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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / December 2004The mighty pigeon hunter
Hey folks, I've been lurking here for a few weeks now and in need some advice from those with cat/bird experience. I've been around cats pretty much my entire life and have had a fur unit or two around for most of the past 25 years and this is a new problem for me. I've gone with the indoor/outdoor approach adopting various means so the cats could come & go as they pleased & this has worked out pretty well for all concerned. The females cats I've had generally were the hunters and the males couldn't care less as long as their bowl got filled routinely. I thought my current 3 y.o. neutered male fuzz buddy Snorky was following the same pattern until this summer when he discovered he could catch pigeons. Now, the problem isn't so much that he's catching them, but that he insists on bring them into the house via the cat door. He even has to open a screen door to get to the cat door. Once inside, about 10% get away from him but the rest get played with to pieces & partially eaten. Either way, I'm greeted with quite a mess when I get home (or at 3am, or as I'm leaving for work) & I've learned quite a deal about pigeon anatomy these past months. This is happening only 1-2 times a week now (intercepted one about an hour ago in fact), largely due to the weather I suspect or he's finally thinned the flock of the really stupid ones. This fall he was up to 1-2 a day for several weeks! He's probably done in 50+ birds since August! In any case, I suspect the incidents will increase again when the weather warms this spring. I put a bell on him early on but that didn't help any bird-wise that I could tell. What else I might try? Pigeon repellent? Thanks, Mark >I put a bell on him early on but that didn't help any bird-wise that I could >tell. What else I might try? Pigeon repellent? If you just don't want him bringing them in the house, make an obstacle course to get to and through the cat door. I had to do this with my cat. You could also get a magnetic door. Sometimes with an animal in their mouth, the magnetic door won't open as it blocks the magnet on the collar. You could also make sure that you don't feed birds on your property on the ground. Tell your neighbors this also. I realize that pigeons and doves are ground feeders but you could feed them on a table instead. Sometimes just removing bushes around where they are fed will keep cats from being able to hide and attack the birds. You could also just allow your cat out in an enclosed outdoor area. I enclosed my backyard so my cats can't get out. I don't feed anything and they don't kill anything. There is also a bib they sell which keeps cats from getting animals. And, of course you could always keep kitty inside, safer for kitty and other animals. > There is also a bib they sell which keeps cats from getting > animals. I remember seeing that bib, and I can't imagine a cat wearing one! :)  SignatureCheryl The "obstacle" course route is something I've considered, but not sure how to go about it at this point. Neighbor had one of the magnetic actuated types but didn't have much luck with it. The nature of my work schedule doesn't make keeping cat's inside practical & is largely why I stick to living in cat friendly areas. It's an older area of the city yet has a lot of undeveloped surrounding lots. I'm not sure exactly where he is getting them; nearby but not on our premises (we're fairly bush free and not enclosable) so not controllable in that regard. No one's feeding birds that I know of anyway. I'll check on it, but a bib doesn't sound like a very elegant solution frankly. He'd either die of humiliation or plot some sinister revenge for making him wear one. Thanks for the suggestions though. Mark > >I put a bell on him early on but that didn't help any bird-wise that I > >could [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > other > animals. > The "obstacle" course route is something I've considered, but not sure how > to go about it at this point. Neighbor had one of the magnetic actuated [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > & is largely why I stick to living in cat friendly areas. It's an older > area of the city yet has a lot of undeveloped surrounding lots. Which has made me think of another possibility. Does he have a safe area outdoors - under the house, with an entry not big enough for a dog, for instance? If so, is locking the cat door so he can get out, but not in, during the day a possibility. Of course,this won't solve the night-time problem, but pigeons, on the whole, tend not to fly a lot at night. >> The "obstacle" course route is something I've considered, but not sure >> how to go about it at this point. Neighbor had one of the magnetic [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > during the day a possibility. Of course,this won't solve the night-time > problem, but pigeons, on the whole, tend not to fly a lot at night. I'd have to change the cat door (most likely the entire human door as well), but there's really no secondary area. We've sealed off under house areas due to skunks, opposum, and raccoons. The house IS his safe zone although he makes himself at home at any of the neighbors who happen to leave a door open. The neighbor cat and he were raised together so they "time share" between the two units (bungalow apts.). He stays in at might for the most part but will go out at the first crack of dawn when the weather is warmer. The night time incident may have been one he brought in earlier in the day and it kept well hidden. Had another cat do that some years ago. Well, necessity is the mother of invention so it's been said. If it get's bad again I'll have to figure out something. Later, Mark > Well, necessity is the mother of invention so it's been said. If it get's > bad again I'll have to figure out something. Good luck, and if you figure something out, let us know. I've had to deal with three rodents of various sizes in the past 10 days, and while they don't scare me anymore, I'd really rather not have to spend time figuring out what's happened to that rat ... > Hey folks, > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > my current 3 y.o. neutered male fuzz buddy Snorky was following the same > pattern until this summer when he discovered he could catch pigeons. Snip I'm sorry Mark, I don't have a solution for you, but I laughed in recognition. Thankfully, my two are into smaller prey, but that smaller prey does include rats. I am no longer scared of rats! The funniest one I had was when Cassius tried to come in the cat door with a live bird in his mouth. The cats actually know I don't approve of them bringing live prey outside, and so generally don't do so unless I'm not around. This day Cassius had obviously forgotten I was inside. I heard the cat door go and just got "that feeling". So I quickly jumped up and took a couple of steps until I was directly facing the cat door. There was Cassius, halfway through, bird in mouth. As soon as he saw me he stopped dead in his tracks, looking at me. So I said, slowly and disapprovingly "Cass-i-uuuuus". He thought about it for a few seconds, then deliberately backed out the cat door, bird still in mouth ... >> Hey folks, >> [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > recognition. Thankfully, my two are into smaller prey, but that smaller > prey does include rats. I am no longer scared of rats! Well, up until this summer, Snork was mostly pack rat, bringing in lost toys such as balls, rubber hoses & stuff animals he was finding in the fild next door I guess. Then it was the occassional salamander (there are no streams or ponds near by that I know of) and insectoid or crusteatean type remnants of something that I never did see the entire body. The neighbor female cat brings me rodnetia however. > The funniest one I had was when Cassius tried to come in the cat door with > a live bird in his mouth. The cats actually know I don't approve of them [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > "Cass-i-uuuuus". He thought about it for a few seconds, then deliberately > backed out the cat door, bird still in mouth ... Great image. Wish I could attach a micro receiver & speaker on his collar. He invariable answers when he hears his name so he'd let go if he had anything. Have to figure out some other details for remote, automatic operation though. Mark > Wish I could attach a micro receiver & speaker on his collar. He > invariable answers when he hears his name so he'd let go if he had > anything. ROTFL! You could then programme a computer to ring it every now and then just in case and utter the magic words, on the grounds that some times, every now and then, it'd force him to drop a pigeon. Mind you, you'd end up with a fairly paranoid cat at the end of it all! Have to > figure out some other details for remote, automatic operation though. The idea about the magnetic cat doors that someone else posted is worth considering. |
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