Will my pets scare away the wildlife?
urrent research suggests that in the UK and the USA domestic cats make many millions of wildlife catches a year, of which about 20–30 per cent are birds. The research goes on to say that a lot of these birds would probably have died anyway.
The truth is, however, that cats – and to a lesser extent dogs – do have a negative impact on garden wildlife, but this is a complex problem with no simple answer. The best you can do is care and
protect your own patch.
When hunting small mammals or birds, a cat is merely following its natural instincts, so try to deter it rather than blame it.
Views on cats in the garden range from the ‘leave-poor-pussy-alone’ lobby through to the ‘ban-the-killer-cat’ extremists. All we can say for sure is that a cat will kill any creature it can catch – including birds, snakes, lizards and fish. We cannot blame the cat, because it is only acting naturally, and humans have elected to keep cats as domestic pets.
The best thing to do is try to figure out how to outwit the cat. If you spend time making sure that your garden is heavily planted with wildlife-friendly vegetation, with as many shrubs, trees and ground-cover plants as you can stuff into the plot, and if you positively encourage a full range of wildlife, then the cat will simply slot into its place in the scheme of things.
CAT DETERRENTS
You could put up an electric fence, and install all manner of expensive machines that variously buzz, ping, hum and squirt, and you could surround your house with a cat-proof maze of ground chilli peppers, bottles filled with water, lumps of lion dung, and so on, but why would you want to, when a good number of these so-called cat deterrents would, if they worked, deter the very wildlife that you are trying to attract? If you feel that you absolutely must get a deterrent, then get yourself a small, noisy dog, one that will scare off cats without being a danger to wildlife. As for having a cat of your own, research suggests that a wildlife garden and cats are a bad mix.
DOGS IN A WILDLIFE GARDEN
While cats tend to be blamed for the decline in bird populations, dogs are generally thought of as being nature’s friend. Perhaps this has to do with imagery that links dogs with various traditional country pursuits. The fact is that if you have a large, boisterous dog bounding about the garden it will at least deter nest-building birds and scare off all the shy little animals that like a quiet life.
As for comparing dogs and cats, the truth is that dogs do not generally climb over fences and creep about in other people’s gardens, and they can at the very least be trained to stay within the confines of their own patch.
PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE
If you put food scraps out for birds, at least make sure that they are put on a table that is well clear of the ground, in a situation where cats cannot easily creep up unnoticed. Stop putting shop-bought bird food out in the same spot each time – because it makes the cat’s life easier by luring in birds and other wildlife. Plant plenty of prickly-leaved plants around the garden.
If you have a problem with a dog scaring wildlife, the chances are that it is your own dog doing the scaring. If you want to have a wildlife garden and a dog, you will need to keep the dog away from the wildlife area by building an outside run.
The sight and sound of the dog in a run will not actively encourage wildlife to your patch, but it will at least ensure that the said dog is not tearing through the undergrowth and generally frightening away all the creatures in its path. You could also train your dog so that it quietly does your bidding.
POINTS TO CONSIDER
• There is evidence to show that various garden bird species are on the decline, but there is no firm evidence that pins the blame on cats.
• Remember, when you are looking at the various electronic scare devices available, that the back-up literature about the number of birds killed and the dangers of cats in the garden is likely to be biased.
• Current research suggests that birds and animals flee when dogs approach and that visiting wild animals will always be alarmed by dogs, simply because they never get the chance to become accustomed to their presence.
If this is correct, you must face up to the fact that your dog will, more than likely, scare away exotic wildlife visitors.
• On the plus side, while a dog might well scare away some part of the wildlife in your garden, it will probably not kill it.
• We all have to make choices, so you might have to decide that you are happy to have a dog and limited wildlife.
This pretty pussycat likes nothing better than eating birds, mice, rats and rabbits.
Dogs will scare off some wild creatures, but are very unlikely to kill them.
urrent research suggests that in the UK and the USA domestic cats make many millions of wildlife catches a year, of which about 20–30 per cent are birds. The research goes on to say that a lot of these birds would probably have died anyway.
The truth is, however, that cats – and to a lesser extent dogs – do have a negative impact on garden wildlife, but this is a complex problem with no simple answer. The best you can do is care and
protect your own patch.
When hunting small mammals or birds, a cat is merely following its natural instincts, so try to deter it rather than blame it.
Views on cats in the garden range from the ‘leave-poor-pussy-alone’ lobby through to the ‘ban-the-killer-cat’ extremists. All we can say for sure is that a cat will kill any creature it can catch – including birds, snakes, lizards and fish. We cannot blame the cat, because it is only acting naturally, and humans have elected to keep cats as domestic pets.
The best thing to do is try to figure out how to outwit the cat. If you spend time making sure that your garden is heavily planted with wildlife-friendly vegetation, with as many shrubs, trees and ground-cover plants as you can stuff into the plot, and if you positively encourage a full range of wildlife, then the cat will simply slot into its place in the scheme of things.
CAT DETERRENTS
You could put up an electric fence, and install all manner of expensive machines that variously buzz, ping, hum and squirt, and you could surround your house with a cat-proof maze of ground chilli peppers, bottles filled with water, lumps of lion dung, and so on, but why would you want to, when a good number of these so-called cat deterrents would, if they worked, deter the very wildlife that you are trying to attract? If you feel that you absolutely must get a deterrent, then get yourself a small, noisy dog, one that will scare off cats without being a danger to wildlife. As for having a cat of your own, research suggests that a wildlife garden and cats are a bad mix.
DOGS IN A WILDLIFE GARDEN
While cats tend to be blamed for the decline in bird populations, dogs are generally thought of as being nature’s friend. Perhaps this has to do with imagery that links dogs with various traditional country pursuits. The fact is that if you have a large, boisterous dog bounding about the garden it will at least deter nest-building birds and scare off all the shy little animals that like a quiet life.
As for comparing dogs and cats, the truth is that dogs do not generally climb over fences and creep about in other people’s gardens, and they can at the very least be trained to stay within the confines of their own patch.
PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE
If you put food scraps out for birds, at least make sure that they are put on a table that is well clear of the ground, in a situation where cats cannot easily creep up unnoticed. Stop putting shop-bought bird food out in the same spot each time – because it makes the cat’s life easier by luring in birds and other wildlife. Plant plenty of prickly-leaved plants around the garden.
If you have a problem with a dog scaring wildlife, the chances are that it is your own dog doing the scaring. If you want to have a wildlife garden and a dog, you will need to keep the dog away from the wildlife area by building an outside run.
The sight and sound of the dog in a run will not actively encourage wildlife to your patch, but it will at least ensure that the said dog is not tearing through the undergrowth and generally frightening away all the creatures in its path. You could also train your dog so that it quietly does your bidding.
POINTS TO CONSIDER
• There is evidence to show that various garden bird species are on the decline, but there is no firm evidence that pins the blame on cats.
• Remember, when you are looking at the various electronic scare devices available, that the back-up literature about the number of birds killed and the dangers of cats in the garden is likely to be biased.
• Current research suggests that birds and animals flee when dogs approach and that visiting wild animals will always be alarmed by dogs, simply because they never get the chance to become accustomed to their presence.
If this is correct, you must face up to the fact that your dog will, more than likely, scare away exotic wildlife visitors.
• On the plus side, while a dog might well scare away some part of the wildlife in your garden, it will probably not kill it.
• We all have to make choices, so you might have to decide that you are happy to have a dog and limited wildlife.
This pretty pussycat likes nothing better than eating birds, mice, rats and rabbits.
Dogs will scare off some wild creatures, but are very unlikely to kill them.
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