Persistent cat steals food
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We have had a hedgehog feeding station for some years – an upturned storage box with a doorway cut out – which our hedgehogs have happily used to access their nightly food. But my new neighbour’s cat is proving a real nuisance. I have added an entrance tunnel with a 90 degree turn to deter it. It still wriggled its way in and scoffed the lot. I extended the tunnel and reduced the height and watched on my nighttime wildlife camera as it dragged itself in on its belly. I put a dish of water inside the entrance and it pushed itself under the box, despite it being weighted down with a brick. I have now weighted the box down with 4 bricks. I fear it may still get in, even if it has to crawl through the saucer of water. It is really spoiling our efforts to feed our hogs, which still come at night to find all the food gone. Any solutions?
Hi Tedthegardener
Sorry to hear about your cat problems. Some cats are particularly persistent – and bendy! You may already have seen this https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/cat-proof-hedgehog-food/ but in case not there are some tips in there.
I had a rat problem as well (the cats were never around when the rat was!) and there’s no keeping a rat out of a hog box. So now I sprinkle the food (dried kitten biscuits) on a bit of lawn – it not only encourages the hogs’ natural foraging abilities but takes longer for both cats and rats to eat all the food, giving the hogs a good chance to get some of it. I don’t seem to see cats so often now – but maybe that’s just because there are fewer around. But some cats can’t seem to be bothered to search for the more spread out food. Rats, seem to come in phases and/or seasons, I find, so they aren’t always around.
The hogs don’t seem to mind this feeding regime at all and it even gives the more timid ones the chance to sneak in and feed at the edge when none of the more aggressive ones are looking. A selection of different corvids seem to clear up any leftovers in the mornings.
Water is important as well, of course and there is water around in various places in the garden, which the hogs get to know, but not necessarily amongst the sprinkled food – which also gives more hogs a chance to eat whilst other (potentially more ‘bossy’) hogs may be elsewhere drinking.
I hope you manage to find some solution. Good luck and happy hog watching.
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