Fish v cats :(

[ancee]

We had 10 fish at the start of our pond year, and now have 3 I had managed to train the fish so that when they heard me crunching up the path towards the pond they would swim to the top left corner of the pond and I would feed them there. They were ever so tame and weren't scared of me or my casting shadows at all. It seems the local cats figured out this tactic
I've been looking into plants that scare cats away as I was thinking of planting them around the pond. I've read that they don't like curry plants (helichrysum augustfollium) or coleus canina, has anyone tried these and do they work?
Also, will they be ok near a pond which I am hoping frogs will move into - we've had 3 frogs check it out - excited!!!

[Jeanied]

I am afraid none of my cats would have been deterred by any plants. The only suggestion I have is that you put a mesh over the top of the pond - one that is wide enough for frogs etc but would prevent the cat from getting too close to the surface of the pond.
This would keep herons out too - one of my cats was blamed when it was definitely a heron fishing in next door's pond.

[Hazel at the Hill]

Yes - netting will have to be the answer here, and as Jeanie says, it'll stop herons too.

My sister had a number of quite large koi fished out the pond, and didn't know whether it was the local cats who lurked, or the heron who sat on the roof of the house at the bottom of the garden just looking but the netting stopped both problems. And they have frogs too.

[lottie dolly]

Herons are a pain in the neck,having watched cats ext near the pond,they seem very timid and wary,but only have a drink and go,we not got many left now,so the home pond is almost likely to be going,it does have a leak somewhere,any remaining fish down to the lottie pond,with netting in place,

[mothhawk]

Herons fish at night, too, so just because you haven't seen one, doesn't necessarily mean there isn't one, if there is other water not far away.

[mothhawk]

Herons are a pain in the neck,having watched cats ext near the pond,they seem very timid and wary,but only have a drink and go,we not got many left now,so the home pond is almost likely to be going,it does have a leak somewhere,any remaining fish down to the lottie pond,with netting in place,

You could turn the home pond into a bog garden LD, and grow all those lovely plants that like their feet damp.

Or convert it to a celery/celeriac bed - even better!

[lottie dolly]

it is a partly sunken large fiberglass job,we moved it last year,i am not really happy with it's new place,but like your idea of a bog garden,food for thought there,thanks,it is also set within a lower patio area,so would blend in nicely,we have lots of granite boulders,am sure a nice feature area would look nice,mmm,dangggg,you got my mind working now,

[WendyC]

I have had four cats and never has one taken a fish from the pond. However we live near a lake with a resident heron, or two, and I have had my pond cleared by him/her several times. It's been witnessed by neighbours and I've seen him overhead plenty of times. I have also seen a crow take fish from the pond. The house was open, I was just inside and happened to look out.

[PyreneesPlot]

On the other hand, fish will probably eat any frogspawn, tadpoles, newtpoles (is that a word?) and other invertebrates, so are rarely included in a wildlife pond, beautiful as they are to watch.

[Bren In Pots]

Our Fox Terrier used to splash his paws in the pond so the food came to edge then he'd eat it, that was after he got told of for swimming in it

[Bill HH]

I was forced to net my pond due to sea gulls, but it spoilt the whole look of the thing and was a nuisance, but then I found a great product called pond guard, they are green plastic sheets of mesh hexagonal in shape and about the size of dinner plates, they float and clip together to form any shape. Most importantly they work and are less noticable than netting. The holes in them are large enough for the fish to feed through them. Fish dissapear for otherr reasons, disease being the main one, I lose several every year. I have also found shabumkins to be far less destructive to frog spawn, newts and plants than koi which will eat all your plants and anything that moves (except sea gulls). Shabumkins also breed well and replace the losses quite quickly.

[mothhawk]

On the other hand, fish will probably eat any frogspawn, tadpoles, newtpoles (is that a word?) and other invertebrates, so are rarely included in a wildlife pond, beautiful as they are to watch.

I think the word you want is eft, PP

[Hans Mum]

I had problem with a neighbours cat catching & eating my fish & also there is a heron locally.....tried the guards BillHH mentions & didnt get on with them....got an electric fence kit for ponds from flea bay and its fantastic.....you get a shot a bit like touching a filing cabinet which is enough to keep cats/herons/etc away. its been installed about 5 years and its been fine.
its something like this VELDA POND PROTECTOR ELECTRIC FENCE STOPS HERONS,CATS | eBay

[Bill HH]

Is your filing cabinet plugged into the mains?

[ancee]

Never seen a heron near here, but I'm not ruling them out. We back onto a field and the other day I watched a huge bird of prey going for pigeons - so he's come from somewhere! There is a lot of marshland nearby, so chances are they'll be some there, but it all being built on now, perhaps they'll move closer in. Who would buy a house on marshland? The gnats are terrible over there, we come back from walking the dogs chewed to death, don't these people watch the floods on the news?!