Hedgehog vs Cat

[ThistletoeAndGrime]

We recently (a few weeks back) started to get visited by a hedgehog. After we saw him in the garden a few times, we put a hedgehog hibernation box in the corner and then a feeding station on the patio which was an upturned plastic box with a 13cm hole on one side.

We bought hedgehog food and he came every night around the same time to eat (we saw him).

He's stopped visited as regularly again - presumably because he's snuggled up somewhere. We wanted to leave some food out for him anyway because I read that they may come out of hibernation occasionally to eat.

BUT a small cat has started to come in, can get in the box and is eating all the food which...

a) cannot be good for the cat
and
b) is annoying - because the food will be gone if hoggy wants it.
Plus, I don't want a cat in the garden - otherwise I'd have one. I prefer the birds etc but the cat has started to scare them off. Today while gardening, I saw the border is also covered in cat shit. It's frankly a bloody nuisance.
It's a sneaky thing so I never see it except scapering over the fence if it gets caughty (we have it on trail camera eating the food).

How can I adjust the feeding station so the cat cannot get the food but the hadgehog Can, in the hope that a combination of no food and a dog allowed to roam in the garden a bit more often, will move the cat along?

Put an entrance tunnel with a right angled bend in it?

Thanks mere

I wondered about that. I put two bricks in front of the entrance yesterday which means anything getting in has to approach the hole from a right angle - to try and test if that worked.

It hasn't :(

I did read someone had some success with a short, flatter shaped hole. I may get a new feeding box and try that along with some kind of right angled tunnel, if I can figure out how to make one...

This could work for a tunnel?

Pipe

Connector

Yes - especially the right angled ones. I might try that! If I then use my bricks inside the box to essentially create an 's'. bend that may do the trick.

Thanks both

I'd be very wary of leaving food out the whole winter. Even if you can stop the cat getting to it you may end up attracting rats.

Won't hoggie be hibernating by now and not need feeding?

Nope! I also have camera out and feed the hedgehogs, and 'mine' are currently at their most active.

The pipe connector definitely works, as does making the S bend out of bricks or whatever. But that depends on how tall the box and hole are -ie that cat can't just go over it.

You can make feeders that deter cats fairly easily… lots of info on Google.

Please keep feeding (and watering) during winter - hedgehogs frequently wake from hibernation and sometimes leave their nests in search of food. When they do, it’s far better that they find food close, by than have to use vital energy stores looking for it.

You can make feeders that deter cats fairly easily… lots of info on Google.

One of the most common suggestions was the bricks at a right angle to the door - but this is a TINY little cat - really small. The bricks there don't work at all. However, I've ordered some of the right angled pipe suggested above and am hoping I can combine that with the bricks inside the box to make an 's' bend that puts the cat off!

The pipe connector definitely works, as does making the S bend out of bricks or whatever. But that depends on how tall the box and hole are -ie that cat can't just go over it.

Good news - the hole is 13cm round and the box is about 20cm high, so I can always add more bricks. I have loads I use on the allotment so can bring more back.

I definately don't want to stop feeding, but need to be able to leave the food safely without bringing cats into the garden. For the sake of the other wildlife and because, one day, my dog and the cat are going to cross paths and I would really hate to have to take someone's injured cat back to them, if it's not quick enough to get away.

Plus, while I quite like cats generally, I really don't want the hassle of them in my garden. They spray on my pots (the dogs also does that so maybe not that bad) and poo in the border (the dog does not do that and I like to garden!).

Thanks everyone!

We had a hedgehog, that was living in our shed with our cat! They were quite happy, until we discovered the hedgehog and started to feed him, cat decided then that his lease was up.

Try a roof on the tunnel. I’m going from my experience constructing play areas for my cats out of old cardboard boxes - they’ll go into a dark hole where they can turn round and see daylight, but get less keen as the dark tunnel gets longer/more complex.