If you have a cat you have to stop it scaring and eating birds

[lasagnelle]

Get a bell collar or something. Give the wildlife a chance. Can you train cats to leave birds alone?

Oh here we go again, more cat hating on MN 🙄

I don't have a cat at the moment but will be adopting in the New Year. My new cat will not be wearing a collar of any sort, let alone one with a bell on it, I don't intend to drive it mad.

My garden is cat proofed so the cat won't be getting into the neighbours' gardens so the haters can't complain about that and I do nothing to encourage birds in. However birds will most probably land in the garden at some point but there's not a lot I can do about that.

My biggest hunter is a long haired maine coon cross. So the bell doesn't really jingle if he keeps it on (which he doesnt) anyway, as it gets stuck in his fur

Hors d'oeuvres.

I'm ready for my pasting.

Or get their leg caught in the collar.

Me neither, but the fact so many of them just shrug and say "it's a cat, what do you expect" just proves my point. Cats in towns have a detrimental effect on bird life and they shit everywhere. Owners don't think this is their problem. Some owners, if you prefer.

House sparrows are also an invasive species so are cats ok to kill them.

It begs the question how long does an animal have to live in a country before it’s not regarded as invasive?

I had to rescue my cat from the garden as she was being bullied by magpies.

It’s really not cat hating to say that they shouldn’t be attacking birds. I love cats. I wouldn’t allow them outside. They chase toy mice inside though

Yep. There is a reason cat rescues don't advocate them

That's all anyone can ask. I think cat owners like you are very rare though.

Where on earth do you live that your garden is covered in pigeons if you don’t have a cat? I’m a cat free city home owner and my garden isn’t overrun with pigeons.

Same
My childhood dog used to catch frogs and put them in the mop bucket unharmed
She did the same with squirrels,birds and mice (the squirrels and birds would jump back out,which was fun trying to get them out again)
The cat did fuck all hunting
We did ask the dog to stop but she ignored us

Nope to a collar - my kitties love to climb trees and I'd rather not find them hanging from a branch, thanks. Have to admit, I don't love that they catch the odd bird but I'm quite happy that they catch rats and other critters - we live very rurally and would be overrun with rodents if it wasn't for our cats.

I have a Whippet who is an efficient hunter.
{NOT birds} but rodents that are regularly poisoned by people.

I bought Hawk bells to go on her, as if she catches rodents in public, people get all upset- but she moves so stealthily even the hawk bells don't jingle.

She can catch rodents wearing bright clothes as well.

I hate it when my cats bring back dead birds. They seem to have largely stopped thankfully (most likely due to my screaming like a banshee when they turn up with one). The dead wet rat and equally wet cat really took it a new level of yuck one day.

My last cat did stop though when I told him he didn't need to bring me any gifts just bring himself home safe and we are happy. Unfortunately my younger cat is a hunter and loves it. Very little I can has stopped her. Bells get pulled of.

With the expansion of housing developers are removing garden and green spaces.
I grew up in a 40's home with a massive 90 foot garden with lots of trees and bushes.
Now new builds have 0 gardens or just a tiny patch of grass. The RSPB need to put pressure on the government to make sure developers add proper sized front and back gardens that are planted with a variety of trees and bushes/shrubs that as they mature provide housing and shelter for animals.
Our pine trees have given birds a nice protected home all year round. Although the Pigeons, crows and Magpies have been fighting over the space.

My dogs have been trained to protect the wildlife in this garden. No cats allowed.

😂

They haven't been trained to protect wildlife, they've been trained to chase small animals.

We are better off focusing on stopping the human behaviour and activity that leads to the deaths of so many birds. Cats have been hunting birds for thousands of years without making them endangered.

I’ve explained your request to Chairman Meow OP. He’s mulling it over as he munches his supper…it’s given him paws for thought…

I'm not unempathetic to the cat shit situation. We have noticed our cat does it to a particular neighbour's front garden and my husband will go clean it up.

As such, I would be quite happy, as a cat owner, to pay a set amount of money for a service where people report this problem and people are sent out to clean up to no cost to those reporting it in their gardens etc.

That said, I think the same should be done for dog shit as fines and warnings aren't working apparently.

Mine has a bell and is no longer in the first flush of youth. He's also the worst camouflage job ever so as soon as he emerges from the house, birds see him. He catches the odd mouse, but the pigeons are more than happy to feed on the ground while he watches them - they are simply too big for him!

Put orange peel down. They don't like the smell. They can poo in their own garden. Mine do.

Its nature

Cats aren’t wild animals like naturally occurring predators, they are pets that humans choose to own and they have a negative impact on wildlife.

OP they don’t care, if they did they wouldn’t keep them decimating local wildlife and shitting in their neighbour’s gardens.

Mines too old and fat and lazy to bother. He used to have a collar with bells on, the stupid dog heard him coming and chased him. No bell, no chase, stick bell on, chase ensued.

Sometimes old cats are skilled hunters for rabbit.

Bird's revenge?!!!!