I have two cats and a bunny named Mila. My cats aren't very friendly toward Mila, but they have never tried to hurt her. We live in a townhouse with a small garden. Mila plays outdide the whole day and then I bring her in at night. Yesterday another cat came into our yard and it seems that it is Mila attracting it. I need to keep this cat out of our yard because I think he will hurt Mila but I also have to think about my own cats. Does anyone have any advice for me on keeping this cat out. We do have fence, about 6.5 feet.
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Cat coming into my yard
- Thread starter xoAlli
- Start date
Sadly you can't keep the strange cat out of your garden. They are excellent climbers and if they want to get in, they will.
Ensure Mila is safely in her run/pen/etc and that if it is fox proof then it will certainly be cat proof.
As Boots said, with luck your own cats will see it off.
Ensure Mila is safely in her run/pen/etc and that if it is fox proof then it will certainly be cat proof.
As Boots said, with luck your own cats will see it off.
Currant_Bun
Young Bun
You could try some of those fence spikes, made from ridged plastic so legal but should stop the cat from climbing over... But this could mean your cats will no longer be able to get out, not sure if that is a problem?
Mackers
Wise Old Thumper
I fully appreciate how frustrating unwanted cats can be on your property but comments like this are not particularly helpful to the original poster. Perhaps try to offer some useful (and legal) advice?
OP - I keep a super soaker water pistol primed and ready by my back door to 'persuade' unwanted felines to use their own garden as a play area
. But other than supervised free range time, your only option is an enclosed run.As someone else has said, you may have to 'pen' the rabbit if you cannot 'persuade' the cat to stay off your property and a 'super soaker water pistol' ain't going to be of much use if the cat is quick enough to kill your rabbit!!
Maybe you could 'trace' the cat to it's owner and warn them that if it continues to come onto your property and threaten your livestock, you will be forced to take appropriate action. Let the owner imagine what that action will be.
Perhaps you could purchase or borrow a cat trap - a lot of the cat/animal sanctuaries keep these for catching feral cats to enable them to be neutered/spayed etc. and then released again in safe areas, so you could possibly borrow one from that source. What you do with the cat if/when you catch it would be up to you.
I do not condone cruelty to animals of any species it is completely despicable, can everyone please refrain from making awful suggestions on how to be cruel to a cat and just offer useful advice to the original question.
If a cat can get in other predators can also get in so I would be very careful free ranging and only do so under very close supervision xx
If a cat can get in other predators can also get in so I would be very careful free ranging and only do so under very close supervision xx
elmoandfern
Mama Doe
Cats are legally allowed to roam and there is nothing you can do to keep it out. Deterring it is unlikely to be successful as cats have large territories and will usually not give areas up unless challenged by a stronger cat. I would advise keeping your rabbit as safe and secure as possible, if a cat can get in then so could a fox! If you are particularly worried for any reason then the only thing you can do is speak to the owner if the cat, but they are not obligated to do anything
Fee
Wise Old Thumper
Cats can be a dreadful nuisance at times but they do wander by nature and there literallly nothing than cat be done to keep them out....
I had heard of a piece of 'sonic' equipment that emits a sound to deter cats etc....
Unsure if it works though as it certainly doesnt with foxes?
Comments made about shooting the cat, perhaps made in jest or as a joke are a bit below the belt when theres so much cruelty out there as it is..
I had heard of a piece of 'sonic' equipment that emits a sound to deter cats etc....
Unsure if it works though as it certainly doesnt with foxes?
Comments made about shooting the cat, perhaps made in jest or as a joke are a bit below the belt when theres so much cruelty out there as it is..
elmoandfern
Mama Doe
No it absolutely would not be! That cat is someone's pet
louise200
Alpha Buck
We used to worry that our cat would need help staying out of people's gardens so did some research. So cats are deterred by reflections and hanging CDs off a string might help. Also they don't like citrus so hanging slices of orange and lemon again might work. There are plants that they don't like but I'm not sure if they would be bunny safe. I have known people to use a water pistol with lemony water with success too. Trouble is your cats as you don't want to deter them am thinking. Ours are just starting to chase off visiting cats but the buns don't free range. I'm wondering if it's worth getting a run for times you can't supervise for peace of mind.
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Leanne
Wise Old Thumper
Both of these comments are irresponsible. The cat is probably someone's beloved pet or if it is a feral, still has every right to live in the area.
It's the rabbit owners responsibility to keep their pets safe from predators by ensuring they are in a safe enclosure if free ranging means they are likely to be attacked, not taking the lives of the predator.
Please don't make suggestions such as above in future.
Hele
Warren Veteran
That's a horrible thing to have happened
but it's not the cat's fault. You can't stop people getting cats and you can't stop cats roaming. Hurting or blaming the cat isn't going to change anything, they don't understand it's 'wrong' and they aren't doing it out of spite they are simply cats doing what they do instinctively!Our neighbours cat was fascinated with our g.pig when I was little and my neighbour was so apologetic and worried for our little guy but as my mum assured her it is simply the cat's nature and it is our responsibility to ensure the safety of our guinea pig. If he was vulnerable to cat attack then he was vulnerable to fox or even bird attacks. Foxes are around throughout the day and not just at night.
When you allow your bun to free range in a garden without direct supervision you are balancing the risk of predators against the extra space for bunny. Yes it is lovely to give them the space and in the past I have decided that the pros outweighed the cons... But if anything had happened I would have blamed myself for taking the risk, not the predator for hunting :?
Santa
Wise Old Thumper
You think wrong. A number of years ago, I used to free range my rabbits in the garden without supervision. Then a fox got them. I didn't start a campaign to do unspeakable thing to foxes; it wasn't the foxes fault, it was just doing what its instinct 'told' it to. It was my fault. I had no sympathy towards myself because if I had taken the responsible approach of ensuring the safety of my rabbits, it wouldn't have happened.
If a cat can get to your rabbits, then so can a fox or any other predator, and foxes absolutely can and do come into gardens over 6ft fences and during the day. Our rabbits cannot protect themselves so they rely on us to do it for them - whether that's by providing a predator proof enclosure for unsupervised use, and/or supervised free range time.
