Protecting Garden Wildlife From Your Cat

Protecting Garden Wildlife From Your Cat

by | Mar 2, 2019 | Living With Cats

When we cuddle up with our bundles of fluff it’s easy to forget that they are killers. As much as we hate the thought of them killing any other animal it is their natural instinct kicking in. Protecting garden wildlife from your cat will not only help the creatures your cat preys on but it will also help reduce the number of unwanted ‘gifts’ your cat brings.

protecting wildlife from our cats

Cats are opportunistic hunters, they will catch anything that takes their fancy, even if they’re not hungry. If they see a moving object they will instinctively pounce and as the garden provides an abundance of these ‘moving objects’ it’s one big playground for our cats.

According to the RSPB birds make up around 20% of the creatures caught by cats. However according to research although cats may not kill a large percentage of the bird population they are having a detrimental effect on the nesting and rearing of chicks. Along with birds, cats will also catch mice, voles, newts, frogs and other garden wildlife. Mammal.org carried out a survey of domestic cats in 1997 and estimated that in a 5 month period around 97 million creatures would be killed by the British domestic cat population šŸ˜².

How to stop your cat from killing the wildlife in your garden

10 ways to help protect wildlife

We can’t stop our cats from killing but we can put things in place to protect our wildlife.

  • Attract more birds to your garden. As silly as it sounds but more birds equals more eyes watching out for prowling cats. Birds in larger groups will alert each other to danger.
  • Keep bird feeders near prickly bushes. As cats like to hide before pouncing they won’t be able to if the birds are feeding near hawthorn or holly bushes. These prickles act as a natural deterrent for predators.
  • Make sure cats can’t get near nesting boxes. Birds are less likely to feed their growing chicks if they see a cat nearby so place any bird boxes away from any potential climbing areas.
  • Keep cats indoors. Not everyone wants to keep their cats inside all the time but if your cat likes to wander then try to keep them inside at dawn, dusk and through the night when birds and mammals will be feeding.
  • Have a cat free zone in your garden. If you have space separate one area for feeding wildlife, use prickly bushes and plants, citronella or sonic deterrents to keeps cats away from that area.
  • Cat proof your garden. Protect a Pet offer a range of solutions to keep ats inside the garden, not only will it protect the wildlife but it could save your cat’s life too.
  • Create a stimulating indoor environment. Your cat won’t want to go outside if it’s so exciting inside.
  • Leash train your cat. It does take time and patience to train your cat to use a harness and lead but many cats love it.
  • Make cats work for their food. Cats like to play the hunting game, hide food around the house or use puzzle/scatter feeders so they won’t feel the need to hunt outside.
  • Play with your cat. Use wand toys to encourage them to pounce and hunt at home, they’ll develop their skills without harming any creatures.

Let me know in the comments if you have any other ways to protect wildlife from your cats, I’d love to add more ways to my list.

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