Proud but saddened

[Raindancer411]

Hi All

I have had a family of Great Tits nest in one of my boxes and they started fledging today. I found one in the honeysuckle and watched another one fledge (and there is still one in the box at the moment)... I think that there may have been one fledge before I went out this morning too

Sad thing is, the one that I watched fledge got caught by one of next doors cats They have 6 cats, 4 of which are ferral (her husband brought them with him when he moved in)... I am just hoping that the others survive...

The cat also went and caught a baby starling a few minutes earlier than this the owner told me

I am in two minds as to take all my nest boxes down to save putting any further babies in danger knowing we have the 6 cats right next door

[TEB]

Why dont some cat owners put bells on their cats unless they are being used as mousers, really winds me up, pity you are too far away I would have asked the local gamekeeper to visit your neighbour with his dogs (he wages constant war against feral cats).

[BumbleB]

Thats an idea Donna. Maybe suggest to the neighbour to put bells on the cats.

We have cats next door to us. So far have not seen them get and birds but yesterday one was running around with a long slow worm!

[Raindancer411]

Yeah, we are going to ask her about getting bells on them as of the amount of birds in the garden/area. Had to laugh when I came home this afternoon as had left my twin in the garden to make sure the last one fledged ok. She was laying in the middle of the garden and felt something land on her... It was only the last baby fledgling... I think it must have known she was looking out for him/her... awwwwww Apparently he/she managed to fly into the hazel tree with the parents after a few minutes of using my twin as a perch

[FionaH]

tbh the cats are only doing what comes naturally to them. Bells might work, depends on how feral they are

[TEB]

tbh the cats are only doing what comes naturally to them. Bells might work, depends on how feral they are

Dogs naturally hunt in packs but we dont let them do it and stamp it out when it happens, 55 million birds are killed by UK cats every year, can you tell I am not really a cat lover (do look after my neighbours when they go away though).

[bobleponge]

I'm not a cat lover either, (although used to have 3 living here) but do agree pretty much that its their natural reaction. Maybe bells would work, but if 55 million birds a year werent killed, perhaps there would be a danger of being overrun?

[BarleySugar]

Bells have to go on collars, which are not recommended by vets and animal charities because they can be dangerous. My brother found a young cat on his farm who had got caught up by it's collar, and in it's attempts to free itself, then got it's front leg stuck in the collar. The elastic kept the collar tight, which bit into the flesh. By the time he found it maggots had infested the wound, and burrowed deeply into the flesh. Nothing could be done but to put the cat down.
I know cats are a problem with birds, but as I accompanied him to the vet with the cat, which managed to purr while I stroked her, despite being so ill, I could never recommend a cat wearing a collar.

[TEB]

From the RSPB site:
Along with the Feline Advisory Bureau (FAB) the RSPB is happy to endorse correctly fitted quick-release collars mounted with bells as an effective way of reducing wildlife kill rates.'

[abby]

Get a dog my sam loves to chase cats out of my garden..

[FionaH]

Dogs naturally hunt in packs but we dont let them do it and stamp it out when it happens, 55 million birds are killed by UK cats every year, can you tell I am not really a cat lover (do look after my neighbours when they go away though).

Yup! I could tell

[Sweepster]

Mine don't wear collars (after a neighbour's cat died, years ago, as a consequence of wearing an elasticated collar which got caught in a hedge), but if any of them started catching birds I would consider the quick-release ones:
Kitty Collars: Safe Cat Collars UK - Cat Safety Collars UK

[purplekat]

Trouble with the quick release one is they do exactly that - one of my mum's cats can't keep a collar on for more than a few days before he looses it

[Sweepster]

Yeah, it's best to have a few spares! At least you can be certain that they will release if they get caught on something - collar injuries can be horrendous.

[eye1der]

my maine coons are kept in on a night so at this time of year thats a lot of daylight hours they are not about and seeing as generally birds fledge at around sunrise the chicks have time to get themselves into a thicket up off the ground away from the prowling predators..that said my cats keep the local magpies on their toes all day long and magpies kill lots more fleglings than any cats