major cat problem

[Guest ben]

Hi All,

      I need to make a catproof trap,drophole sputnick,or whatever, for a young lad to enable the birds to enter the loft when training ect,when the  boy will not be home to keep a watchout for a major cat problem.

      A electric wire cannot be used,and i know as fact those cat sound scare transmitters canfail.

      Maybe someone has this problem and has made a some kind of simple wire cover that allows pigeons in,but stops cats.

     Many Thanks

[Guest shadow]

If you check in the Boddy & Ridewood web site the sell an anti cat flap wwhere the bird can get in but the cat can't

 

quality not quantity

[Henrik]

Its easy to make as all you need is a peice of wood bout 18 ins long with a hinge in the middle so that the wood can swing up and down and weight it with lead at one end. put about 1lb of lead on it then when a pigeon land on it it stays open but if a cat tried it would swing down dropping the cat off. hope this helps

[Guest]

Must admit, liked the sound of the B&R cat-proof trap.

 

Had intelligent pigeons at one time.  ;D   Place was absolutely polluted with cats, and I had an open door. Basic 'I was on patrol' whenever the birds were out. Fashioned a simple one by removing part of a single vertical spar, leaving a hole 4" wide and about 10" high. Replaced it with a heavy metal rod around half inch diameter, swivel fixed at the top, and in a channel at the bottom, allowing very minimum movement. Trained the birds to go through it by placing them to right side of the rod and letting them 'fumble' through in their own time (seconds) by them pushing the rod a few mils to the left with their body. After bird is in, rod swings back.

 

Couldn't get my original present-day mutts to use my present day cat flap. Principle is fixed mesh front, with a 'secretly' opening panel, hinged from the top and opening inwards. In use, hangs closed and unlocked, with the bird supposed to push its way through. Whether it is the feel of the wire when gently pushed against it, they just don't like it and shy away, rather than push, down and in. If I've put the originals through it once, done it a dozen times. Yet the present day chumps are happy enough to sit there, inside and out, and even unpick the plastic locks - well, might be something to hope for there    

 

I've spent a lot of time making my garden as cat proof as possible. Mostly tall hedges and plastic garden mesh atop wooden fences. Only one part exposed, got that 'prickler' stuff and tacked it along the top of 6" high wooden fence, £30 worth, quite happy until I saw the cat walk along it.  :'(  So shrubs, thorn bushes, conifers, small trees etc planted along that perimeter, overlapping the prickler. Sorted. So I thought. Never saw anything round that garden for years. This year, September time, happened to step out into back garden around 8pm and disturbed a cat near the loft door. Bolted under the hedges (it, not me). Brush handle, beat along the hedge (me, not it) and it bee-lined over the gate in the front fence, obviously a part of the garden still vulnerable.  Was lucky the birds had been on lock-up for a few weeks, don't usually close that door till 8/9pm. Could have been carnage.

 

Anyone know the plant that cat's are supposed to detest?  

[Henrik]

The plant is one off the Coleus family but dont know its full name but it absolutely stinks o cat pee when you squeeze it. Its an annual so you have to take cuttings and plant every year.

[Guest]

I have used the anti cat flaps that Boddy & Ridewood (Everything for pets) sell--they are absolutely brilliant---no cats in the loft ever since they were purchased. The only problem that I ever had was the white paint peeling off--hammerite sorted this out, also if a bird sits on the inside flap it deters other birds from entering. This was rectified by putting a small bottomless cage on the inside to prevent birds sitting there, although I have one clever hen that can still manage to get out--she has flown Lerwick 614m twice & Palamos 680m twice--a good bird, I am waiting for some more to get out !!!!!. Nearly forgot--place the cat flap where a cat would have to jump to get on it.

[Guest ben]

Thanks for the replys,but i`ve seen that basic ideal in a old pigeon book,and i think it needs room for the swinging weight to move backwards to trip, and as it must go onto a sliding door,will cause opening problems,also i can`t see how ,if several birds hit the flat it could well trip,no very good for teaching birds trapping,unless leghorn lad can tell me different?,

Has anyone tried a wire1ftx1ft section coming from the loft opening,with a wire flange1ft wide around?do you think this could possible work?

[Guest Silverwings]

sorted all the cats in our street by getting one of my own ! i realy do hate him , but he is the biggest ,ugliest mother of a ginger tom you will ever see ? he has competely rid our ( His ) garden of rats,cats, mice ,sparrows,foxes  skunks etc even the dog next door done a  runner ? his reward ? he gets to keep his wedding tackle ! he also knows that if he does not salute the blue cock twice a day  this tackle of his will get 8 lace holes up it , i will post a photo of him ! you could use it to frighten those cats of yours if you like ...... by the way i once knew a cat that was addicted to laxative chocolate cost his owner afortune in new carpets ! he no longer keeps cats .

[frank-123]

my father told me when he was younger his cat used to sleep in the loft

the plant is called pisspot  

 

 

 

iam not kidding

[Guest]

Sorry, Ben, can't visualise your wire thingy.  

 

You mentioned a sliding door - is it the external door or and internal door off a corridor into a section? Isn't there 10" headroom above it?

[GREENGRASS]

fantastic post silverwings looking forward to the photo. i keep two german sheperds one snow white and one black and tan, the black and tan looks the part ie big mother f****r black face, looks like he could have you for dinner and still be hungry the white one looks like butter would not melt and all angelic. while sitting watching this years y.bs having a bath and pick in the garden the white one called jake bolted over me and raced behind the loft where there were screeches and screams for about two mins then silence out he came face all ripped and bloodied the neighbour who owned the cat came running over to see how his beloved moggy had faired we both looked all around the loft and found fur and hair and blood but no moggy when we came out from behind the loft there was the moggy between the jaws of the black and tan dog but i swear he just went in there and picked it up and carried it out before we got in, the neighbour straight away said to me dont worry i hated that smelly expletive removed* anyway it belonged to the ex wife and when she left she dumped it on me, nature he said cat chase birds dog chase cats. ever since i have never even seen a cat on our street and the neighbour and i sit and watch the birds arrive on a sat with a cold beer and no cats.

[Guest ben]

Hi Bruno,

             It`s a outside door that slides across the front,you know the type many lads put a sputnik on, above there is onlyabout 9in with a 2x2 holding roof joists,and5in panel,then a 2x2 framing.

  I`ve been giving extra info by clockman,but i still can`t see it workingbecause the weighted end will hang into the loft,stopping the door sliding,and what happens when 2or 3 birds hit the flap when dropping in?surely if it tips it will start to cause bad trapping?

   I started to put a aviary on the front top higher than the loft,to sort out a wirecatproof entrance,but it looks awful,a right eyesore,so took it back down,have to think again,because i seen what happened last year,the birds trapped well the few times he was there,but somedays the birds usually get back between10 till around 12,and were locked out till he came back from school4.30,and what a put of for the birdsthat must have been!if that carries on for next year,he has as much chance of competing against other club members as seeing the man in the moon,

[Guest slugmonkey]

I was recently amazed at a large futurity race they had loft cats all over the place they were in the lofts and on them I didn't know you could train them to not attack birds one was on landing board as a later drop arrived they practically walked over him to get to trap

[Guest]

Ben, missed your return post.  

 

Wondered if you've come up with anything?

 

 

[Guest ben]

hi Bruno,

           Well the lad made his mind up to use stall traps and i got to fit them in the next couple of weeks,but it `s not going to stop cats getting on the trap,and if they can get through,it will be a nightmare.so it`s giving me a right headache!

[Guest]

I agree Ben.  

 

Seems to be two issues:

 

(1) training, coming home to a closed door and a stall trap, (and a cat on the prowl).

(2) racing, coming home to an open door?

 

Also, the stall trap I've seen needs the bob wires released to allow the bird through - if its caught in there with a cat at its back, its a goner.

 

Thoughts on two possible solutions:

 

(3) Change the Training routine so that there is always someone there to see the birds in. That would be my preference!!!  ;D

 

(4) 'Trick of the eye' trapping arrangement on or above the sliding door.

 

First thoughts on this trapping arrangement:

 

Wall area above the door converted to an exterior solid flat panel, hinged at top, opening outwards. Normally locked closed.

 

Row of bob wires 2" apart full length of and fitted along the inside of the opening behind the panel. Some wires fixed (i.e. cannot open) or every second one fixed, or random fixed...but no two consecutive bob wires able to open...maximum only one and always between two that are fixed.

 

The panel when open forms a protecting roof sloping outwards at 45 degrees or more. Rigged to fall closed should any significant weight land on it...i.e. held open by a simple wooden prop. There must be no landing board or anything on which a cat can sit or use to get level with the trap. That includes the door sliding gear and the top of the door.

 

If the sliding door gear housing offers the cat a resting place, then build a 45 degree slide on top of it. I don't think you'll have room, so the other alterntive is build the trapping arrangement on the sliding door, as near the top as possible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jimmy white]

:) when i was a lad, we had a cat called" cooking fat" well i THINK thats what its name was ???, as i used to here my dad saying, get that" cooking fat"  out of here. :)

[Guest ben]

Hi Bruno,

            i think your right about 3rd option,change training routine,but it`s a shame because he can get good regular training by a local chap who always picks up mornings,home between11.30 -1 o`clock,from 20-60 mile training3times per week,and i was hoping the boy could fly the natural system for a couple of years,to learn his craft properly,then use a widow type system in later years.

 but i think he will have to use a dual/roundabout system now,at least if he can`t get them out in the mornings,he can after school,they should`nt take long to fit up,then i will take them on a few 15 mile tosses,evenings,or sunday mornings to freshen them up basket wise before for 1st races...that`s another headache for me,he would be better off leaving the early races alone if he weathers to cold with northeasts about,but i can see he`s so keen,i will not be able to stop him from sending.