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Cats!

emseykins

Young Bun
We have new neighbors who are very nice however they have 2 cats....Grrr (i'm not a fan of cats) one of them is ok but the female one has been sitting on our fence a couple of times and just watches the buns :shock: We don't know what to do, this morning the cat was sat on the fence for a few minutes and did look like she was getting curious enough to jump over into our garden hwilst the buns were out :evil: lucky enough we were there to shoo it away and put the buns away.

Normally with other cats we'd just through a piece of gravel at it (& miss) so not being mean just to scare the cats off and have never had a problem in the 2 years we've had the buns but with it being our neighbors cat we don't want her to feel like we're attacking her cat! lol

what do you think we should do?

I get VERY defensive over my buns!!! :censored:
 
Why do so many rabbit owners have something against cats when few cats would attack rabbits? :roll: Argh, pet peeve of mine. I'm a huge cat lover.

Poor cat is probably just curious. Most cats just stare at rabbits and are way too afraid to approach them, they're strange creatures to cats. If you're defensive over your rabbits then don't leave them alone outside and problem solved. You should never leave rabbits alone outside if they aren't in a secure enclosure anyway so I can't see why the cats change anything.
 
I always encourage cats over to see the rabbits. Mine are usually the same size or bigger than the cat and once it knows what it is they either don't care or they're scared. Smoo chases cats away anyway. I'm not sure if it's the best way of dealing with it but cats won't automatically hurt rabbits. If they do start to show aggressive behaviours then discuss it with your neighbours. If you both come up with a way to keep them out then that's better.

I assume your rabbits are in a run or something, in which case the cat shouldn't be able to physically hurt the rabbits but if you invite it over when you're there then your rabbits are less likely to be scared.
 
my cats and my neighbours cats have always been fine with the bunnies. Holly my youngest cat runs out all defensive to the rabbits then the rabbits see her off and she runs off, its become like a game, she thinks shes big and hard, but the bunnies know better.

Cats hate the smell of mothballs so maybe hanging some bags where the bunnies cant reach but the cats can smell. Another thing they dont like is vodka but I really couldnt warrent using good vodka to put off a cat! Pepper dust available at pet shops and diy stores.

We used to have a cat that like to go fishing in a neighbours koi carp pond! funnily enough the neighbour wasnt very so we had a chat and I suggested that next time he was fishing they gave him a gentle shove. He came home soaked one day but never went fishing again. Maybe a quick squirt with the hose pipe with your neighbours consent will do the job.
 
Firstly the Rabbits should only be free range if supervised all the time. If a cat can get in so can a Fox................

I use a water pistol to deter visiting cats. It does not hurt anything but their pride and after a few squirts they decide to go elsewhere and they dont come back.
 
Firstly the Rabbits should only be free range if supervised all the time. If a cat can get in so can a Fox................

I use a water pistol to deter visiting cats. It does not hurt anything but their pride and after a few squirts they decide to go elsewhere and they dont come back.

I agree with all of Janes post :wave:

I'd much rather someone squirt a water pistol at my cat a few times than throw gravel at them (and its bound to be more effective)
 
I use a water pistol to deter visiting cats. It does not hurt anything but their pride and after a few squirts they decide to go elsewhere and they dont come back.

If only that were true ...................:roll:. But I agree that a squirt with a water pistol usually encourages the cats to go elsewhere. The cats round here are just very determined :lol:.
 
If only that were true ...................:roll:. But I agree that a squirt with a water pistol usually encourages the cats to go elsewhere. The cats round here are just very determined :lol:.

Oh they are here too, but so am I !! :lol:
 
It's just weird you would feel the need to shoot a cat with a water pistol. What harm do cats do to your yard? I have a feral living in my yard and my neighbor for some reason barely feeds his cats so I all but adopted them. I wouldn't mind a few more strays/ferals living in my yard. They've never caused me any problems so I can't see what they do to you guys?

I even have lots of birds in my yard - 7 stray muscovy ducks that are pretty much my pets, they've hung out in my yard for years (And for people who think muscovies are big, the females are only 2 lbs- my rabbits weigh double that). Also most of the time there's mallards, cranes, herons, egrets, anhingas, white ibis, sometimes ducklings, plus my pond full of fish, and loads more. My yard is full of "prey" and the cats have never show any interest in any of them so I find it hard to believe so many people here have cats harassing their pets or something.

I suppose there's more cats around in the UK than in my area. ferals/strays are actually pretty rare in my area and only a few of my neighbors keep their cats outside, most are smart and have indoor cats. But still, I've met enough cats to know they generally don't bother you, your yard, or pets.
 
I have an indoor cat of my own and love cats, but when our neighbours cat kept coming into our garden and upsetting the birds and bunnies I discussed this with my neighbours and told them I woud squirt the cat if it came in our garden and they were fine with this. But I agree cats can be quite determined, but the water does them no harm and they eventually get the message.:)
 
Unless they hang out in your yard a lot, or you have loose sand, it seems like they wouldn't often go to the bathroom in your yard. I suppose it would be annoying to have a lot of poo/pee in your yard though. I imagine my feral goes to the bathroom in the woods under leaves and stuff so that doesn't bother me. There's usually raccoon poop in my woods so chances are I'd step in that before the cat poop.
 
I adore cats.....BUT dont own one so dont really want to have to always be re-assuring my scared buns when they see one. We have cats pass through and I odnt mind in general except for the poo! eeerugh - its so smelly and my story is:

Raking up leave sin the garden one year and picking them all up..with gloves on and find that I suddenly have cat poop ALL OVER my wellies, my gloves the rake and the bucket! Seriously gross and I didnt see it because of the leaves and the first I knew was the Smell!:evil::lol::lol::lol::lol:

Sooo...I dont like the poop...gagging stuff that...and the buns get scared...and that annoys me too...saying this though...cats do wonder...so I dont really blame them...you cant blame anyone really...but its frustrating all the same. Water or a loud Shoo is fine normally...but they often just sit and look at you still! Then I feel bad for the cat!:roll: But the buns come first...;)
 
If you're worried about the cats being able to get too close, you could always put some more mesh over the hutch/run so that it's a double layer with a few cm inbetween.
A bit of water can work too. I have no problem people doing it to my cats
 
Quote Originally Posted by Mackers View Post
If only that were true .................... But I agree that a squirt with a water pistol usually encourages the cats to go elsewhere. The cats round here are just very determined .

Oh they are here too, but so am I !! :lol:

I bet you're like Jasper Carrott with the mole and a 12 bore shotgun :lol::lol::lol:.
 
Quote Originally Posted by Mackers View Post
If only that were true .................... But I agree that a squirt with a water pistol usually encourages the cats to go elsewhere. The cats round here are just very determined .



I bet you're like Jasper Carrott with the mole and a 12 bore shotgun :lol::lol::lol:.

Ahahahaha oh my god I miss watching Jasper Carrot, I loved that :lol:
 
All my cats (3 of them) are all curious,
Especially lillie, who is a very playful Persian cross cat. and rather large!

But never has she tried to play with or attack any of them.

Cats are curious.... Curiosity:lol: killed the cat
 
I have an indoor cat of my own and love cats, but when our neighbours cat kept coming into our garden and upsetting the birds and bunnies I discussed this with my neighbours and told them I woud squirt the cat if it came in our garden and they were fine with this. But I agree cats can be quite determined, but the water does them no harm and they eventually get the message.:)

I think this is a good idea. :thumb: It then doesn't look like you're abusing the cats, but protecting your buns. :wave:
 
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