEFRA, it is noticeable that farmland species have declined most markedly - it would take a lot of cats/magpies/squirrels to achieve that.
http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2006/061019a.htm
As I used to say to cat critics: When did you last see a cat driving a tractor on agri-business land, grubbing out hedgerows or crop spraying?
Alan
Cred air o bob deg a glywi, a thi a gei rywfaint bach o wir (hen ddihareb Gymraeg)
Believe one tenth of what you hear, and you will get some little truth (old Welsh proverb)
Believe one tenth of what you hear, and you will get some little truth (old Welsh proverb)
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oldherbaceous
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Dear Alan, i suppose it's like a lot of things in life, if you see it happening it always seems a lot worse than just reading or being told about it.
So yes you are quite right.
So yes you are quite right.
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.
There's no fool like an old fool.
There's no fool like an old fool.
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alan refail
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OH
I often see a sparrowhawk swoop in our field and take a small bird. I'm never sure whether to be sad or glad - after all it's nature, life and death are but a moment apart.
Alan
I often see a sparrowhawk swoop in our field and take a small bird. I'm never sure whether to be sad or glad - after all it's nature, life and death are but a moment apart.
Alan
Cred air o bob deg a glywi, a thi a gei rywfaint bach o wir (hen ddihareb Gymraeg)
Believe one tenth of what you hear, and you will get some little truth (old Welsh proverb)
Believe one tenth of what you hear, and you will get some little truth (old Welsh proverb)
Hi Alan,
Of course it always has to be the fault of us awful farmers.
In this district the hedges are going in rather than being taken out. The only drainage that is being done is by the Rivers Authority to prevent flooding of houses which has occurred 5 times in the last 3 years.
On this property I do not know how many cats there are as they are a shifting population but the only dead bird I have found so far this years is a Robin with the tell tale peck mark in the back of it's head which means that it was killed by another Robin.
The Cats here live on Mice and Rabbits and I provide them two pints of milk a day.
I have a wonderful bird population including birds of prey which generally live on Pigeons.
My crops are suitably protected from just about everything including the cats.
One of the biggest predators of birds nests, eggs and chicks is the Badger and there is nothing safe nesting below 4ft. I shoot as many Magpies as I can because until I pursued the policy song birds were declining. I shot at least 30 last year and yet they still appear.
In the last couple of weeks two pairs of Yellow wagtails have appeared on the plot. They will be nesting but I do not know where yet. I also have Upland Curlews and Lapwing breeding on the plot.
A pair of Barn Owls a pair of Tawny Owls and a pair of Little Owls in the orchard in a burrow prepared by me to attract them. They have nested there for 5 years now. The other evening there were 7 adult Song Thrushes on what I mistakenly call a lawn.
I have Frogs, Toads, Newts, Hedgehogs. Adders, Grass Snakes and Slow Worms and they are all thriving.
The next farm down have a part set aside as a Nature Reserve almost 18 acres and I have 6 acres set aside for nature.
So you can see that us farmers are an awful lot of people that try hard to grow food for obviously ungrateful people.
If its not DEFRA wanting you to do this that and the other it is the local Authority poking in their oar in and then there are those who make snide postings on forums.
Most people agree that DEFRA findings are wildly inaccurate yet there are those who are totally gullible that quote them.
JB.
Of course it always has to be the fault of us awful farmers.
In this district the hedges are going in rather than being taken out. The only drainage that is being done is by the Rivers Authority to prevent flooding of houses which has occurred 5 times in the last 3 years.
On this property I do not know how many cats there are as they are a shifting population but the only dead bird I have found so far this years is a Robin with the tell tale peck mark in the back of it's head which means that it was killed by another Robin.
The Cats here live on Mice and Rabbits and I provide them two pints of milk a day.
I have a wonderful bird population including birds of prey which generally live on Pigeons.
My crops are suitably protected from just about everything including the cats.
One of the biggest predators of birds nests, eggs and chicks is the Badger and there is nothing safe nesting below 4ft. I shoot as many Magpies as I can because until I pursued the policy song birds were declining. I shot at least 30 last year and yet they still appear.
In the last couple of weeks two pairs of Yellow wagtails have appeared on the plot. They will be nesting but I do not know where yet. I also have Upland Curlews and Lapwing breeding on the plot.
A pair of Barn Owls a pair of Tawny Owls and a pair of Little Owls in the orchard in a burrow prepared by me to attract them. They have nested there for 5 years now. The other evening there were 7 adult Song Thrushes on what I mistakenly call a lawn.
I have Frogs, Toads, Newts, Hedgehogs. Adders, Grass Snakes and Slow Worms and they are all thriving.
The next farm down have a part set aside as a Nature Reserve almost 18 acres and I have 6 acres set aside for nature.
So you can see that us farmers are an awful lot of people that try hard to grow food for obviously ungrateful people.
If its not DEFRA wanting you to do this that and the other it is the local Authority poking in their oar in and then there are those who make snide postings on forums.
Most people agree that DEFRA findings are wildly inaccurate yet there are those who are totally gullible that quote them.
JB.
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madasafish
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We used to have cats.. but Mrs Mad refuses to have another as she naturally objected to the offerings of dead mice carefully placed behind the bedroom door...(usually a bedroom used for visitors so often a week or so old!)
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Jenny Green
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I actually don't mind the offerings of mice and I was positively grateful for the two baby rats little Tabitha brought home one night, but she is a terror for the birds, and the most I've managed to teach her is to be ashamed of her actions. 
(Formerly known as 'Organic Freak')
Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed.
Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed.
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alan refail
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Hi Johnboy
I'm always impressed by the wildlife you have, and I was in no way holding you to blame for anything. Quite the opposite, I must say.
However, you say;
"Most people agree that DEFRA findings are wildly inaccurate yet there are those who are totally gullible that quote them."
You'd have a hell of a job substantiating that wild statement. Who are "most people"?
Alan
I'm always impressed by the wildlife you have, and I was in no way holding you to blame for anything. Quite the opposite, I must say.
However, you say;
"Most people agree that DEFRA findings are wildly inaccurate yet there are those who are totally gullible that quote them."
You'd have a hell of a job substantiating that wild statement. Who are "most people"?
Alan
Cred air o bob deg a glywi, a thi a gei rywfaint bach o wir (hen ddihareb Gymraeg)
Believe one tenth of what you hear, and you will get some little truth (old Welsh proverb)
Believe one tenth of what you hear, and you will get some little truth (old Welsh proverb)
Hi Alan,
That is in fact a very good point. But what I actually mean is that those who have to work to such inaccurate reports.
The farmers in this area are very conservation conscience, sadly with a few exceptions, and there are many farms that are now under the Stewardship Scheme.
I am pleased to say that those farmers who resist any change will soon be out of farming.
One local land owner has ringed his entire home farm
of 2900 acres with Oak Trees every 60 foot of the perimeter. This is to celebrate the life of his father who sadly departed this life 5 years ago.
The policy on woodland project on the large estates is exceedingly good and there are many stands of British Hardwoods going in as the Conifer plantation are felled. Sadly the worst foresters in this area are the Forestry Commission and it is very hard to understand what their policy is.
I live directly in the path of a main migration route and the amount of birds that pause for a rest here is totally amazing.
You have probably gathered that my main hobby is Bird Watching and next year I will have been studying birds for 70 years. I do not hold with the Shooting, Hunting and Fishing Brigade although I will shoot anything that threatens the bird life on my place. Magpies for one and with Jays they get a warning salvo and no more.
My Little Owl project has been a great success and
it is under the stump of an Apple Tree that I had to fell several years ago it measured almost 4ft across at ground level. I still have one v large apple tree that if I do a tree hug my finger tips do not meet for 39 inches. It is a Knightwick Bitter and the apples are enormous and really Rosy. If you are brave enough to take a bite at first you think not too bad but a second later you feel like you've got Mumps. That tree produced over 2 tons of apples last year. They go to the Cider makers locally in return for the odd bottle. They make Apple Brandy!!
JB.
That is in fact a very good point. But what I actually mean is that those who have to work to such inaccurate reports.
The farmers in this area are very conservation conscience, sadly with a few exceptions, and there are many farms that are now under the Stewardship Scheme.
I am pleased to say that those farmers who resist any change will soon be out of farming.
One local land owner has ringed his entire home farm
of 2900 acres with Oak Trees every 60 foot of the perimeter. This is to celebrate the life of his father who sadly departed this life 5 years ago.
The policy on woodland project on the large estates is exceedingly good and there are many stands of British Hardwoods going in as the Conifer plantation are felled. Sadly the worst foresters in this area are the Forestry Commission and it is very hard to understand what their policy is.
I live directly in the path of a main migration route and the amount of birds that pause for a rest here is totally amazing.
You have probably gathered that my main hobby is Bird Watching and next year I will have been studying birds for 70 years. I do not hold with the Shooting, Hunting and Fishing Brigade although I will shoot anything that threatens the bird life on my place. Magpies for one and with Jays they get a warning salvo and no more.
My Little Owl project has been a great success and
it is under the stump of an Apple Tree that I had to fell several years ago it measured almost 4ft across at ground level. I still have one v large apple tree that if I do a tree hug my finger tips do not meet for 39 inches. It is a Knightwick Bitter and the apples are enormous and really Rosy. If you are brave enough to take a bite at first you think not too bad but a second later you feel like you've got Mumps. That tree produced over 2 tons of apples last year. They go to the Cider makers locally in return for the odd bottle. They make Apple Brandy!!
JB.
I'm a cat lover too (had 3 but now down to one) and I do know how people feel. My cats always had bells on their collars which gave the birds warning at least.
On the lotties we have a colony of neutered feral cats. I don't see any dead birds about but they do keep the mice and rats down. We have loads of birdlife on the lottie, herons, robins, starlings, magpies, hawks, swans, ducks, ruddy ducks, I could go on. I know it's not nice but it's nature.
As Chantal suggested, maybe some netting to protect the nests is the best you can do.
On the lotties we have a colony of neutered feral cats. I don't see any dead birds about but they do keep the mice and rats down. We have loads of birdlife on the lottie, herons, robins, starlings, magpies, hawks, swans, ducks, ruddy ducks, I could go on. I know it's not nice but it's nature.
As Chantal suggested, maybe some netting to protect the nests is the best you can do.
Lots of love
Lizzie
Lizzie
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Primrose
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Does anybody know if these ultrasonic devices deter foxes? When it gets dark we put food our for our lame visiting fox but all the local cats now seem to know when feeding time is and it's infuriating to see them all hovering around the front gate waiting to dash in and pinch it as soon as we close the front door so if we could find a device that deterred cats but not foxes I'd be very pleased. (Sorry all you chicken owners and fox haters, but some of us do get a lot of pleasure from watching them).