• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Had a fright - Cats after the bunnies...

Flick

Alpha Buck
Anyone else got a cat problem at the moment?

Or any suggestions on how to put them off coming in the garden and frightening the bunnies?

Not sure what's causing it, but our next door neighbours have a fairly new cat, which has taken to hanging out in our garden, pooping, trying to get in the house/car, managing to get locked in our garage and sitting in front of and in the tree above the hutch looking at the bunnies...

However, fortunately, the cat is quite small at the moment and I haven't seen it go for the rabbits (as yet)...

Also there has been quite a lot of cat fighting noises at night at the moment...

Then a few days ago, the bunnies were out in the garden and I was in the kitchen keeping an eye on them from the window... there were happily munching the grass and binkying about... then I looked away for a moment and looked up and the had gone... and I saw two massive tabby cats by the hutch. I ran out and they ran off over the top of the run and hutch, and over the fence. I ran over to the hutch and fortunatley the bunnies were ok and inside, but very frlightened and huddled in the top corner of the hutch, stomping away. At least they noticed the cats and were sensible enough to run and hide!

They wouldn't even come down for several hours, and now I am concerned about letting the bunnies out in the garden with all the cats hanging about - on a daily basis at the moment - but dont like to see them miss out on their fun in the garden...

Any suggestions on discouraging the cats away from the garden and hutch?
 
You have several options

Shouting get out of my garden and leave ny bunnies alone you little ****'s!!!! (they learn)
Spray them with a hose/water pistol
Hissing loudly like a cat
Screaming like a crazy person
coax them close and drop them in the pond (mean but effective :lol:)
Use cat deterent gel sprays and/or coiled hose or rubber snake (cats hate them apparently)

Good luck! :wave:
 
We've got lots of cats coming into the garden at the moment because my next door neighbour lets her unspayed kitten out, and it seems to have attracted all the local toms :evil:

I've warned her about letting the cat out before she's spayed...but it seems to fall on deaf ears :roll:

I don't suppose your neighbours cat is also unspayed?
 
the buns don't seem bothered by the cats, but it annoys me that they do come in our garden and there's always a chance that one could attack them.

we mainly have a problem with next door who have three young cats, but they are scared of us. you only have to rattle the door lock and they leg it. i had the buns out in the garden the other day. minstrel was in the corner by the fence when one of them scrambled up and stuck its head over the top. minstrel stomped and flew for cover, but i as soon as i hissed at it it threw itself back over again :lol:

we do also have a couple of different cats who will sit on top of the hutch and one that will walk back and forth along the top of the run, in front of the hutch. hubby even saw one doing it under the tarp cover when it was pulled down.

in general though, we have found water to be the best deterrant and we don't see the cats as often as we did when they used our herb garden as a toilet :roll:. we have considered getting one of those sonic repellers and fixing it to the top of the fence.

another thing i have heard is you can order lion poo from london zoo, so that the local cats think a rather big kitty lives in your garden :lol:
 
I chuck water over them - after a few soakings you just have to look out the window and they run, but you do have to keep checking out the window if you can't be out there with the bunnies :?
 
Nearly all the neighborhood's cats seems to have taken to our balcony ever since mom took the dog.
One of these also like to spend time around the rabbit pens, I was skeptical at it at first but it doesn't seem to want any harm. Its just curious at the bunnies:)
I once even spotted it IN Zakura's pen:lol:They were just standing there looking at each other when I came out then the cat ran of (I don't know if it was scared by me or Zakura)
 
You could get a cat of your own? It sounds a bit odd I know but Colin is very protective over my bunnies. He grooms Nigel regularly :lol:
He chases off any other cats that come in the garden too.
 
My own 4 cats arent a threat to my buns or the fosters, and any strays, stupid enough to wander through my garden are more likely to be curious of the rabbits, (and stupid enough to have not noticed my dog!). Unless you have small, free range buns I wouldnt be too concerned, as long as theyre secure, just chuck water at the cats when you get the chance.... I'm sure the novelty will wear off.
 
We've used orange peel in the past and spread it over the garden. Having a dog that doesn't like cats helps as well. Its not my bunny they are interested in my garden its the birds.
 
They are a definite risk to your rabbits. My neighbour's cat is a proficient hunter (kills and eats :shock: large squirrels, crows, rats) and is always prowling about the hutch and run. She is more devious than our Foxes IMO
 
Sweep and Merry (the newly weds) were happily in their run in the back garden getting to know one another this morning, when a cat casually strolled past us in the field at the back with a wild rabbit in its mouth (it was definitely dead).:cry:

It scared me I have to say. My bigger buns Sooty and Syrup were running free in the front garden. I've not seen any cats in our garden thankfully but I will be keeping an eye out just in case.

Luckily we have 2 dogs also so I guess their scent keeps away the cats away!
 
Hmmm... maybe I take it back. I'm sure that this little baby bun won't be a big fan of cats if he pulls through!!! :roll:
 
what about putting orange peel around the garden perimeter?cats hate it.
you can buy thorn things that go on the top of the fence,:p
 
I wouldn't give much hope to the cat if one comes into our garden as our buns are big and very defensive of each other. My money would be on the buns :lol:
 
When I was young, we had a black bunny called Banjo.
We also had a siamese cat called Dave (Don't ask!!)
Dave was a prolific bird killer and liked to stalk and hunt anything that moved, from peoples feet to birds, mice, spiders etc
He would stalk Banjo in the garden displaying all th hunting tactics of a mean fighting cat then as soon as Banjo moved(who incidently didn't give a monkeys about this laring cat stalking her) the stupid cat would high tail and leg it....


But seriously....Cats hate Water so I would go with the water pistols or alternatively give your buns flick knives to defend themselves with....:roll:
 
When I was young, we had a black bunny called Banjo.
We also had a siamese cat called Dave (Don't ask!!)
Dave was a prolific bird killer and liked to stalk and hunt anything that moved, from peoples feet to birds, mice, spiders etc
He would stalk Banjo in the garden displaying all th hunting tactics of a mean fighting cat then as soon as Banjo moved(who incidently didn't give a monkeys about this laring cat stalking her) the stupid cat would high tail and leg it....


But seriously....Cats hate Water so I would go with the water pistols or alternatively give your buns flick knives to defend themselves with....:roll:

Opened up my own account now...So we can tell who's who...:wave:
 
Invest in some good quality super soakers they worked on my old neighbours cats (they had 7) and we had them posted at each window that faced the garden and the cats soon learnt that if they heard the window open to run.

Mind you one the cats did get beaten up by Ginny once, all because the cat had cornered Ron
 
Thanks for the suggestions. The neighbours cat got a soaking with the hose the other day, so hopefully that was a bit of a deterrant!

Not seen the two big ones since or heard any cat fight noises for a few days now.

However maybe they've been about whilst we've been at work...

Not sure if neighbours cat neutered, looks quite young though.

The bunnies had a hour and a half out in the garden this evening whilst I was cleaning them out and tidying their stuff in the garage so at least they've had a bit of a run around and munch of the grass...

The back lawn looks nicely trimmed with 2 bunnies to keep it in check :lol:
Shame they can get right to the edges (due to the panels to keep them in the garden and away from the plants in the borders!)
 
Back
Top