Topic: cat catching frogs

[sarah]

my cat has started to catch frogs from my pond and i dont know what to do about it.  he is a good cat and keeps the mice down in my old house. he wears a bell and this has been very effective stopping him getting birds but the frogs are a problem. he doesnt kill them or even damage them really and the two that he has brought me today i have returned to the pond and they seem ok but i dont know really wether they are. obviously i dont want him bringing me frogs.  i love frogs. does any one have any (sensible) suggestions? i know w lot of people dont like cats and would shoot them on sight if they could but please try and give me some sensible advise. thanks.

[jjt]

I've had cats do this as well and they never seemed to hurt the frogs either. All I ever did was rescue them. If he is a young cat hopefully it's just a new thing he's discovered and he'll stop it after a while. Cats have real phases of behaviour, if you can provide a bit of distraction at the right time you can break the habit sometimes. I would not worry too much and hope the frogs learn to hide better. Not much help but cats is cats I spose.

[sarah]

thanks jjt. i hope he will stop. he is guite young about two.  whenever i see him near the pond now i whistle him and that didstracts him. this morning he didnt come wheni whistled him for his breakfast which really worried me but he has just returned looking a bit sheepish so i dont know where he got to this morning. he is chewing grass so i wonder wether one fo the frogs he caught yesterday may have left a nasty taste in his mouth. anyway thanks. :)

[Tin Shed]

Our cats 'catch' frogs as well. I don't usually know that they have got one until I hear the frog screaming so then go and rescue it.  Have rescued two recently.
I had no idea that frogs made any other noise other that croaking so had a real fright when I first heard a frog scream!

[sarah]

i know its a strange sound like a squeeky toy. poor things.

[lorna]

My King Charles spaniel keeps dabbing at them when she finds them but doesn't really hurt them. I have to rescue them and put them over the fence where she can't get to them. Funny, I haven't seen one this year, I think they have moved house!!!

[jjt]

I'd forgot about the squealing. Wait til he catches a toad, it'll wee in his mouth. That should cure him.

[sarah]

 :o that'd work.  :D

[asbean]

One of my cats likes to scoop up frogspawn with his paw and eat it - a most disgusting sight to watch, as he so obviously enjoys it.  Unfortunately it's indigestible, as I found out, walking barefoot later.  :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(

[Tin Shed]

Yuk!!!!

[peasmad]

my problem is, my ducks eat frogs. There's nothing as off putting to the missus, seeing a duck run down the drive with a frogs leg out each side of it's bill. Just before it gulps down in one. No frog spawn in either of the ponds . Still i don't have a big snail problem.

[Ishard]

I have 2 male cats and 1 female cat, 1 male cat catches frogs and eats their heads, the second male cat scoops blanket weed from the pond and eats it!

The female sits and looks at both the males with a horrified expression on her face as if to say " Yuk! Typical males, you eat anything!"  ;D

[tonybloke]

try netting the pond and providing a log pile for frogs

[Ishard]

I do have log homes for the frogs and I cant net a koi pond as its natural for them to leap and mine are huge, but thanks.  :)

[sarah]

yes mine is netted too and a lot of old wood and undergrowth. i havent had any frogs in this week so i think the cat has tired of the game.