Allotments 4 All

 Can anyone out there help please?.
We have a lot of different sorts of birds in the garden which is a pleasure.  The reason i am asking for help is we have a couple /3 cats keep hiding & catching the birds.
While i know this is a natural thing for them i do not like it, i chase them off i do not want to hurt them BUT they are becoming a real pest.  Are there any smellies or tried & trusted scare things to keep them away, i know there is a plant but i would need so many it would cost to much.
Thank you for any help you can offer me.

I have always had cats and fed the birds and have very few casualties.  Even the visiting sparrowhawk doesn't catch much.

The trick is to hang bird feeders high, well out of range of pouncing cats and to feed ground feeders in an open area with no cover for pouncing cats to hide.  Having a few tall shrubs is also good as the bords can hide in there away from both cats and sparrowhawks.

As for a cat deterrent, I know of no plant or product which works well or long term except for a water scarecrow.  It's a device attached to a water supply and with a sensor that triggers a spray of water.  It works on cats, foxes, herons.   You just need to change the sensor's position from time to time so they don't learn to avoid it.   Google for more info and suppliers.

Take it from me Rosebud the plants do not work. We paid £10 for 3 two years ago. Still got the cats messing in the front garden. We don't get cats in the back where we feed the birds luckily.

Water pistols - may take a few well aimed hits but the cats will get the message.

I also filled a saucepan with water and threw it over my cat when he was stalking the birds - he didn't do it again.

Alison

Quote from: Alimo on March 26, 2011, 14:15:22
Water pistols - may take a few well aimed hits but the cats will get the message.

I also filled a saucepan with water and threw it over my cat when he was stalking the birds - he didn't do it again.

Alison

;D ;D

For the first time today after five years we have had a Blue Tit flitting around our garden nest box and showing real interest in it spending twenty minutes inside the box, this is after I removed one of the two nest boxes I had up on the side of the garage, I will not be to happy if these birds breed in my garden and some cat comes along and causes havoc, :)

Neighbours cats foul and use my garden so I cover  loose soil with netting, holly and rose prunings. I go and hiss at them when I thing they're troublesome but they do deter the pigeons a bit and the tits have been wrecking the fruit blossom so a cat or two can keep them on their toes....or wings. I rather like the idea of a water pistol but it would have to be a good one for my biggish plot/garden : ::)

you can get them with back packs of water!