Photo credit:
ms.lume
Now that you have set up your bird feeders and are beginning to have some welcome visitors, how do you keep neighborhood cats from partaking in the bounty?
One nifty solution from the United Kingdom is Cat Watch which works by emitting an ultrasonic alarm set above the human hearing range, triggered by the cat's movement and body heat as soon as it enters the protected area. This unit was scientifically tested in the UK and recommended by The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). ConTech Cat Stop is another popular ultrasonic unit made in Canada which advertises the same result.
These types of units are reported to reduce the presence of unwelcome cats by actually training them to stay away from your garden, bird feeding stations and fish ponds. The ultrasonic deterrents may work better than motion-activated Scarecrow Sprinklers for this specific purpose, as sprinklers may very well sense and frighten away some of the very birds which you are trying to attract. I love my neighbor's cats, I just do not want them hunting birds in my yard.
Happy bird-watching and don't forget to stop by and join our Super Eco photo sharing group on flickr, February is "For the Birds" month!
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such a wonderful idea, lucy. i cannot tell you how distressed i was to come home one day to a lot of feathers near my feeder.
a question. what is the impact on dogs? i couldn't see anything about that on the website. i would love to feel comfortable filling those feeders again, but my dog needs to go out there too.
Trish's question about its impact on dogs was my first reaction, too. I have a feeling that they would not like it very much. I just wish people would keep their cats indoors.
Since we're discussing devices to protect birds from cats, what about mentioning the Birdsbesafe Cat Collar--which uses bright colors to alert birds to a cat's presence? Sounds like a good idea. It's new. I believe that they have a web site.
Or keep your cat indoors. Too many birds get killed by cats not to care about it!
-birdlover