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A cat - owner unknown - has been busy killing the baby birds this year. I even encountered the cat one night climbing up a Wisteria vine to get to the slots between the rafters of the roof of our porch - a favorite place for birds to nest. This is a cat determined to take prey.
I've had to watch and listen to various mating pairs lamenting for days for their dead or missing babies. It is quite a sad thing to sit on your porch and hear the moms/dads trilling over and over for days - waiting for a reply.
My instincts are rather dark. "What's fair for the birds is fair for the cat", but I've been restraining that impulse. However, this cat just struck again, pulling down a nest and leaving 4 babies dead. I've had quite enough. I'm feeling vengeful.
I've never known trapping cages to work with a consistent effect. This cat strikes me as no fool.
We have a dog. This cat comes often late a night when our dog is inside.
Short of retaliation or stinking up my yard how do I convince a cat to stay away?
And yes, I've got a few soft spots . . Don't mess with my babies!
I vote for shooting it.
Why use violence when there is a peacefull way to solve the "problem"?
Shoot the cat and another one will come.
If one of my neighbors was shooting cats, I would call the cops and get him arrested for :
a ) discharging a firearm within city limits
b ) animal cruelty
Not sure how.
Cats are protected by law in the UK - and I assume/hope where Webwork is too
Course Baby Bird/Birds do what come naturally too - eating worms, insects etc. Who protects them - where do you draw the line :)
PS. Catz Rule ;)
Well you could pound it with a baseball bat but that gets
messy.
>> b ) animal cruelty
Cruel? Think of that next time you eat meat, assuming you do. Shooting a cat in the head is infinitly less cruel than what happens everyday on farms across the world to animals ( edible or not ).
Cats are protected by law in the UK - and I assume/hope where Webwork is too
I first read this as "Cats are protected by law in the UK - and I assume/hope Webwork is too".
I too hope that Webwork is protected by law. :)
But I'm wondering what the dog is doing while all this is going on. Aren't dogs supposed to chase cats? I think you should have words with your Labrador.
Another solution is to throw stones at the cat. You don't have to throw to hit. Cats aren't that good at judging whether a stone missed them because it wasn't meant to hit them or whetehr the human throwing it is a lousy shot (probably something to do with cats not being able to throw at all). The cat gets the message anyhow.
I do. But if Webwork kills the cats, he will have to eat them too! :)
Anyway, a cat is inherently cruel itself. That doesn't justify being cruel to it in return, but have you ever seen a cat "playing" with a chipmunk or bird? If there's anything that could make you want to shoot an animal, that's it.
Personally, I'm one who believes the world would be a lot better off without any cats at all - but that's just my opinion! ;) (And yes, I do realize they fill a useful place in the world, I just don't like them.)
Get a .22 air rifle.
Load it with the little grass nuts you get in the mixed food for guinea pigs. They fit perfectly.
Aim, Fire!
The grass nuts explode on impact and sting a helluvalot. I can vouch for this as my 'friend' shot me in the ass to make sure it wouldn't permanently scar little kitty.
One good shot and the cat will never come back.
The other option is to chase them out onto a busy road and get someone else to do the dirty for you.
Ska
Any picture handy? ;-)
I'm telling you rent some nightvision goggles, put on camo, and lay an ambush for the lil guy. Maybe tie a chick to a pole on the ground to lure him in.
Since some people are opposed to shooting you could run a long wire with a switch to the pole the bird is tied to. Connect the wire to your live side of your house current. Then when the cat sink its teeth in the lil morsel you laid out for him **POW** throw the switch and light him up!
Yeah I use to shoot all barking dogs in the neighborhood. But in good conscience since I eat them too.
Our puppy, who's a mere 13 years old, is most likely making herself comfortable, snoozing on the couch or loveseat - whichever one we didn't place some obstacle on to deter her.
She's earned her right to sneak up onto the couch so, no, we're not putting her out on the porch.
Maybe I can borrow the neighbors pit bull mixed breed?
Nah. Buster would make a mess. Great jaws, amazing "shredder of things", great speed and leaping ability. Tiny brain. Probably would eat the wicker furniture when he gets bored and then proceed to eat a hole in the wall.
He seems ready and willing for prison encounters. :)
Hang a couple catgrenades in the wisteria?
Again, my preference is not to do any permanent harm.
I'm thinking something rigged to a motion detector pointed at the wisteria.
You know, somebody ought to invent a goo bomb, something with a shell that's made of a non-rigid material, that can be wired to a motion detector. Perhaps "fired" by a rapid gas infusion that's not quite explosive as an air bag.
I can imagine quite a market for this type of set up: Motion detection, "goo explosive" (without firearms/fireworks issues) non-lethal/non-toxic. Chase off the deer eating your shrubs, keep the dogs out of the garden, cats off the porch.
Sort of like hanging Claymores, 'cept not quite the same effect. Not only effective but in this case likely fun to watch as the infiltrators run off.
You ever see a dog hit by a skunk's spray? Sad, in a sympathetic way, but the acrobatics a dog will go through to attempt to get free from the stink is quite something. I watched my German Shepard sprint backwards from the assault, do a twisting backflip in the air, then dive snout-first into the grass and procede to roll incessantly in the grass. Not so funny when my parents made him stay in my bedroom - after his clean-up ;0) )
Works for skunks . . .
Or
After seeing an unintensionally hilarious program on the telly the other day - "Pensioners on ASBO's" - A 78yr old man used a carbattery and metal wire loops to keep the local kittens from his lawn - however his front garden looked a little like a POW camp...
added or like encyclo says... im too slow a typist...
How about a motion detection system connected to a sprinkler? Your garden would get watered too! :)
Cats are stealthy and can move quickly, plus they're a relatively small target, so they might miss getting hit by the spray.
Too bad they don't have an imbedded targeting systems. Targeting would likely add $1000+ to the price, but there would be a certain entertainment value in knowing there was a consistent "direct hit".
Oh, heck, I'll go the whole 9 yards: Targeting system, tracking high-speed digital cameras for playback . . . maybe connected to a live web feed (got to recover investment). Might have to borrow some cats from the pound, rig up some catnip, . . .
Of course how long before PETA would be hot on my trail?
Absent targeting I can see placing multiple units. Cross-fire array. Need to strategize. Cats are cunning.
Looks like a pretty good solution to me: Non-lethal, won't hurt my pup's ears, waters the garden or washes away the accumulated bird poop from the porch.
Wonder if they have an affiliate program? ;0) We may be on to something here. It's the closest I've come to what at least "looks like" something that would fit all the criteria.
If you can find some of ska_demon's "little grass nuts" in 30 cal, here is your rig [montysminiguns.com].
>>Cats are cunning.
True. They already follow special training [abacus-referencement.com] for your yard.
Cat's instinct is very strong [abacus-referencement.com]. ;)
Notice the look in the eagle's eye? It's the old "You've got to be kidding me" look.
You know, the one we either give or get . . . just before the fur starts flying.
Nyuk, nyuk.
Thing is you can never be sure with cats. Some hang around with wrong people [img209.imageshack.us] and then aquire special skills at camouflage [delivery.sina.com] or even sniping [fogma.co.uk]. Please be careful!
I guess you could benefit from letting nature follow it's course [abacus-referencement.com].
Cruel? Think of that next time you eat meat, assuming you do. Shooting a cat in the head is infinitly less cruel than what happens everyday on farms across the world to animals ( edible or not ).
yea think off all those poor animals ground up in farm equipment while harvesting stuff like wheat and corn... :D
But hey, I love cats, so I'd just call Animal Control to come take the cat away.
