Lilly advice, please

apart from that, DavieM - you don't want all the hassle of dealing with the dead moggies, and their irate owners!!

 

Sometimes Nixon, I could handle it, Fran understand what you say, but the things get everywhere, I am a bird feeder and they do kill the birds, so will continue the fight against cats.... Anti, Cat Alliance anybody ???

 

persuade all local cat-owners to put bells on their little darlings!! :D or grow anti-cat stuff - can't remember it's name - always think of the one for attracting cats!! You DON'T want that!! :rolleyes:

[ 17. March 2006, 09:17 AM: Message edited by: nixonf23 ]

 

I have 3 dogs and 2 cats. The dogs know my cats and thereis only the occasional spat over a dead mouse or other tasty morsel that the cats have got. I always put new bells on the cats this time of year to try to protect birds; the thing is that they do keep vermin down. They can't kill the squirrels but they do scare them. When I had chickens and rabbits the cats were invaluable.
I have been wondering whether the anti-cat plant would keep them from some areas. At the moment I've got short lengths of rose cuttings round some newly emerging plants. works well but messy!

 

what I want is a new plant - "scaredy rabbit"! Please, somebody, invent it!!

 

DaveM - I too feed the birds year round - but the sparrow hawk takes more than any of the visiting cats - they tend to catch the occasional wood mouse also present in the garden.
I would prefer it if cats didn't visit my garden, or their owners fitted them with bells - but as both are unlikely on current research - I go with the flow. Ensuring feeders and table are close to shrubs and out of reach of cats, and ground feeding is in open areas. When I had dogs twas a little better :D

 

I expect they'd eat it too fast to notice...

 

Liz - I presume that was answer to my rabbit comment!! It happens a lot, doesn't it, that people post at the same time, so it all gets a bit disjointed!! But you're almost certainly right!! We've just about completed our second line of defence against the rabbits - photos will follow when the place is finished - but don't hold your breath! :D

 

Hi nixon, yes it was about the rabbits, sorry. I used to keep rabbits and much as I loved them they really were little b*****s when they escaped [ frequently]. In the end I sectioned off the garden by putting in trellis fences covered with wire netting which extended down into the ground about 8", which did work. My dogs are herding dogs, and would bring me baby rabbits if they escaped, [I have one who helped rear any baby rabbits in need of special care] but doesn't your little dog chase them?
I remember being given 24 beautiful strawberry plants one rainy night, and left them outside the back door overnight, coming out to stumps in the morning!

 

yes, both dogs chase them, but they can't be out all night! Thye're getting on a bit and need their beauty sleep!

The back garden has chicken wire all round now, and the "cottage garden has a picket fence, honeysuckle arch and gate all backed with wire nettin, sunk well in (except the gate, of course!! :D ) - and at the other end, another gate - chicken wire everywhere and dug in more than a meter - we will win, eventually!!

 

Well I like rabbits, especially in a stew.

 

We thougth we'd got the back garden secured, and put in some primroses to test, and they've been eaten!!
So I've now sprayed every plant around with Grazeers - will let everyone know if it's any good! And we're intending to prowl the perimeters after dark to see where they're getting in! Why didn't I get binoculars with night sight???

 

I think a rifle with a night sight would be better!
Reckon you'll have more luck spotting them early morning...that's when I used to go a bunny hunting :D

 

so it'll be sleepless night then! We'll take it in shifts!

BUT - this is all off thread - sorry everyone! :eek: