Cat eating hedgehog’s food

[Anna1976]

Hi, firstly, I apologise if I’m writing this in the wrong place, but I am a new member to this site and finding it a bit confusing to navigate! I have a hedgehog house from the hutch company, and a hedgehog who comes every night to eat the food I put in. Recently a small cat is visiting,squeezing halfway through the entrance and eating the food. Do I need to buy a new hedgehog house or is there something I can do with this one? (I’m no good at anything practical involving woodwork skills)

[shinamae]

Anna I too am new only joined yesterday, read my thread “neighbour has three cats“ a couple of people have been really helpful in giving me some very good advice…

[Nic]

Hi Anna1976

Welcome to the Forum!

If the hog house has an internal ‘corridor’ (most have either an external ‘corridor’ or an internal one to deter predators, etc.) you could try reducing the height by putting a brick on the floor in that ‘corridor’. The hogs would be able to climb over but it makes it more difficult for the cat. If one doesn’t work you could try more to make the shallow area longer. If there is an extenal corridor you could try putting a heavy obstacle in that which would just give the hog space to get through but make it difficult for the cat.

Another thing you can try is to put a heavy obstacle at the side of the entrance to the box. Again if there is a ‘corridor’ in the box, cats usually go into them at an angle so that if the obstacle is in the way, it makes it more difficult. It’s more difficult if the box just has one chamber entered straight from the doorway. But, if the entrance is straight into the main chamber, you could try putting a heavy obstacle opposite the entrance (as well as at one side).

you could also try making the entrance to the hog house smaller. Hogs can squeeze through surprisingly small entrances.

Sorry for all the alternatives. It’s a bit difficult not knowing the design of the box! But hopefully, something there might work.

Good luck!

[steevo]

You don’t say what food you’re putting out. I had a lot of trouble with the local cats when I put cat/dog food out. Now I just use dried hedgehog food and although the cats come sniffing around they don’t eat it, they’re more interested in the mice under the feeding plaform.

[Nic]

You’re lucky, steevo! At least one cat here took to eating hog food which cats aren’t supposed to like.

It’s not so bad at the moment because there are more hogs around and the cats usually give way to them.

[Privateer]

Hi, newbie here. Sorry to jump onto this thread but we (my wife and I) have the same problem with cats eating the hedgehog food that we put out.

Food used
We use Asda kitten (dry) food with a bowl of water

Feeding station
We use a 32 litre (width 40 cm, length 59 cm, height 19 cm) clear plastic box upside down, with the lid as the floor. A circular entrance of 5 inches (12.7 cm) in diameter was cut, using a drill, at one end. The food and water bowls are placed on the opposite end of the box. A couple of bricks hold the feeding station down in case of strong winds. The clear plastic box is useful for our wildlife camera to film hedgehogs moving around the garden and inside the feeding station.

Cat problem
Last year, whilst we had cats in the garden we didn’t have them enter the feeding station. This year we do. Whilst cats may give way to hedgehogs, they will eat a lot (if not all) of the food before a hedgehog has the chance to eat the food. Plus I don’t want to waste the food feeding cats. Yes, I know it ironic as I’m using kitten food.

There is mention of placing a brick in front of the entrance. Could I do this inside the box? If so, how far away from the entrance should I place it? Would a single brick be enough?

I’d like to be able to film the hedgehogs entering the feeding station so another idea is to make a new feeding station but with the entrance hole (still circular) on the corner of a long side and use a clear cylinder (an old 2 litre coke bottle with the ends cut off) glued in place. The trouble is that a 2 litre coke bottle is only 9.5 cm in diameter! Would this work? Is a coke bottle (9.5 cm diameter big enough)? What length should the cylinder be in order to prevent a cat from entering?

Any other suggestions for a clear cylinder or tunnel that is inexpensive to utilise? Any other suggestions?

By the way, we also get birds (mainly Blackbirds) entering the feeding station and taking some food, which I don’t mind – just as long as it’s not cats.

Many thanks for reading.

[Author]

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