Cats, birds and winter

[TonyF]

This is the first winter that I've had my rather elderly cats and though they are getting on a bit, they still hunt though in the summer it's been mice and voles.

For the past three winters I've been feeding the local bird population and this year I'm not sure whether to do it or not. I know I can put the food on higher branches but two of the cats climb trees and of course, it's ladder work to do so.

How do other people get round this?

Garden is already filling up with tweety things but it's their relationship with the moggies I'm concerned about.

[mandyballantyne]

Hi TonyF,

I have two cats also one 19 and one 8, the yonger hunts all summer for mice etc but seems to leave the birds alone.

Maybe a collar with a bell would warn the birds and keeping the cats in at dusk and dawn when the birds are feeding most (round here anyway)

Let us know how you get on, Mandy

[Alison]

I've had the same concern over the years but have come to the conclusion that our cats only kill a very small number of birds (they're not very good hunters and get fed well at our house and several cat friendly houses!) and our feeding benefits loads so have made sure that our feed table is out of the cat's reach and go for it.

[SueA]

Hi Tony, I think hanging up bird feeders in the trees is best,if you put food on bird tables the cats will sit underneath waiting or climb up onto the tables & eat the food (they do round here anyway!) & on the ground they will just ambush the birds, at least in the trees the birds have a chance to spot them coming.

[moggssue]

Tony - in my experience, definitely in the trees. My cat wouldnt dream of anything so taxing as messing about up there. Maybe I'm just lucky that she isn't interested, far too lazy and comfort loving (ie on top of the nearest radiator!), but I've never had any problems with her hunting birds in the winter.

[shirlthegirl43]

I put out lots of hanging food and scatter stuff on the shed roof. Anything to be put on the ground goes out when the cat is kept in.

[Two_Sheds]

make it difficult...

a couple of things that might protect the birdies:

• hang feeders on thinner branches that the cats won't be able to climb without breaking
• place a spiky upside down thing around tree trunks, to prevent cats climbing up
• bells on cat collars

you should continue to feed your birds, you'll probably save more lives than your cats take

[rustylady]

I agree with Two Sheds. Hang feeders from trees if you have them, preferably thin springy branches that won't take the weight of a cat (or a squirrel). You could also hang them from hanging basket brackets fixed to a wall of the house - like to see a cat climb up a house wall.

[Two_Sheds]

....fixed to a wall of the house - like to see a cat climb up a house wall.

I've seen a cat scale a vertical 7 foot fence... mind you, it did have a Bramley sailing very fast towards it's a*se.

[rustylady]

Yes, they climb fences extremely well, but that is normally to escape from flying Bramleys or other cats/dogs. I think they usually have more sense than to climb a wall with no top (apart from the house roof)