Cats

[Sunspray]

I have a long narrow garden with a high wall on one side and the house on the other. Trees from the next door garden hang over the wall and it is in these that we hang our food bars and feeders. The garden is plagued by neighbours cats and although I have tried to encourage birds to feed, the cats lie in wait and frighten them away.
Does anyone have any suggestions without harming the cats:confused:

[Whitezombie]

Hi,

Have you tried an electric cat watch? they are a bit pricey but they do work.

i was overun with cats around my feeding station,at leats 8 diferent cats, i now have a cat watch that produces ultrasonic noise, it is on a timer and when it is on i have no cats, even my own cat just goes out,does its thing, has a quick drink from pond then comes back in.

as soon as it is off every cat in the street comes back.

[Sunspray]

Thanks, I haven't tried a catwatch because our immediate neighbour has two cats and I am sure that the area covered by the catwatch would include their catflap. I am a little reluctant to purchase one to find out that I can't use it.

[Kittyhawk]

Yes the Sentinals work but for best results I recommend a Jack Russell....

[Whitezombie]

If you do try a catwatch, don,t worry if it does'nt seem to have an effect, the most stuburn cat may take a week or more to get the message but he will eventualy give up his terretory.

Thankfully, it will not stop Squirrels, hedghogs or foxes from visiting.

[Whitezombie]

going back to your original post; you did not say what you are offering,seed wise, in your feeders?

I would recomend sunflower hearts as these attract a large number of different species.

i would also invest in one of the new design of feeder, the ones with a perching ring. I up graded all my feeders this year and already have robins and chaffinch feeding comfortably from them.

[CLS]

I've got a robin who will use the new perches too although he's still getting used to it as he only seems to stop for one seed at a time before flying off.

[Sunspray]

I am feeding sunflower hearts and food bars (seed and insect). In fact I am using a new bottle feeder, which isn't on the market yet. It seems to work well, if a little small, I am forever filling it up.

[Ben]

going back to your original post; you did not say what you are offering,seed wise, in your feeders?

I would recomend sunflower hearts as these attract a large number of different species.

i would also invest in one of the new design of feeder, the ones with a perching ring. I up graded all my feeders this year and already have robins and chaffinch feeding comfortably from them.

Having the new designed feeder with perching rings I have noticed robins,chaffinches using them whilst they never fed from the old style perches ie straight

[Caroline]

Being new to having a garden I have only had the new style of ring perches, and I have often been amazed by what I had thought of as ground feeding birds feeding from them. My Robins and Chaffinches seem really very happy to use them. :)

Then again I hadn't thought that Dunnocks would venture onto my bird table but they now do, even though it's only 6 foot from my kitchen window :confused: .

[Sue_B]

I only have 1 feeder but it's one of the new ones and my robin and chaffinches feed off it happily too. The Blackbird is okay as he feeds on the table along with the Dunnock. I like the Hi energy seed as it caters for all the birds.