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The Cat War

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GemmaJF View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GemmaJF Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Mar 2014 at 5:58pm
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?? Approve I've not even really got started yet either!

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Tom Omlette View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Tom Omlette Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Mar 2014 at 8:32pm
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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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GemmaJF Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Mar 2014 at 7:10pm
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.

Another day with no cats seen! It's like they have evaporated. Still not sure if it's for real or more to do with the amount of activity out in the garden over the past week, but it is looking hopeful. The garden is already smelling fresher with no new poops to clear up.

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. LOL


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Iowarth Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Mar 2014 at 7:42pm
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!)
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GemmaJF View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GemmaJF Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Mar 2014 at 7:52pm
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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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Iowarth Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Mar 2014 at 10:49am
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
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GemmaJF View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GemmaJF Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Mar 2014 at 11:58am
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 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GemmaJF Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Mar 2014 at 2:38pm
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. Smile


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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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GemmaJF Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Mar 2014 at 7:18pm
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 Big smile 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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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Tom Omlette Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Mar 2014 at 8:22pm
ever thought about a career in espionage or surveilance gemma Wink
 
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