Do You Know Where Your Cat Is?
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- Carol Wallace
-
Georgene A. Bramlage
- MaggieM
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Georgene A. Bramlage
- Carol Wallace
-
Georgene A. Bramlage
- Carol Wallace
- pixie1980
- Carol Wallace
- VickiPaull
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» Carol Wallace - Re: Same for fishes
In response to message posted by biogardener:Actually, I've only ha done cat (out of many) who even tried to go fishing in the smaller of our two ponds - and she fell in - much to her embarrassment, right in front of the other two cats, who licked her dry with gestures of great disgust. She never tried it again, at least that I know of. In fact, they've never seemed to be very interested.
Of course both of our ponds provide plenty of cover for fish. They need it now just to hide from predators (and bird predators are a problem here) but for spawning. Lucky for me I love waterlilies, so we have the best of both worlds.
The real problem predator, who almost decimated out fish population in a single visit was a racoon. It got all but one of the fish who populated our small pond - luckily, the one he missed was pregnant and managed to hide so successfully that even I didn't spot her for nearly a week after the invader struck.
I cut some canes off of the thorniest rose bushes I have and scattered them all around the perimeter of the pond and left then there for several weeks. And never had another bit of trouble. (It wasn't really comfortable for the gardener when I needed to do maintenance, but that's better than losing all the pond life!)
-- posted by Carol Wallace
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Georgene A. Bramlage
- Fir not Feathers!
With due regard to Traute and her methods...I do believe it is almost impossible to have a cat decipher the difference between fir and feathers! Hunting is part of a cat's genetics -hard wiring so to speak. And as much as my husband would like to have our cat catch and deliver only mice, voles and moles...this is simply not going to happen...with this cat anyway.
As for keeping the cat indoors...this is not going to happen either. She wants OUT and again I believe it is part of her nature as a hunter. One of my children who is an 'animal rights person' isalways upset with me because I don't keep the cat indoors.
We have coyotes, you see, and her fear is also that the cat will make a meal for one of the pack. I figure if the cat becomes meal so be it...she contributes to the food chain or web.
I put trying to change the nature of cats as successful as tryingto make vegetarians out of them!
Carol, I thought your ddescription of the wet cat very funny and appropriate.
-- posted by Georgene A. Bramlage
» MaggieM - Cats and ponds
I have a pond in a barrel, because I live inner city and have no real space, and my cat (11) only likes to try to drink out of it. Like Carol, the only predator that is a fish problem, is a raccon. He's been gone since we found him (teenager) fishing one night, and beat him off with a small rake. dog was asleep up on our second story deck, have photo of maurader. I have two fish, a pond goldie who is so shy it won't even show itself, and an algae eater that I rarely see cause he's black like the liner. I know that hunting and other cats kill songbirds and can be bad raiders. My cat outside means I have no other cats in my various gardens. I do appreciate that cats can be destructive, and live well and longer if they live indoors, but I can't do it. My cat is a mice/vole catcher. Our house is 125 plus years old and the entrails and tails I find on my back stoop mean that mice are not fully taking over my kitchen cupboards.Feral cats are a big problem in many places. Cats that are not fed at home and people/house attuned are a problem. Un-neutered cats are a major problem. Responsible pet ownership is ther issue. Love them, feed them, neuter them, know what they do. And adopt them from the shelters and look after them. Then care about what they do and where they go. They are family members. Isn't that why you get a "pet" for?
Guess there's no accounting for the folks who just don't care. 'Nough said.
-- posted by MaggieM
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Georgene A. Bramlage
- Re: Cats and ponds
Just a quick addition to Maggie M's post...feral cats are a great problem in many parts of North America (I don't know about the rest of the world) and many communities/shelters have programs which work to capture, neuter and release these cats. Although I've never seen any statistics and don't know if any exist, I would bet that feral cats account for a good bit of the song bird / wildlife damage.
I would encourage gardeners who are concerned about cats/songbirds to support local feral cat programs to cap and lower this population.
-- posted by Georgene A. Bramlage
» Carol Wallace - Re: Re: Cats and ponds
In response to message posted by Cercis:We have a course on Feral Cats at SuiteU that has turned out to be one of our most popular offerings. Apparently the concerns expressed here are very widespread. My Nell was probably feral - found in the woods as a very small kitten - and sometimes still acts that way, but she too is a great help in keeping down the vole and mouse population here. Not so much now - both she and Kelsey are over 12 and arthritic - but still, in a 100+ year old house they have plenty of pickings without having to get wet. ;-)
Here is one statistic I found on ferals:"By comparison, the United States has approximately 60 million pet cats and 60 million ferals. Feral populations are swollen by breeding and the dumping of unwanted pets; 5 million cats and dogs are 'dumped' annually according to the US Department of Agriculture while American surveys suggest that between 36% and 60% of unneutered pet cats go feral within 3 years."
-- posted by Carol Wallace
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Georgene A. Bramlage
- Re: Re: Re: Cats and ponds
Wow, Carol!
Thanks for the information about feral cats...especially about the SuiteU course on Feral Cats.
A course such as this is a real community service especially when taught by someone who is an expert such as Bryan Kortis.
Our little black cat Petey was part of a dumped litter...hid under our yew bushes and meowed pitiously until we were able to coax her out with patience and a bit of tuna. I later discovered many of her siblings around town at various locations. Apparently, someone just drove through town and left kittens where it looked as if each would receive a good home. I often wonder how many of these litter mates are still alive.
My husband could hold her in the palm of one hand - I wish now that I had a picture of that. I didn't expect her to hang around very long, but she did and she is now my husband's best buddy and my assistant gardener whose responsibility is keeping the area varmit free.
-- posted by Georgene A. Bramlage
» Carol Wallace - Re: Re: Re: Re: Cats and ponds
In response to message posted by Cercis:Nell was that small when I first saw her. Poor thing only got rescued because she was stumbled across by someone who needed a kitten as a prop in a play. She spent her first three weeks of civilization roaming around a theater. Then when the play was over I took her home. She wasn't even 6 weeks old when I took her to the vet!
The stats and stories about feral cats are amazing and depressing. And the Feral Cat course has been one of our most popular - so apparently there is a lot of interest in this problem. THAT is comforting. It breaks my heart to think of those poor abandonded animals let loose in the wild without much idea of how to survive.
-- posted by Carol Wallace
» pixie1980 - Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Cats and ponds
In response to message posted by CarolWallace:It is depressing, especially that house cats can turn Feral if not neutered, I didn't know that (I guess that's why some cats run away and never come back?). My fathers store cat was a kitten that had been placed in a bag with a rock tied to it and thrown into a lake... a young girl jumped in, saved it and brought it to my father still wet. Every cat my family ever owned (and there were many including a Bob Cat mix) was Feral and refused to come into the house. All died untimely deaths... it is stomach turning to see gorgeous cats and kittens dead on the side of the road, a sight I see on a regular basis now. I will try to add a banner to the Feral Cat course, thanks Carol! It sounds like a super long term plan, on the short term your rose bush branch idea is brilliant. There have been no more problems since using them on my end.
-- posted by pixie1980
» Carol Wallace - Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Cats and ponds
In response to message posted by pixie1980:Nothing saddens me more than driving along the road and finding a dead cat or kitten. Once I actually found two, side by side. THAT one has haunted me for years! I'm glad that my current two were rescues. Even though Nell is a housecat who goes out, she isn't very affectionate the way most of mine have been. But she craves attention and is very insecure.
I only ever had one cat run away and not come back - and I can't be certain that he didn't fall victim to a passing car - I just never saw him
again. But he had been neutered.
I'm glad the rose bush idea helped. I know it worked well for me. (As long as I didn't forget and kneel down to pull out stray cat tails or something. ;-)
-- posted by Carol Wallace
» VickiPaull - Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Cats and ponds
In response to message posted by CarolWallace:HI GUYS!
I haven't visited in awhile but Hey! I'm feeling better.
First hello Marie glad to see the topic revived!
As for cats and ponds, well I have a little yellow fuzzy friend and he responds to our care of him by laying fresh kills on our doorstep. These pathetic offerings are a token of his love. . . Yuck!
I don't mind the mice, rats and voles so much but when I find a frog or lizard or salamander I do consider "House Arrest." My husband is firmly opposed to confining the cat, the cat is firmly opposed to confinement so I am completely over-ruled.
I guess it is one of those situations that has no easy answer. However if I ever find one of my fish on the step, I think the yellow cat will be sporting the black and white stripes of a lifer!
-- posted by VickiPaull
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