First off I’m a cat lover, this one is a friendly soul, and he doesn’t seem to crap in my garden…. And being large it keeps other cats out…. That might start the latrine thing. So I’m not looking to scare this moggie off long term.
He quite likes sitting on my woodpile. Next to the wood pile is the garage wall, with a honey suckle climber. This is always a favourite spot for birds to nest, Robbins or blackbirds virtually every year. Which is great as I can watch the birds from my kitchen or if I sit still enough I can sit on the patio. This year it’s Robbins, Mrs R is sat there all day, I presume she has eggs, Mr R comes and goes.
This morning, moggie on the woodpile got lucky, heard or saw movement, he now knows the birds are there, no doubt. He spent several minutes trying to reach the honey suckle from the woodpile before giving up. I went out and confirmed the nest was there ( previously I’d suspected as I’d seen the Robbins, but had not spotted the nest). I then spent 20 minutes moving the woodpile a metre or so away. However I’m concerned that once the eggs hatch and there is more avian activity, moggie will be persistent and jump/climb the honey suckle successfully. So, ideas, how to give the birds a chance.
I’m not standing guard with a water pistol…. But will shoo moggie away if I see him.

robins……….

Smart phone predictive text failure

When I was a kid we had a robin family nest in our garage; I loved waiting for the eggs to hatch then watching the mum and dad zip around feeding the chicks. Until a local cat found the nest. 🙁 These days I take a zero tolerance approach to cats, the vicious little bastards, which is why I can often be found chasing them out of the garden with whatever implement I have to hand. If you know the neighbour and are on good terms, can you ask you that the cat be kept indoors until the chicks are fledged?

Let nature take its course…

Shoot the cat on sight.. with the super soaker of course.

Not sure which house owns the cat, he usually approaches from the gardens backing on to mine though…… I’ll try that if it comes to it. Although I’d hate to be the owner trying to keep an outdoor cat, in.

He he, knew a super soaker would get suggested. I’ll be getting one in if I can find one in the super market.

Get a big dog to scare off the cat. A neighbour’s cat took out a nest of robins in my garden–very sad seeing the one remaining adult repeatedly returning to what was left of the nest looking for its mate 🙁

Gulp….. They can be sh1ts. OK…I may like the cat, but I’m toughening up now….. Need to save the robins.

i hate cats…pellet gun?

You’ll just be messing with evolution. If the robin can’t put up a fight, that’s its own fault 😈

But likelihood is the cat won’t succeed. Many try to catch birds but generally fail. My neighbour’s cat stalks my bird feeder but never has any luck.

Family cat we had when I was a kid, had it for some 15 years I guess and I think only once it managed to catch a bird and it was so surprised it didn’t know what to do with it. Didn’t even kill it.

Though some are more into slaughtering and presenting their catch as a gift to their owner.

Tbh, this one may be a bit slow. It gave up very quickly today. I also know the chicks will be silent when no parent is at the nest, and parents won’t go to the nest if they think they are being watched. I’m still worried… Even a big fat and dim cat gets lucky sometimes… And it’s got what? 6 weeks?

Soak the cat whenever it gets near. It works. And I say that as the owner of 4 cats.

Is there any way you can put up some prickle strips? These have kept our cat out of the trees and away from our neighbour’s bird feeder for the past couple of years.

Pellet gun, lion shit, hosepipe, napalm

They are murderous swines

Chuck a bit of chicken wire underneath or string some fruit netting type stuff underneath.

Soak the cat now, regularly to get it away from the area and afraid of being soaked… The baby robins are at risk when they fledge and leave the nest…. Easy targets on the ground…. Soak the cat, it will survive…m

Soak the cat he said as the owner of three cats….

As spooky says – Little bit of chicken wire or string arranged perpendicular to the wall sticking out about 10cm. Puts them off trying to jump up.

Introduce it to some other 70s TV show.

Bombers

“Drac – Moderator
Introduce it to some other 70s TV show.”

I was going to say ” i hope you are beating yourself with the ban hammer”

But that sounds wrong.

supersoaker.

Introduce it to some other 70s TV show.

The Protectors?

Try spraying some lemon juice or scattering orange peel on the wood pile? Cats really don’t like the smell of citrus.

Put a mesh of chicken wire around the nest with a bird sized hole in it.

I have to do that to bird feeders to keep squirrels out.

Build a trebuchet to launch the cat if it gets near the next.

its all very well saying let nature take its course, but you have invited both the cat and the birds into your garden.

you wont be happy when you find bits of dead baby robin

personally i draw the line at an air gun against cats, but one day i might have to explain that everso lucky headshot with a lump of gravel from my catapult to the neighbours kids…

supersoaker with a good shot of jif lemon.

nerf gun?

i couldn’t hit the side of a barn with mine, but the cats hate it even more than the face-full of washing up water they used to get.

You need a ‘Man About the House’, or preferably ‘George and Mildred’ can keep an eye on the aforementioned ‘Robin’s Nest’.

Chances are now he knows they’re there he will have them one way or the other I’m afraid. I had a blackbird nest in a honeysuckle years ago, I couldn’t even get my arm through it was so dense but the cat managed to get there and have the chicks. That’s why cats are banned from some islands, perfect killing machines that look cute. Trouble is, although I don’t own a cat (or rather a cat doesn’t own me)I still like the little blighters.