Nancy, I hate to say it, but, a 22 is the only answer. don't waste you time trying to educate the owner.

What an awful thing to have happen, it's happened here too and I knew it was a cat that did it.

Unfortunately for our birds, it is the cat's nature to hunt, so it isn't really their fault, but I'm sure you know that. Would it be possible to speak with the cat's owner about keeping him/her inside? Keeping cats inside really is the right thing to do, and it's safer for the cats, but I know we have several here who drive our dogs mad and terrorize the birds and bunnies.

Other than talking to the cat's owner, I would think that the best you can do is put your feeder out of reach of cats by putting it on a pole with a baffle on it. We just had to add a baffle to our pole because of cats. You can purchase poles with flanges to help you attach the feeder on top. The pole has to be tall enough to keep marauders from getting to the feeder but with the feeder on it so that it is accessible to the person filling it with seed. And if the baffle is mounted in the right place, the baffle will keep any cats/squirrels from climbing higher. I guess some people also put Vaseline on the part of the pole below the baffle.

As far as other ways to discourage cats, maybe someone else on the forum knows what to do. We just had an episode with skunks, and we put hot spices and cups with ammonia in them around our patio, and it worked like a charm. Maybe there is something similar you could do around the feeder area to discourage cats.

I bet that if you put some food that the cardinals really like on your new higher-up birdfeeder, they will come back. I guess it's only natural that they should be leary of the location for awhile.

I hope this has been even a little bit helpful. I know that since the day I came home to find a bluejay head on my patio table (talk about terrorize), and my sister-in-law said "Oh, that's a present, from a cat," I have known that I will never understand cats, I just have to outwit them.

Good luck!

Thanks. I will try the pole with baffle. It's so upsetting. Those cardinals provide me with such joy all winter I am really hoping they can safely return!
Nancy

Also put out something the cat really likes to eat. Being well fed won't keep a cat from hunting but it takes the edge off his skills.

Not so at all. My well fed generations of cats have always been voracious hunters.

This cat may be on a particular diet and the owner may not appreciate you feeding him/her. Some things are harmful to cats, like cooked bones, etc.

I'd suggest talking to the cat's owner and suggesting he/she keep kitty indoors. If a neighbor complained about my cat, that is what I would do. Our area's animal control law fines cat owners who let their cats wander at large after a complaint has been lodged for damage to property of another. (Although damage to wildlife probably would not qualify.) Other areas may have similar legislation.

I don't think owners who let their cats run free are too concerned about what they eat. :0)

Then you'd be wrong. My cat is allowed outdoors, and I home cook for her as I do for my dogs. I would not be happy to learn that neighbors were supplementing her diet.

"I would not be happy to learn that neighbors were supplementing her diet."

With antifreeze :)

If you let your cat out and it goes on others property it's gonna get fed. I don't understand cat owners that think it's ok to let fluffy wander. Don't you understand we have a right to not have your cat in our yards crapping in our gardens and killing our birds? To bad if you would be un happy if someone feeds you cat. Keep it inside where it should be, then you wont have to worry. I cant stand the fact that people dont seem to care about smushed kitty in the road or their neighbors rights to a cat free property.

Aleksandras, what's with the smiley face? You think it's amusing to suggest poisoning a neighbor's pet and perpetrating an agonizing death upon an innocent animal?

When a person feeds wild animals (birds or whatever) this will cause them to congregate and that naturally attracts predators. There are ways to increase the birds safety around the feeders, whether it's from cats, hawks or even crashing into windows.

My feeders are mounted on poles about 6 feet up, with squirrel/raccoon baffles and my cat's not able to jump up that high. There is sparse or short vegetation around the feeders so there is nothing the cat can hide in and the birds are able to surveil their surroundings. They also have plenty of shrubbery and evergreens nearby to flee hawks if necessary.

Thank you Terrene -

Somehow the original question got lost in a back-and-forth dialogue that doesn't help the person with the problem.

Of course we can ask our neighbor to keep kitty inside; but the reality of the situation (a phrase I use with my 17-year-old daughter all the time!) is that she may not do that; and then we have to figure out how to protect the feeder from kitty. Terrene has described the perfect condition for a feeder to accomplish ths goal.

Good luck Nancy0903!

I agree with Terrene. Cats are, by nature, hide and pounce predators. If you take away any areas around your feeder where a cat can hide, you've pretty much eliminated the chances of it catching a bird.
The only time my hated neighbor's cat catches a bird in my yard is when the bird gets too close to a structure where the cat in hiding.

Now that we have partialy solved the killing side of the discussion,let's discuss the poop that's left behind for somone else to clean up,or tread in.

---Aleksandras, what's with the smiley face? You think it's amusing to suggest poisoning a neighbor's pet and perpetrating an agonizing death upon an innocent animal?---

Thank you, terrene. That comment and others in this thread have made me physically ill. Honestly I can't comprehend how some persons can enjoy a portion of nature's creatures and hold a sadistic hostility towards others. I am appalled and disgusted.

spedigrees, though I love cats (we have lots of rescues) I don't think it's very nice to let ones' cat(s) roam and wander onto other people's properties. If you want your cat to be outdoors, you should fence your property with cat-proof fencing. And as a bonus, by keeping your cat confined to your yard, you keep him/her safe from individuals like alan_la and aleksandras.

As I have stated, Petra, I live in a rural area where everyone has indoor/outdoor cats. I might add that my neighbors' cats are well looked after by their owners. When they wander onto our property I am not bothered by their presence.

My closest neighbors across the road, retired, have specifically remarked that they enjoy watching our cat hunt in the evenings, and say that she provides good rodent control for their vegetable garden. I have told them that if she ever causes trouble for them to let me know and I'll keep her in. In any case she will be 17 yrs old soon and she is fast approaching the age where she will no longer wish to go outdoors and I will no longer let her out.

Because of the increased traffic on our unpaved road in recent years, any future cats I might get will be indoor only, just as our cats back in the 1960s in Boston were. Whether or not it is safe (or considerate of others) to let one's pet cat roam free greatly depends on the situation. There was an era (1950s and before) when dogs also were allowed free range everywhere. That era has passed.

My previous cats all lived into their 20s, hunting and roaming the fields and woods. They see the vet regularly and it is my belief that the supplementation of freshly killed rodents to their diet has extended their lives.

The idea that because I (or any other indoor/outdoor cat's owner) allow my cat to go outdoors I do not care for her welfare and wouldn't confine her to the house if an upset neighbor requested it, is insulting and erroneous.

Hawks and owls are predators of smaller birds. Would you feed them antifreeze as well, Aleksandras? Or plug them with a 22, Alan_la?

Petra, That is an excellent idea,and one that should be adopted by all Cat lovers,If that,was the case in my neighbourhood,I would no longer have to clean up after other peoples beloved animals, and I may even start to be fond of them like their owners.

Here it's not safe to let your cats roam, we have Fishers they love cats they seem to go for walks and don't come back.

"And as a bonus, by keeping your cat confined to your yard, you keep him/her safe from individuals like alan_la and aleksandras."

Yes, right! You have no idea what you're talking about. I have 4 indoor cats myself, they have a large kennel where they can play outside. I spent $300 and a lot of work on this kennel, unlike people who find it easier to just open a door and let them out. So who cares about their cats now and who don't? Just a month ago I adopted a stray cat with kittens. The kittens went to a no-kill shelter, and I had the mother spayed and kept her in my house.

The problem is, that if I would let my toddler roam outside, I couldn't complain about what people would do to him. The same is true with a cat - if you let it roam, you shouldn't be surprised what people feed it. Including antifreeze. You want it safe - keep it safe, and don't expect other people to do it for you.

Aleksandras, My sentiments entirely.

Sorry to the OP. These cat threads always take on a life of their own. My neighbors (10 acres away) try to keep their cat in but he often escapes. I do not consider them good pet owners. My cats will never get out un noticed and I will go retrieve them if they do at that moment. A good squirt with the hose has kept their cat from under my feeders. Alan is a jerk and Aleks is miss understood..she is trying to point out what peole do to cats. I know for a fact she has rescued many and provides safety to her own. STILL anyone who allows their cat to roam is only asking for trouble. I have a leaky radiatior, I cant afford to fix it right now, I know to flush the area, most peole dont give a rip. You love your cat????

lisa,You are the first person in my life to call me a jerk,that's 75 years. However, If I valued your opinion it would hurt,but It doesn't. I have spent those years caring for Old people,Children, and most people in the middle, just because I don't like the way people in general control their domestic pets is no reflection on my opinion to speak out.I'm sure that you are a nice person,but slightly misguided in handling people with a different view to your own. Take time to consider that.

You are the one suggesting killing cats with a 22 and that is horrid. There are many other ways to deal with unwanted cats on your property. I dont want them either but I do understand it's not the cats fault. You tell her to shoot the cat and not waste time trying to educate the owner. Sorry thats a jerk if I ever saw one.

The way I see it,is that the person who wants to own a Cat that requires someone else to cater to is the jerk,and should not be allowed to own any animal.

Hi folks,

At the risk of being presumptuous (I am relatively new on the forum) - let's leave this subject now and let our poster try some solutions to her situation instead of letting the level of discussion continue to deteriorate.

I'm sure Nancy0903 never wanted her question to spark such a bitter discussion, so let's "let it go" and move on, and wait for Nancy 0903 to let us know when she has cardinals visiting again.

Chickadeemelrose,Your sugestion has my approval.Let the Birding begin.

Aleksandras, maybe you should have left the smiley face off your remark about antifreeze, I mistook it for an endorsement. I am glad Lisa explained and I do apologize for misjudging you.

Alan_la, I understand your frustration because I am frustrated with a few neighborhood cats who hunt birds and lizards in our yard. Birds and other wild critters are one of the reason our cats are indoors, proximity to a very busy road is another. But surely there has to be an alternative to killing unsupervised cats.

Petra,I never advocated killing anything, scaring the hell out of it maybe.

Oh, then I also owe you an apology, when you mentioned a .22 is the only answer, I thought you meant for killing. I think I'll be off to extract my foot from my mouth now... ;o)