Birdfeeders

Cats can be a real problem in many neighborhoods. Encouraging people to keep their cats indoors is one solution, but not always practical when neighbors won’t cooperate. Feral cats are another problem. The best solution is to be sure your yard is not an easy place for a cat to hide. Prune bushes so they are off the ground, make sure bird baths are in very open areas or up off the ground. Hang tube feeders at least  four feet off the ground. There will be birds cleaning up under the tube feeders, so be sure that area is clear of hiding places. If you have platform feeders on the ground, a short fence between them and any brush is a helpful idea. We had a cat contining to crouch next to a stump near the platform feeder. Chasing it away didn’t do any good, but after putting up just an 18 inch high fence, we haven’t seen it in weeks and the platform feeder is a very popular site with birds.