I,m sure some would think ,is there an upside,you either love them or hate them .
I live out in the country and at present have four cats living around the house, and they are very good are keeping down the vermin population .
Rats can be a real probelm due to the fact that there is no rubbish collection in the area so the rubbish is stored in a shed for about two weeks and then taken to the rubbish tip .I usually find two or three dead rats killed by the cats a week.They never eat them .
But what they do eat is the birds they catch and today they caught one wren(the smallest bird in europe) and one Bluetit ,both beautiful birds and in the case of the bluetit I managed to get the bird off the cat It was still alive but hurt beyond hope,so I dispatched it quickly to save it suffering!!
I really hate this side of cat ownership ,but cats are cats
I suppose I’m getting a bit calloused. I spent a few months in high irritation while the local bird poulation decided that the cat food (and the dog food) were far superior food supplies to the feeders… so, the bird feedders, that used to be happily considered cat feeders by the feline members of the family, are now ignored, while the porch, where the cats eat, sleep and enjoy the feathered smorgasboard, is actually finally beginning to bore the cats. They will now sit, wash, or sleep on … letting the birds steal food all day long. Of course, they do occaisionally get up for the sport of the chase, and are still ever so efficient at it. Alas.
We’ve had a cardinal for the last two years that feeds regularly from the bowls of dog food on our front porch. I see him waiting until the dogs finish and leave, then down he swoops. He never seems bothered by my presence in the swing. I kinda admire those smarts and daring.
We’ve always had at least three cats running around outside. My dad never bothered with a bird feeder because to him there was no point. It’d quickly become a cat feeder. They were good enough at catching the birds without his help!
I figure that food placed outside is fair game for any critter that comes along.
My brother installed one of those fish ponds in the garden last summer and stocked it with those big goldfish (whatever they’re called). Next morning they were, of course, all gone.
He complained about the neighborhood cats. I gave him a blank stare and then simply said “You put a bucket of fish in the yard overnight, and you’re complaining they’re gone. Who’s the fool now?”
Good advice Annie, but I doubt my brother is going to try again anytime soon. I sort of thought it was racoons also. The little pond does seem to have become the watering hole for a lot of local critters though. Lots of tracks around it in the mornings, including a bear that must be fairly large. I think it’s just as nice without the fish.
I sympathize! Here in the country cats are truly indispensable for rodent control…we have 3 kinds of mice, 2 of rats, moles, voles and a kind of shrew with a semipoisonous bite, believe it or don’t.
My cat is outstanding as a hunter, but hubby and I occasionally dismayed to find the remains of Eastern Bluebird, cardinal, waxwing, chipmunk and even squirrel!
We sometimes are able to rescue a bird tho’…birds will sometimes ‘faint’ and appear dead. If you shriek at the cat he’ll just crunch down on his catch, so calmly praise the cat and stroke him till he puts down the bird. You can put it on a windowsill and take the cat inside to watch the bird recover and fly off. I used to do this frequently with a cat who always gave me his ‘kill’ in exchange for a good earscratching. You just have to be there in the time between the catch and when kitty starts to eat…
My neighbors have had lost many a fish from their outdoor koi pond, but the fish have managed to hang in there recently…until a great blue heron discovered them
Yes, herons and kingfishers love koi ponds. Also, turtles will come and clean out all but the largest of fish. You have to have a really large pond before the fish have half a chance of surviving.
Meowling at the top of its lungs and smacking around the ceramic cat dish because some little pig emptied it and its 4:30 AM and someone wants breakfast?
The wretching up of fetty hairballs, goo and all the fresh breakfast on your white down comforter at 4:45 AM?
The plaintive wails at 5:00 AM for a belly even more empty that it was at 4:30?
Owners who do not care enough for their pets (not working kitties on the farm… though there is very little difference IMHO) by allowing them free roam of their neighborhood.
Kingfisher
On the Grass
Eyeing the cats as they pass and re-pass
Silently
Head moves
But no sound
Tracing the cats as they circle around
Menacingly
Toy, food,
It’s no crime
And anyway it’s just a matter of time
Evidently
Man steps in
Cats, the same
Movement – men don’t play this game
As far as we see.
Arm swings
Go on, Shoo!
Cats pause, uncertain: it just can’t be true!
Outragedly!
One piece
Intact wing
No blood – there’s a chance it might make it, poor thing,
Apparently
Hands clasped
Lift the bird
Which flutters, and in mute, startling resurrection
Takes wing and streaks suddenly into the nearby trees
In a flash of blue
(Kingfisher)
Man stands
Dumbstruck with bare hands
Quizzically
Last word
From the cat:
Well, you certainly messed up THAT!
We have three cats. They once caught a rabbit together! They’ve also caught snakes, mice, moles, groundhogs, and numerous types of birds. One of the cats actually attacked the neighbors dog recently when the dog got near her kittens.(they’re about three weeks old.) It was a small dog and it took a real beating. The owner had to pick the dog up to save it from the bites and claws and even then the cat kept trying to jump up at the dog. After the dog was gone she was back to her normal easygoing self.
It is poor judgement to even appear to threaten a mother’s children (especially a new mother’s), regardless of species. The term ‘bitch’ has strong and remarkably accurate origins, you know.
They will now sit, wash, or sleep on … letting the birds steal food all day long. Of course, they do occaisionally get up for the sport of the chase, and are still ever so efficient at it. Alas.
