I've had it up to my eyeballs with wandering cats. Irresponsible pet owners let their half domesticated felines roam into my yard. Now that I have alot of hummingbird plants and a couple of hummingbird nests in my yard, the cats are prowling. How do I protect my birdies? Any ideas?
Those darn CATS!
...get a dog? :)
Have one. Just can't keep him in the front yard all day.
Hmmm. Perhaps you could find something that smells bad to cats and won't be harmful to the birds (who can't smell). My cat hates anything that smells of citrus (orange oil etc), so something along those lines might work... maybe a spray of biodegradable orange cleaner all around the perimeter of your yard? Whatever you try, test it first before spraying it all over grass & plants, just in case.
You could also put something like gravel on the ground under feeder and nesting areas to make it inhospitable to kitty feet... not anything that would cut, just something to make them think twice about stepping there.
Yeah, I 'll try the citrus spray. Good idea. Hope it works. THANKS MILLIONS!!!
They do make those spikey sort of things that keep cats off of things. They aren't sharp enough to hurt them but just uncomfortable. Maybe put those around the tree with the nest?
want to see a cat fly??? Get tape on his feet lol. Lay some duct tape sticky side up but that could also be dangerous for butterflies
koncreteblond, I'm interested in the spiky things. What are they and do you know where I could get them? I have a terrible problem with wild cats.
Sherry
Mary 0114, I just checked the Gardeners Supply Company website and they have the grids that you are interested in, they call them "Scat Cats". They also have a scented coleus plant that is said to be a dog and cat deterrent as well "Scaredy-Cat Coleus". I hope this link helps!
http://www.gardeners.com/Deer-and-Rabbits/default/StandardCatalog.GardenPests_DeerRabbits.cat
VJ
Love that duct tape idea! HA! HA!
Place a plastic/rubber carpet runner upside down.
I used to have a problem with the neighbor's cats coming onto my front porch and marking the area. I went out and bought a plastic runner - you know the clear kind that you lay over your carpet to prevent wear and tear on high traffic areas - it's made of rubber and has rubber "spikes" all over the bottom to keep it in place. I laid that upside down (spike side up) at the entrance of the walkway and no more cats! They don't like stepping on rubber spikes at all :o) It's fairly inexpensive and sold from a roll about a yard wide...and you can buy as many feet of it as you want. I got it at walmart.
Hope that helps...
...and to think my nickname is "Cat"
~ Cat
Thank you everyone. I'll admit I'm not cat person, but I don't want to hurt them. I blame the owners who let them wander. THey pick up diseases that could be spread to young children coming across their waste. They then kill the birds for sport but don't eat them because they are half domesticated. I just think cats belong inside and not in my yard. A little off topic, but oh well.
I don't think it's off topic at all. I have 3 dogs that stay inside my yard where they belong, not out digging or pooping in someones garden.
There are a few cats around that I believe are neighbors that do come in the yard and mark or go after the butterflies and birds at the feeders. Soon I am going to use the live trap and take them to the women's humane society.
I'd be annoyed too but there's not much you can do to keep a cat in your own yard. Yes, keep it in the house, but sometimes people don't even really "own" the cats, they might just feed them and sort of take care of them. They might even just be strays.
My cats don't go outside, although I threaten one of them daily. We have a "leash law" in my town for cats too so there aren't too many wandering around. We actually have more loose dogs than cats.
Havahart makes great live traps. Tuna or sardines are the best baits. My county animal control officers thank me for reducing the number of roaming cats in my area. They come out to pick them up when I call. They keep them for ten days and if an owner really cares about his/her cat they should check with animal control within that time frame if their cat is missing. It only costs them $45.00 to pick the cat up at the pound. Most are feral or barn cats. A few have been dropped off at the side of the road (I live in the country, near barns and some folks seem to have no problem tossing out an unwanted cat). I have found homes for some of the tame cats I've trapped. Pet/stray/feral cats that roam need to be controlled for a variety of reasons. Many cat owners don't even care about their cats. A friend's vet's office has one up for adoption that was just left in a vacant house when the owners moved - no food or water. It was lucky to have been rescued from a slow death. Trap the cats and save the wildlife.