Topic: Fieldmice get the boot!!

[eileen]

Earlier today Duncan, our eldest lad, 'phoned and asked if his Dad could help him lay a paved driveway.

So Ian dutifully trundles out to the shed to get his steel toe-capped boots in preperation for a days hard graft.

When he got there he decided not to bother wearing them as a dainty little fieldmouse had decided to build her nest in  the heel of one of them and produce babies!!

I wanted to take a piccie but thought it best not to disturb her any more than we already had.

I'll check on her tomorrow by looking through the shed window - just to make sure she's OK. Sooooooo cute!!

Guess that means no real gardening for a wee while eh?


Eileen.

[Jesse]

Aaaaw fieldmice are so sweet, I would love to see a photo. We had a family of fieldmice in our hedgerow when we first moved here but sadly one of the thousands of cats in our neighbourhood put an end to that, sorry all you cat lovers but I despise cats now, they victimise the wildlife in my garden and even chase the squirrels away when they come into my garden.

[eileen]

I think mine are safe from cats, thank goodness, Jess.
The shed is probably the safest place she could have built her nest.
She's still there this morning too which I'm really pleased about.
Obviously Ian's boots aren't too niffy!!!!!  :P


Eileen.

[aquilegia]

awww how cute! Shame photo is out - don't want to disturb them.

[Toots]

Hi Jesseveve,

I disagree with your despising of cats as it is totally illogical and humanising a natural animal's instincts.Man is a worse and more despicable killer than any cat which follows its natural predatorial instincts.It is honest and true to itself unlike most humans.

We do need predators and certainly the grey squirrels where I live are a much greater risk to birds and such than my cats are.They need a top predator to keep them in check as they are destroying wildlife pushing out the reds and are in fact a foreign invader.Also eating all my fruit.Natural selection still needs to work to ensure the strong ,healthy and astute survive and breed.The same is true for animals.

Cheers,cat lover Toots. ;D

[Jesse]

Hi Toots, sorry about my statement, and didn't mean to upset any cat lovers.  :-[ I know cats have lots of good qualities, nothing better than a cat purring on your lap. I guess I worded my statement too strongly, just I find it annoying when they catch birds, chase the squirrels and eat the mice I have been watching! But as you say, they are only doing what is natural to them. Hope you can forgive me! Cheers, Jesseveve, cat liker but not lover!

[Toots]

Hi Jesseveve,sorry to be a grouch,but my older cats are fairly innocuous now,most of the time.I also hate when they kill,will rescue if I can but am quite philosophical now!

There is nothing to forgive.The cats are all waifs and strays in their own way and as you say give a lot of happiness to us.

I have been watching the antics of some young rooks hopping round in the garden copying their mum,pecking at everything.They are really cute! All gawky and clumsy!Young blackies and starlings too,but more timid.Haven't seen the blue tit babies from under the eaves yet!

Cheers Toots ;)

[eileen]

Just a quick update. All the babies have now left their nest in Ian's boot to see a bit of the world.  :D So far two have been killed though.  :'( :'( 1 by a bl..dy cat and 1 by a magpie.  >:( Fingers crossed the rest survive.

Eileen.

[Carol]

Eileen, me auld mate, guess what??   Yes you are correct, I now have mice inside my lazy s . ds.  wellington boots which he always manages to leave outside.   I have been watching the mummy collecting the ground bird seed right at my back door and running back and forward to the boot.  I have reminded him indoors that this is happening, so hope he remembers ::)

Tonight, while waiting on the dinner I watched her picking up the raisins in her paws and thoroughly enjoying the free food.  :o

[Roy Bham UK]

Eileen, I thought you were about to tell us a horror story, it was a good thing your hubby checked inside the boots b4 squeezing his foot in it.

Not wanting to start a cat fight but why do cats not eat what they catch? They bring home a little bird or mouse half kill it play with it decapitate it and leave it on the door step for you to squash into your socks when you pick up the milk.

Then upset the neighbours by doing dodo's in their garden, come home for a bit of fuss and sharpen their claws on the sofa. ;D

Roy

[Spurdie]

Hi all
Yes, cats are responsible for killing alot of garden birds, but then again so are what we call "hoodie craws" (hooded crows). One of them spotted a blackbird's nest in a neighbour's hedge, waited till "Mum Blackbird" had went out to look for food for the chicks, then made off with a little blackbird. Every time Mum B left the nest the crow came back for another one, until it had eaten the lot! >:(
The neighbours were out trying to scare the crow away each time, but it just waited till they had gone back into the house and then continued stealing baby blackbirds.
Felt really sorry for the poor Mum Blackbird.  :'( I hope she manages to rear another brood this year, but with all this rain the next lot of youngsters may drown.

[Toots]

Eileen, I thought you were about to tell us a horror story, it was a good thing your hubby checked inside the boots b4 squeezing his foot in it.

Not wanting to start a cat fight but why do cats not eat what they catch? They bring home a little bird or mouse half kill it play with it decapitate it and leave it on the door step for you to squash into your socks when you pick up the milk.

Then upset the neighbours by doing dodo's in their garden, come home for a bit of fuss and sharpen their claws on the sofa. ;D

Roy

Hi Roy,

Well ours do eat what they kill except for shrews which are nasty to taste.They do not catch a lot ,being a bit lazy and older,and generally hunt  only at night,to eat.We know as they bring most indoors and they leave the bowels and bits on the floor.One of our cats is ex-feral,but a lazy loveable slob now.

This is despite them being very well fed,as it is in their nature and part of their natural instinct.

They are true to their nature,some people may take offense,but they are predators. I realise it is annoying if they cr*p in your garden and hunt the birds.As Eileen says a good pump action water pistol works well.I used to use one to deter ours from time to time! Putting down prickly branches helps too.We have a big garden so they usually use it.

So please don't blame them.You may not like them but they have a natural place in the ecosystem,they are much less destructive to wildlife,helping maintain a balance,taking the weakest,unlike man the worst predator and often deliberate destroyer.Wild cats are part of our native fauna.Now sadly reduced by man's killing,to the remotest fringes in Scotland. :-\

[Roy Bham UK]

Hi Toots, I was speaking from my experience of owning our first and last cat. My two daughters who were at the time approaching their teens, came home with a kitten from a nearby neighbour stateing it was to be put to sleep with all it’s bro’s and sister’s, :'( so being sadly touched  at it’s plight and the sad little eyes of my two daughters,  :( I thought why not it will make two little girls happy and save a little muts life. ;D
As the little ball of fluff soon to be known as Muffin grew bigger its temper got bigger also  :o and was decidedly going to be different from other cats by not letting anyone stroke her or be handled, ::) a few weeks or months later she was spayed as recommended by the vet who said she will calm down and be more loving. :)

 >:(That’s when the hunting started, decapitated mice and birds brought in daily as little thank you’s for caring for me and if you don’t let me claw the sofa then the wall paper will do  :o and don’t think about picking me up and stroking me cause I will sink my claws into you till I draw blood. :o :o :o

I feel sure her dad must have been a Wild Tom. :-\

Roy

PS Never tasted a shrew. :D

PPS I have found wet/damp bark chippings as mulch deter my neighbours two Toms 8) 8) 8)

[Toots]

Sorry you had such an anti people cat,it does happen if feral strains are there.

We've had 35 yrs plus of 3-4 cats at a time ,all sorts,our boys loved them and still do and they have brought real pleasure fun and at times sadness,but massively on the positive side.

We've had wall scratchers,lined the walls with clear polythene for a bit till they stopped.

All except 2-3 have been waifs and strays,or feral.Our friend is a vet so we get some he is given for the chop,said to be uncontrollable,broken back after road accident or whatever,but with a bit of TLC and cat psychology we usually manage,eventually!

Not everyone likes cats,my parents didn't,but they have all returned our love many times,for all they are self centred beasts!

All I say is don't tar all cats with the same brush,you may have been a cat fanatic if it had been a cuddly people cat!!!

A neighbour is looking after a half feral,half Scottish wild cat  puss.It is murderous to all but its owner and is devoted to her! But again that is its inborn nature. ;D