Closed cat thread

[IndigoElectron]

Just seen that my cat problem thread has been closed. I'm sorry if it caused offence - I did actually think the 'advice' given by AllInContainers was a joke and not a true story - that's why it made me laugh. I wouldn't want anyone to think I would ever be cruel to an animal or condone others being cruel - we always had cats when I was growing up, and I do love them - I just don't want them using my garden as a toilet. I'm a bit upset really :-( Must be more careful in future. Can I start another thread, or can the offending posts be removed and the original thread reopened? I was given some good advice that others might find helpful, and would like to keep updating with what has and hasn't worked.

[Bill HH]

You could say it's a catastrophe.

[IndigoElectron]

I feel really bad about it. An error of judgement on my part laughing at it, it didn't occur to me that people might take the post seriously, or be offended by the joke. It was written in a funny way and did seem tongue in cheek. Nice play on words by the way Bill

[veggiechicken]

Sadly, many threads about cats in the garden end up being closed because some of the replies are just not helpful. How do we, or anyone else reading that post, know whether it was a joke or not? Cruelty to animals, even in a joke, has no place here.

[AllInContainers]

Just spotted this, and not looked at the other thread yet, but obviously it all went base over apex.

I too am a big softie Indigo. I'd actually feel a bit unconfortable with the water jet thingummy that was suggested personally, and don't even like destroying slugs and snails. I do have strong views on cat ownership that I am not prepared to go into here, but have no malice towards cats or other garden visitors. My strategy for ensuring I get some berries from my bushes for example is to grow enough so there's some left for me once the birds have had their fill. Sums it up really.

I will say no more

[IndigoElectron]

I was also wondering why threads about putting down mouse poison etc. don't get closed, when that actually did happen and obviously wasn't a joke - and someone suggested shooting squirrels (another joke I think) on the closed cat thread, both of which are cruel. Yet it only got closed when cruelty to a cat was mentioned. It does seem like double standards. And I'm sure there are other threads on the forum that have some unhelpful replies but don't get closed because of them. Anyway, I will know better in future - but it does seem a shame that a useful thread has been shut down and I won't be able to report back on what works.

[Bill HH]

Its all part of forum life, I have had threads closed, sometimes I really didn't think it warrented but you just have to grit your teeth and get on with it. moderators are condemned if they do and condemned if they dont close a thread. The thing is it wasnt entirely removed so people can still read it.
Unless you can see the face of a person posting a thread it sometimes hard to determine if they are joking or deadly serious. Tongue in cheek remarks on forums invariably cause offence to someone whether intended or not.

[RaptorUK]

I like cats, I bought some treats for the Allotment resident cats, one of them was quite friendly to me but in my garden I like Birds more so other people's cats are not welcome, it's my garden, I have finished my mortgage and it's freehold so I own the land too . . . so how do I stop these trespassers ? it's a real issue which I would like to find a solution to so that I don't have to get angry with anyones cats and the birds I welcome into my garden can visit in safety.

[Bill HH]

I would say you can't, cats can jump 7 feet high. A gentle shoo is all you can do.

[chris]

Its all part of forum life, I have had threads closed, sometimes I really didn't think it warrented but you just have to grit your teeth and get on with it. moderators are condemned if they do and condemned if they dont close a thread. The thing is it wasnt entirely removed so people can still read it.
Unless you can see the face of a person posting a thread it sometimes hard to determine if they are joking or deadly serious. Tongue in cheek remarks on forums invariably cause offence to someone whether intended or not.

Quoting this for future reference, so you can't edit your own words bill!!

HEHE!

[IndigoElectron]

Thanks Bill, you are right of course. It really was very obvious to me that the advice wasn't meant to be taken seriously, and I didn't think it was a true story - but we're all different of course Would you believe this kept me awake last night?! Must stop being so sensitive. Raptor, I've ordered the water scarecrow so I'll update whether it works on this thread if that's okay - unless we're not supposed to discuss cats at all? I do hope it works, at the moment it's difficult to go out in the garden with my toddler because of all the poo, plus last night the cat walked all over my new square foot garden :-( Don't know what damage has been done yet, but it's making me pretty miserable.

[Nicos]

Indigo.....of course you can discuss cats!
...problem is that historically just about every thread we have ever had on cats has ended up getting very heated.
On one occasion the RSPCA contacted Admin and asked for a thread on cats to be pulled...hence us Mods maybe appearing a bit quick off the mark to close them.

Don't lose sleep over this.... Everyone involved in that closed thread makes a very valuable contribution to the Vine

Maybe this explanation will help everyone be aware of why the thread needed closing

[Two_Sheds]

at the moment it's difficult to go out in the garden with my toddler because of all the poo, plus last night the cat walked all over my new square foot garden... it's making me pretty miserable.

and that's why people get 'heated' about the problem. It's deemed 'unkind' to keep cats indoors, but I think they should be, at night at least, when they do most of their hunting.

Yes, it's natural for cats to hunt, but it's not natural for a country to have millions of top predators roaming the land unhindered. If it was dogs causing this much nuisance, the owners would be prosecuted.

[marchogaeth]

I started to write something then stopped! I could see this thread ending up closed, too!

[Jeanied]

I like cats, I bought some treats for the Allotment resident cats, one of them was quite friendly to me but in my garden I like Birds more so other people's cats are not welcome, it's my garden, I have finished my mortgage and it's freehold so I own the land too . . . so how do I stop these trespassers ? it's a real issue which I would like to find a solution to so that I don't have to get angry with anyones cats and the birds I welcome into my garden can visit in safety.

Raptor I live in a very cat-dense neighbourhood with lots of cats visiting my small garden (and, over the years, three cats of my own!) My advice is to put lots of bird feeders up in spaces the cats cannot reach easily - the more birds in the garden the more they look out for each other. One sets off the alarm and they all scarper. I have put a few photos on the wildlife photos thread as evidence!