MetaChat - That darn cat!

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06 June 2006

That darn cat! →[More:]I just found a dead robin in my bedroom. And last week a bluetit died, despite my best efforts.

It's Lucy - her hobby is ornithology, she sits for hours watching the birds. But now she's learned how to catch them. And it's always rare/protected ones. So far it's been two bluetits, today's robin, a spotted woodpecker and a wren.

Sigh ... the 'joys' of cats ...

post by: essexjan at: 16:03 | 15 comments

I guess you could put a bell on her.

posted by pieisexactlythree 06 June | 16:06

I think I'm going to have to do that, although that didn't stop a previous cat, Bella the Evil Huntress.

posted by essexjan 06 June | 16:21

You might just put the dead birds in her food dish and not feed her anything else for two days.

That might do it.

posted by Lipstick Thespian 06 June | 16:24

No, LT, then she'll get the taste for them and demand fresh kill for every meal, which I will, as her slave, be expected to provide.

posted by essexjan 06 June | 16:33

Don't ever date me then.

posted by Lipstick Thespian 06 June | 17:07

A couple weeks ago, I saw a bib-like thing that you can put around cats' necks to frighten birds off. Apparently, it works much better than the bell, because cats can learn to slink about without making the bell sound. The bib, though, moves enough to frighten the birds off.

The people in the community where I saw this (it was a housing co-op) said it was working really well -- no recent songbird deaths.

I thought it was brilliant.

Linky.

posted by mudpuppie 06 June | 17:08

If I tried to make her wear one of those, mudpuppie, she'd rip out my throat as I slept.

I'll try the bell, I'm going to Romford tomorrow where pet bling is very popular so no doubt I'll get something loud and flashy for her (and for her mother, Bailey, too).

posted by essexjan 06 June | 17:34

I was about to have a pop at you about declining bird populations and the responsibilities of pet owners, but a little bit of research stopped me doing that and embarrasing myself.
The RSPB says ...

Despite the large numbers of birds killed, there is no scientific evidence that predation by cats in gardens is having any impact on bird populations UK wide. This may be surprising, but many millions of birds die naturally every year, mainly through starvation, disease, or other forms of predation. There is evidence that cats tend to take weak or sickly birds

(Link here)
The RSPB doesn't seem to think it's a problem. Slap a bell on her and don't worry about it.

posted by seanyboy 06 June | 18:05

Bloody hell, seanyboy, I live in a forest. I can't protect all the sodding birds!!

posted by essexjan 06 June | 18:22

The big concern now, according to possibly loony people like my nextdoor neighbor, is for the cats, not the birds. She's convinced that when bird flu swipes through California (which she predicts will happen by August), it's the cats who will catch the flu. They'll suffer, of course, but not before they pass it on to us.

She's already counselled me about keeping the chickens in the garage this summer.

Anyway, so the cats catching sick/weak birds might be good for the feathered, but not necessarily for the furred.

posted by mudpuppie 06 June | 18:31

That bib is a travesty, perfect for scooping mulch to leave in the house. Rather than hobbling your pet or forcing her to look stupid to other animals, the bell is the kindest way.

Look, it's not a habit she can break. The best you're gonna get is that she goes behind your back and stops letting you in on it.
You're gonna have to look the other way and she's gonna have to stop sharing. It's hard being a mum.

Maybe you can both enjoy a snake disemboweling sometime.

posted by ethylene 06 June | 18:47

The funny thing is that of all the cats in my neighborhood, it's the ones who belong to someone who do the killing. We unfortunately have several feral cats, most of whom ignore the birds at my feeders. But my one neighbors' cat has caught at least two birds at my feeder that I know of. And he's impressive when he does it. He jumps straight up, nearly 5 feet, and grabs an unsuspecting bird right out of the feeder. I hate that cat, but I do admire his technique.

posted by redvixen 06 June | 20:04

Mine just brought me a dead chipmunk. An adorable chipmunk who wasn't hurtin' nothin'. He's such a douchebag.

posted by jrossi4r 06 June | 20:24

heh ha
i hate the limbless yet living ones.

gosh, but aren't you a little proud?
they just want you to be proud and fed.

posted by ethylene 06 June | 20:27

Ah, the (not so) mysterious cycle of life. It is what they do. I just hate it when they make those squishy noises eating mouse under the bed.

We have put pinecones down in their hunting favorite spots. Seems to keep them away. "Hunting spot"- I am going to sleep here until a meal comes by. More like- "Room service".

posted by pointilist 06 June | 20:48

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