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The Cat War |
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GemmaJF
Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Location: Essex Status: Offline Points: 4359 |
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I haven't seen any cats today! Could it really be so simple? Or perhaps they don't like the change in the weather either.
I found out that cats will sometimes sit like the one I observed yesterday if they see another cat, to wait and see if the 'other' cat will stand its ground. So it may well have been a genuine reaction to the CDs, once it realised they were not going anywhere it got spooked and ran. Definitely going to monitor this with a camera. So already we have the black and white cat apparently gone from the wildlife garden (cover removal) and now a neighbour's cat scared of its own reflection along the front line. Could peace be returning to the wildlife garden at last?? I've not even really got started yet either! |
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Tom Omlette
Senior Member Joined: 07 Nov 2013 Location: Stoke on Trent Status: Offline Points: 449 |
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i wouldn't exactly say simple gemma...looked like a lot of effort to me!!! great that its paying off already.
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GemmaJF
Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Location: Essex Status: Offline Points: 4359 |
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It was a bit of an effort Tim! It was my son Harvey who got the old fence out whilst I did the vegetation clearance, would of been a lot worse without the help. Camera arrived today, it's got night and motion functions, so it will record anything approaching the line of CDs 24/7 and hopefully capture their reactions. It will also trigger an alarm on my PC if it detects anything, so if anything crosses the front line, time for the BLASTER. |
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Iowarth
Admin Group Joined: 12 Apr 2004 Status: Offline Points: 743 |
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Hi Gemma
A belated reaction to your comments re 5cm mesh. I actually find that surprising - although I agree that cats are much smaller than they appear and can get through improbably small gaps, my reptiliaries are enclosed in 5cm (2 inch) mesh and I have never had cat get through it 24 years here (a good few walking on top though! ditto foxes!) Chris |
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Chris Davis, Site Administrator
Co-ordinator, Sand Lizard Captive Breeding Programme (RETIRED) |
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GemmaJF
Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Location: Essex Status: Offline Points: 4359 |
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That's good to know Chris, I don't think it is something they would normally do, whilst just prowling about and my gut instinct was that it was unlikely for a cat to try to get through it.
When I've seen their extraordinary ability to get through ridiculously small spaces has been cases when they were extremely stressed, such as at veterinary clinics or when being chased. This fits with the recommendations of no greater than 2.5 cm by the cat containment companies that are springing up all over Australasia with the current restrictions on cats. The fear being any larger and some cats will get their heads stuck! Do you have vertical fences? This was another concern as I think a cat might be capable of climbing a mesh fence, was wondering about overhangs or sloping the mesh.
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Iowarth
Admin Group Joined: 12 Apr 2004 Status: Offline Points: 743 |
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Hi Gemma
My vivaria are totally enclosed (on top as well) and the sides are definitely vertical. The foxes get on top by jumping from a wall about 4ft away but the cats do scramble up. However, they tend only to do this where there are gateways and are heavily dependent on getting their feet through the mesh and on to the horizontal timber supports. Conversely, as we all know, cats are inherently extremely lazy as well as intelligent and may simply be using the bars as a matter of preference rather than an inability to use just the mesh. Consequently, where a mesh barrier is open at the top, I would recommend an otuward facing overhang or slope. As a matter of interest, our next door neighbour keeps birds - but loves foxes. He addressed this by surrounding his entire garden with pig fencing (approx 6" square mesh with thick metal). He discovered to his amazement, that foxes too can get through much smaller gaps than might be expected - like, for example ........................ 6" mesh! All the best Chris |
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Chris Davis, Site Administrator
Co-ordinator, Sand Lizard Captive Breeding Programme (RETIRED) |
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GemmaJF
Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Location: Essex Status: Offline Points: 4359 |
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lol, foxes can be the devil, we use to have one spent a lot of time on the compost heap, never minded him at all. I wouldn't mind the cats if there were not so many and they just visited. I'ts the fact the neighbour only provides a boring plain lawn, so to the cats my wildlife garden has been a much nicer place to spend the day.
I think I'll go for the overhang Chris, I found on an Aussie site designs for it, using plastic mesh. The cats get all the way up the main mesh, but the plastic mesh angled at 45 degrees at the top feels unstable to them. It's all a shame as I really would love it all open and let whatever comes in be, but that just isn't working out. I'm kind of feeling paranoid now with my CCTV system up and running, just waiting for a cat to dare to enter the garden!
Edited by GemmaJF - 21 Mar 2014 at 11:59am |
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GemmaJF
Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Location: Essex Status: Offline Points: 4359 |
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Still shot from the CCTV spy camera, I'm really hoping to catch a reaction of a cat to the CDs if possible, but so far only seen one running by, giving the CDs a wide birth. Again a cat free day so it seems for now at least the wildlife garden is off the local cats usual rounds! Which is goods because the lizards are out enjoying the sun.
The camera is kind of OK, been difficult setting the motion detection and still not sure a cat will actually trigger it. Ordered an extension cable, one sent was not only shorter than advertised, it was also faulty. I ended up buying 12 metres of speaker flex and wiring it myself. Though the signal is radio, it still needs a main plugs, so from the shed to the end of the garden still required a lot of wire. Not bad though, narrower angle than expected, but the software package is very good and it works at night. It's giving my some peace of mind at the moment that the lizards are not being terrorised whilst I'm sat at my keyboard working. |
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GemmaJF
Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Location: Essex Status: Offline Points: 4359 |
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This is the view at night:
I like it, it's going to double up as a great night wildlife cam once the cat war is won, I know we get a barn owl regularly sits on one of the posts of the compost heap, would love to see more of it Still struggling to get it to automatically detect animals though, people set it off fine, but it seems animals are not there long enough (minimum setting is 5 seconds motion to trigger it). Just had a Red Setter approached the CDs a minute ago, took a sniff at them, got spooked and ran away, sadly though no automatic recording by the motion sensor. |
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Tom Omlette
Senior Member Joined: 07 Nov 2013 Location: Stoke on Trent Status: Offline Points: 449 |
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ever thought about a career in espionage or surveilance gemma
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