No more dead birds!

[raven_estrella]

For me, this past week has been the Week of Dead Birds...

I was with my friend Amanda on Friday, and we decided to go to dinner. When I walked up to the car, I saw that there was a blob of something on the concrete. At first I thought it was a leaf or a piece of food. Nope--it was a dead chickadee, smashed almost completely flat. There was a ring

Comments

[pink_siamese]

Just clean em up, I guess. Be thankful the cats don't like you. You'd find all sorts of little dead critters in awful places (like the front step...and don't leave your car windows down). As for them fighting, they'll calm down eventually. Part of it is tussling over territory and the rest is fighting over females in heat. That kind of stuff tends to chill out over winter.

[raven_estrella]

Thanks for the advice. : ) I really don't know much about cats. Sigh...

A zoo near us actually sells tiger crap as deer repellent. Perhaps it would keep the cats away, too. What do you think?

[pink_siamese]

Meh. I doubt it. Cats pretty much do what they please and there isn't a whole lot that can be done about it.

I love cats, I've had cats my whole life and have a lovely pair of them now (a Siamese and a big gray tom). I don't hold much with the idea of cats as outdoor pets. Mostly because of cars and predatory animals (don't feel too bad about the birds---eagles and large owls balance out the karmic scales rather nicely), rabies and other diseases, and that outdoor cats age faster and don't live as long. One of my neighbors has a Persian cat and I'm actually feeding him too because his owners don't take very good care of him. He's just skin and fuckin bones and his fur looks terrible. Another neighbor has a beagle that she doesn't take very good care of, but unless the owners are outright abusing the animals there isn't much that can be done about it. so the rest of us just quietly seethe.

I can't think of anything that will repel a cat. I suppose you could try the tiger shit.

[raven_estrella]

Yep, I get the impression you're right. Cats don't really like being told what to do or where to go. One of them swiped at my dog a couple weeks ago.

I really hate it when people don't take care of pets. See my blog entry below:

http://raven-estrella.livejournal.com/13252.html

So you're saying that people assume outdoor cats can just hunt for themselves? Ugh. Our neighbor's cats are fed, but I think it's horrible that cat owners would just leave them on their own. Maybe that explains the really skinny one that slinks around our house sometimes...

[dwolf34]

There are chemical repellents that are pretty effective. I use one to keep critters out of my lettuce bed, and it keeps our cat from using it as a litter box, too. Check with a pet store. Rue is a plant the animals don't like, but I don't know if it will grow in your area.

Our cat - Boots - is our primary rodent control unit. Out here in the country, that's important. But she's very good at making sure not to leave little maimed bodies around.

For the poor victims? Sometimes all you can do is end their lives humanely and send their little spirits off with thanks for the joys they've brought. Death is just a part of life.

[raven_estrella]

I know, that's what I'm telling myself. It's all part of the circle of life...Right? In any case, I've moved into an apartment for this school year--so I won't have to put up with the backyard carnage anymore.

My mom would probably be willing to try a chemical repellent and/or rue. Thanks for the advice!

[ravelda]

Ugh. We have the same problem with neighborhood cats in Snohomish. My sister Maddy has a personal vendetta against them; whenever she spots one, she sprints at them yelling to scare them away. I'm not sure of a good way to deter them, actually.

[raven_estrella]

My sister hisses at them. Once the neighbor (the owner of the two cats) caught her doing it. But he still hired her to "catsit," so apparently it was OK...

I'm pretty sure I'm a dog person. : )

>:(

[black_sheepster]

Hey!!!!!!! Don't tell people that!!!!!! That was my most embarrassing moment ever. There I am, hissing madly and flailing my tentacles about, and I look over for a moment and catch Ken just standing there, staring at me, with one eyebrow raised...... UGH. Well, anyways, I don't like how the cats don't even finish the job. They just injure the poor animals and walk away, like they WANT them to suffer and feel terrified. :( I LIKE hissing at them.

Re: >:(

[raven_estrella]

I think you should try barking at them. Then see what Ken thinks. : ) It's not fair that they get the whole reign of the neighborhood and that we have to put up with them.