Neighbours cat grrrrrr!!

[SamDavis]

I have this thought brewing - perhaps Tintola is not a cat lover!

[Tintola]

Don't know what you mean? I love cats ....just not live ones. I really don't think that they should have been domesticated.
Old saying "Dogs have masters ...Cats have servants."

[murf]

Mickp, you're my new found hero! I'll be extra sure not to upset you. Reminds me of James Bond and the radiator in the bath trick.

[Myzomela]

Since we have to build aviaries for our birds if kept outside, so should cat owners build outdoor runs for them to get their exercise.
Can you imagine the uproar if you tried to implement it?
It should be a condition of cat ownership.
We all have to take responsibility for our animals- marauding dogs are no different.

But by logical extension, then they will also stop the realease of pigeons- racing or homing- to stop them crapping on our neighbour's roofs.
Now wouldn't that cause a stir!

[malibu_birdie]

I have nothing against cats, in fact I would have to say that I like most of them. It is the irresposible owners that I hate. I know of some cat owners that take resposibility for the animals in their care (not many I assure you, to count them... 3 in total) and either keep them locked inside the house or my grandmother who breeds show cats keeps them in catteries (large fully enclosed pens with sheds in them). Just yesterday I saw a tiny kitten that had been hit by a car because the owners did not keep it contained. I have a problem with the neighbourhood cats on my aviaries. I bought a NERF gun (kids toy that shoots foam and rubber darts quite a distance) to frighten them with but it doesn't seem to make a difference. They just keep coming back. And my pomeranian is not much of a deterrence. Our local council states that it is reccommended that cats are kept contained during the night but that it is not enforced. It makes me furious!

[Shark]

5 Erect an electric fence wire around top of aviary or along your dividing fence (can be bought at produce stores) More aversion therapy.

This method is the best alternative, a cat is smart enough to only get zapped once, it will not return. Wait and see your birds start to breed better and your death rate drop. Is the best thing I did for my birds.

[VR1Ton]

a cat is smart enough to only get zapped once, it will not return

Not so sure about that. I had a neighbour a few years back with 3 cats, 1 never left their front verandah, 1 spent half the day anoying the living *censored* out of my birds, caost me $1,400 in the first week. Couldn't count the number of times I shot it with a slug gun & BB. Got fed up in the end & got out the 22, did warn them, but hey, it was their choice.

[tbird]

Shark, as you also live in Melbourne can you please let me know where you bought the electric wire from. I'm thinking that may be a good option or perhaps those spike things that people put along their fences to keep possums off. That way the cat wont be able to jump from the fence to the roof.

[murf]

The "electric wire" is normal fencing wire, or a lighter gal wire. To make it electric you need an energiser(can be purchased at hardware store that deals in farm produce). (probably available for under $200) You also need an "earth" stake and insulators. The energiser has a lead that is attached to the earth stake- a metal pole banged well into the ground. The other connection is attached to the gal wire. Plug in the power. Be careful, once you switch on the power, all exposed gal wire can give anyone, or anything a decent reminder of what an electric fence is about. Be careful with children. More information can be found on energiser boxes, internet or the farm produce store. You will need to understand the use of insulators and how to set them up. I'm not sure about town/city regulations, but on a farm an electric fence is a necessity.

[Shark]

[quote="tbird"]Shark, as you also live in Melbourne can you please let me know where you bought the electric wire from. I'm thinking that may be a good option or perhaps those spike things that people put along their fences to keep possums off. That way the cat wont be able to jump from the fence to the roof.

I bought mine at john Kay farm supplies in Melton , but any farm supply store will have them. unit, fiberglass poles, clips and hotwire all under $200- (also plenty online and on ebay) but i reccomend the farm stores as they will advise you.

The reason the fence is so effective on cats is that a cat feels it's way along, ie it's whiskers tell it when a gap is to narrow and as it jumps it scrapes it's tail on things, a cat cannot sneak through these 2 wires (pictured)and not touch it nor can it step/jump over it without instinctively feeling the wire with it's tail.

Do not ask your council if you can have it on a suburban block in case they say no.

kids/boys will get zapped by it they make a great game of it, it is high voltage but low amps so it is a large static shock so it wont kill.

in the picture the white poles are fiberglass i bought a few lenghts about 5 ft high from farm shop and cut to about 200-300 mmm