Land/Water Wildlife

I think a lot of gardeners don't want Cats in to their gardens for various reasons, the mess they make in borders, being predators, etc.. I have two Cats and my fences are specifically built to keep my cats in so that they don't disappear or get run over as many cats do. The anti-cat fences also have the benefit of keeping other cats out.. My cats don't bother the Hedgehogs and will lie on the lawn in the Sun as a Hedgehog will come out of the borders and wander past them. My cats have never caught or killed a bird and in fact the resident Blackbirds bully them and make them get out of the way. But, some cats are real predators and will kill anything they can.

 

I used to have a Vixon visit my garden before I made it cat proof. She would scrabble over my neighbours fence easily into mine and and urinate on the lawn, while watching me watching her from the Kitchen window.

 

It took nearly a year to erect, Martin. The aim then was to keep one particular cat of mine, Jenny,

in the garden. I used to come back from work either to find one of my neighbours handing Jenny back to me after she'd invaded his/her garden, or finding she was on the Garage roof and I had to get a ladder out and climb onto the roof in my Suit. That, and the fact, that I had cats that simply disappeared and you felt the loss and wondered if they been run over and killed or injured. It wasn't a simple process as I had to do a section at a time with the agreement of my neighbours, choosing areas where I thought she was using shrubs etc to climb over the fence. There were times when I thought that I done it only to find within a week or two that she'd found a weakness in the fence. She was like the Raptor in Jurassic Park testing the fences trying to find a way out. I finally was on the last section erecting a frame of Chicken wire onto the top of the back fence running the back lane and as I fixed it in, with a sigh of satisfaction, Jenny walked past my face along the top of the fence........on the other side of the Chicken wire frame. She'd found a small hole further down the fence and pushed her way through it. I fixed the hole and she has never ever got out of the garden again in nearly 6 years It really was worth the effort as both cats are safe and alive, have the fairly large garden to treat as their own Jungle and sunning area and, as I said the fence not only keeps my cats safe but also keeps other cats out. I would add that my side gate is over 7' tall and offers no place for a cat to climb.

 

I sometimes work in Manchester, Birmingham and Chester and, during the Winter, Loki, often see a Fox in the city center streets when driving home. They've really adapted to living in the Towns and Cities so you've probably got some living near you!!

 

Did I hear the word 'Cat'?

He's not ours but thinks he owns the place. I wish he would keep the rabbits, rats and foxes out but he seems happier just sunbathing.