Dog Barks At Cat On Fence

[mita]

You can buy a product in the gardening section of stores like KMart. It's designed to be sprinkled on gardens, paths, verandahs...or anywhere...to deter cats & dogs from walking there. You don't have to use much & it does no harm to the animals & wildlife.

I'll post the name of it tomorrow. We have some....it's down in the storeroom.

[Zia's Nuthouse]

Oh wow Erny doesn't that give you a sense of..well achievement that you did that for a precious life?

I'm sure she flew for many years to come.

Let me just say that ummm Rodney had Issues LOL

my SIL spoilt him rotten though, which didn't help. I swear he had the run of the house, the dogs and cats were scared of him.

Edited August 11, 2005 by Zia

[kelpiecuddles]

You could always try some of that keep off spray that you can use on your gardens. It never worked real well on my dog but other people have had success with it.

[kelpiecuddles]

On the raising wild birds note, we raised a red wattle bird called Charlie. We soft released him and he used to come back once a day and tap on the kitchen window. 'Go round to your feeder' we'd yell through the window and he'd meet us there for a bit of banana. He didn't come for about 4 months once and then came back with three babies in tow . We haven't seen him for many years so I think he has probably passed on but there are still lots of wattle birds around that are just a little more friendly than normal. (We also discovered later that he was known around the corner as Timmy and used to visit lots of people in the neighbourhood for bits of fruit or bread and honey!)

[Ripley]

I found a baby magpie a few years ago. Its parents were nowhere to be seen. If they are, you should always put the bird back in the tree as the parents will continue to feed it. If it needs a nest, get an icecream container, punch some small holes in the bottom for draining, place some leaves in it and hang it back in the tree with the baby in it.

I raised "Baby" with insectavoire rearing mix and live mealworms. My parrots taught Baby to fly and we'd go around the backyard foraging for meal worms I'd scatter around. I painted a wooden clothespeg to look like the beak of a magpie and dig in the ground for the worms I'd put there. He soon cottoned on. One day he just flew away. He came back a few times but as the territory was already taken by 2 other maggies (they were also tame) so he must have gone off to established his own. It was a sad day. We also had a pair of red wattlebirds and one day they had unfortunately raised this huge feral cuckoo - a nest robber!!

I miss "Him" the male maggie who I've been feeding for 6 years at my old place, however, at my new place I've seen 2 maggies and one is now taking mince out of my hand. I only feed them weekends so they don't become too dependent on me.

[Erny]

Oh wow Erny doesn't that give you a sense of..well achievement that you did that for a precious life?

I'm sure she flew for many years to come.

Thank you, Zia - yes, it does.

I love that saying :

"When you find something, set it free. If it comes back ... it's yours. If it doesn't .. it never was." I always look to rehabilitating the wild birds and returning them to where they were found, if possible.

Rescued a Tawney Frogmouth Owl, once (wing was caught in a barbed wire fence). Vet said it'd never fly again .... lots of care (antibiotic powder on hole in flesh of wing) and special feeding saw that bird sore way up to the highest gum trees and beyond, when I was finally able to set it free. Funny thing, it was - used to go stiff like a branch on its perch and shut its eyes (I can't see you so you can't see me???). Made me laugh.

Had other maggies too and their individual quirks/personalities always gave me a laugh, but none as special as Emma.

Rodney sounds like a bit of a character too .....

Anyways, sorry to the OP - some of us have hi-jacked this thread somewhat. Now returning to normal transmission .....

Edited August 12, 2005 by Erny

[mita]

Here's the info I promised:

An Australian Co, Multicrop, makes some products to repel dogs

& cats from specific areas....safely for the animal & the

environment.

Comes in various types...spray, gel, granules. And has cute

names like Skedaddle & Scat. They only have to be used

sparingly & contain things like citronella oil & eucalyptus oil.

The website with pics & details of these product is:

http://www.multicrop.com.au/animal.htm

I've got a container of Skedaddle & there's interesting

information about dog & cat behaviour on the label along with the

directions for use.

It says things like blood & bone, composts & certain soils

actually attract dogs. And it sets out the garden plants that cats

are attracted to....& those they don't like.

I guess the products would be found in gardening sections of stores( I got Skedaddle at KMart).

Multicrop is based at Bayswater in Victoria (phone 03 8720 2100)

[Ripley]

Wouldn't you know it, Millie was sunning herself under the pergola this morning and started barking her head off. As she only barks when there is something major to bark at, I went out to see 2 cats on the fence. 2 massive cats. My small Burmese was growling at the back door at them. She hates all other cats as I think she feels she's a dog.

They wouldn't shoo away so I turned the hose on and didn't have to aim it this time, they fled back into their own yards - they have learned when I go to that hose, it's time to flee.

[KOE]

Why dont you just put pot plants up there so the poor little picked on pussy in this thread cant sit there. I thought you were animal lovers on DOL but I am beginning to have lots of 2nd thoughts.

have you seen what grease can do to a cat, and chilli powder that is just a cruel thought.

[gillbear]

Try tacking some doublesided sticky tape to the tops of the poles.

The cat will hate the stickiness, and it is easy to remove.

[mita]

have you seen what grease can do to a cat, and chilli powder...

I agree...& unnecessary, when there are unharmful & environmentally friendly items that can be used to deter.

But it may be that folk didn't know about them. I didn't until I came upon Skeddadle by accident when I was looking for something else in KMart.

In the same gardening section I accidentally came upon a roll of strong garden mesh, made from recycled plastic....which we then used to reinforce a fence while waiting for the new one to be put up. The mesh is much safer than chicken wire with its sharp bits that can damage the pets' eyes.