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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Friends cat catching birds

82 replies

bagpuss90 · 20/03/2022 14:22

Okay -so I know cats hunt and it’s hard to stop them … However AIBU in thinking my friend should not have a bird feeding station in her garden when her cat is catching and killing a bird practically every day -three in one day a couple of weeks ago . It just sits there in wait . It’s like they’re being lured to their deaths. She won’t put a bell on the cats collar so the birds have half a chance . Don’t get me wrong-I love cats. But she says herself the cat is slowly but surely wiping out the bird population of her garden

OP posts:

FangsForTheMemory · 20/03/2022 18:51

@Onlyforcake You're talking rubbish.

OP, perhaps you could suggest to your friend that your cat wear a collar with a bell on? My moggy has one, and it seems to give birds and mice enough warning for them to escape. It is of course awful that she's feeding the birds and letting her cat out at the same time.

TroysMammy · 20/03/2022 18:53

We had bird feeders before we had our cat. When our cat was old enough to go outside and I saw him launch himself at the bird feeder it came down the same day. Your friend is being cruel and stupid.

TroysMammy · 20/03/2022 18:54

He does climb a neighbours tree and the magpies peck his bum. He's given up on that because the humiliation is too much.

WomblingWilma · 20/03/2022 18:55

My cat is a hunter. We’ve tried numerous bell collars as we live next to a woodland with lots of bird perching but she’ll come back in without it so we gave up after about the 10th one!

I’d never have a bird feeder though we leave nuts for the squirrels who she leaves alone. She’s a terror with mice in the summer though. We’ve only had about 3 birds in 6 years and they looked to be older ones.

Your friend is pretty stupid to want to feed birds but also to put them in a position where they will be killed .

Onlyforcake · 20/03/2022 18:56

Sure. That's why the aim is to rid fragile ecosystems of these menaces, in more than one country.

Flump9 · 20/03/2022 18:57

I saw it said on a nature programme once that encouraging more birds into your garden by feeding them can decrease the chances of your cat catching birds because there are more eyes keeping a look out for cats so more likely your cat is spotted by a bird who warns the others.

jeannie46 · 20/03/2022 18:57

Got 2 male cats, bird bath, bird feeder. The cats watch them feeding through the window and make that weird 'yowl' at the birds.

Never seen them catch a bird though. They seem to specialise in mice/voles.

Shmithecat2 · 20/03/2022 19:14

Sorry, I meant aren't, not are

waitingpatientlyforspring · 20/03/2022 21:41

Our cat hunts. I hate it but DH encourages (he gives him a treat if he brings something home). I would never lure birds though so no bird feeders or bird baths etc.

MurmuratingStarling · 20/03/2022 21:49

FFS what is wrong with the bloody stupid woman?

WE have bird feeders (and cats) but the feeders are way up where the cats cannot reach, and we throw stuff on the garage roof too. Result: birds get fed, and not ONE bird has been caught by our cats OR anyone else's!

I would legit be reporting her to the RSPB to be honest. Silly cow. Those poor birds.

Gonnagetgoing · 20/03/2022 21:53

@Onlyforcake

Sure. That's why the aim is to rid fragile ecosystems of these menaces, in more than one country.

@Onlyforcake - that’s a bit harsh!

My cat never catches birds, to my knowledge. She does catch wood mice in the garden but even so, less than expected. The cats which do catch rodents do a good service anyway.

Mothership4two · 21/03/2022 20:05

@PinkSyCo

I just don’t not understand why cat owners don’t just put a bell collar on them. Anyone?

As others have said the old fashioned collars can be dangerous (I rescued our pet cat caught inside a bramble bush as a teen). Modern quick release collars are OK. Yes, the cats can get them off eventually. However, I buy them in bulk and add two extra 'loud' bells and keep replacing them - this seems to do the job as my large and feisty tom hasn't caught any birds in years. He has been wearing his current collar for six weeks now, which is long for him, usually it's two to three weeks and 48 hours is his record. They probably come off accidentally and not through him deliberately pinging it off! Some people think that a cat constantly being aggravated by a bell is cruel, but having observed him and our other cats, personally think they get used to it pretty quickly and it doesn't seem to bother them. My qualm is that the small clip part of the collar is plastic and not very eco, but we balance that against trying to save our local bird population. We have hedges and trees in our garden and tons of sparrows and many other garden birds.

Forgothowmuchlhatehomeschoolin · 21/03/2022 20:19

@PinkSyCo

I just don’t not understand why cat owners don’t just put a bell collar on them. Anyone?

Because the cat is in charge! If they don't want it, it ain't happening🤣

HRTQueen · 21/03/2022 20:22

Cats are the most intelligent hunters putting a bell on their collar most will learn how to move without the bell ringing

You can put things around bird tables to stop cats jumping up. I think it’s not fair of yours friend. But a prolific hunter like her cat is likely to find another easy spot for hunting

Has she got young children? My car became a mass murderer of mice when ds was small it was when he started to crawl he was teaching him to hunt. Now when a friend comes over with a young child the cat will bring them a present (mouse) he is very old but still has that instinct

Voice0fReason · 21/03/2022 22:37

I just don’t not understand why cat owners don’t just put a bell collar on them. Anyone?

They are a complete waste of time!
Our previous cat had one. She was happy to wear a collar. The bell didn't bother her in the slightest, she was perfectly capable of stalking and killing her prey without dingling that bell once.
Cats stalk without moving their heads. By the time they pounce, it's too late for a bell to make any difference.

But I wouldn't use a collar now anyway. We were lucky that ours never got caught.

AryaStarkWolf · 21/03/2022 23:44

Having the bird table in her garden is pretty gross of her

Bogeyes · 22/03/2022 02:00

Very cruel

Gonnagetgoing · 22/03/2022 09:50

For those saying about collars. I had cats years ago who wore collars at first but then I caught the female trying to get it off on concrete!

My current cat doesn’t have or need a collar.

Old cat did have a collar but he wasn’t that impressed either. In fact when he got him which was young he had a collar but soon took it off him as had scent of his mum on not.

MrsSkylerWhite · 22/03/2022 09:51

Agree. We don’t have feeders because of our cats. Stop them accessing neighbours’ gardens too.

KittenKins · 22/03/2022 10:09

I've placed my bird feeder up high in a tree opposite my living room window. This way when my kitten goes out the back he is less likely to come across it, plus the height stops the neighbors cats who walk past from reaching the birds either.

If only I could encourage this darn pigeon from using it as an all you can eat buffet.

SleeplessInEngland · 22/03/2022 10:11

Your friend has to decide if she's a cat lover or a bird lover. She can't be both.

Lellochip · 22/03/2022 10:21

@PinkSyCo

I just don’t not understand why cat owners don’t just put a bell collar on them. Anyone?

They're incredibly annoying

CounsellorTroi · 22/03/2022 10:27

I’m wondering about our bird feeder and table now. We have no cats but there are cats in the area who we occasionally see in the garden. The table isn’t near a wall or anything. There’s a sparrow hawk in the area too. Saw it eating a wood pigeon the other day.

OfstedOffred · 22/03/2022 10:29

We have two cats. No bird feeders, and we have bells on cat collars to make it vaguely more of a fair fight. I only take the collars off (temporarily) if we see rats or mice anywhere near the house.

NellGwynne · 22/03/2022 10:30

The cat needs a big noisy bell on its collar and the bird feeders need to be somewhere with no undergrowth beneath where the cat can hide.
I got some big noisy bells for our cat from Amazon. She has two on her collar.

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