when i got home from work tonight i went straight out to feed the fish, then came in to eat my tea. i was just walking back into the kitchen with my plate and next doors cat was creeping along the slabs to the pond....i let an almight roar out at it in a rage...luckily i'd just spied it in time and it scarpered big style!

however it obviously has now seen the fish and knows they are there... i have covered the pond and weighted it down and now i'm worried as i have to go out tonight


this is WAR now....i already have 3 electronic cat repellants which either it has got used to or are just useless but they are the best ones you can buy! i then have the cover but am concerned that the cat could push it out of the way or nose underneath it...i'm seriously going to get my welder friend to make me a really heavy frame instead of this one.

what other measures could i put in place...the cats walk along my fence so i would happily put barbed wire along the top to stop them....what does everyone else do with their ponds?

it's so unfair that people can let their cats out...if it was peoples dogs running round other peoples gardens trying to kill their pets the dogs would be put down....sorry to any cat lovers but i hate them with all my heart...nasty nasty animals!!!


Jude

Most cats are horrible at catching fish, too worried about falling in. My aunt use to have 30+ cats(down to 8 now. Short story: A wild tom cat got 3 young females pregnant so kittens galore) and not one ever managed to catch a fish they mainly just drank the pond water

I own 3 outdoor cats and there is this really sweet stray male cat thats been trying to get me to accept him into the family, so that make 4 cats that hang around. I have one girl and she is the worst. Catches everything from dragonflys to humming birds. Right now I have a kiddie pool on the patio for breeding bettas and I'm using one of those net things that people use as decoration to go over beds, as a net to keep bugs and birds away. I wanted to see what all three of my cats thought about the pool. Velcro did not care about it. He perfered to lay on the lounge chairs and watch the real pool, Willy just sniffed it for 2 seconds and walked off, but Peanut pushed on the net until she felt water and then drank it(I hadn't realised they were out of water). After I gave them fresh water I brought Peanut back to the pool and put a fake fish that was tied to a string into the pool. She watched it, even ran around the pool but she really hates getting wet so she didn't touch the net because her feet were already wet from earlier.

I would purposly let the cat get as close as possible and see what it does. If its just trying to find a water source then I won't worry about it took much. If it sticks it little feets on the net or trys pushing away the net then scare it off and find rocks or something to really hold down the net. You could also try buying lots of floating plants to help the fish hide the fish. This works very well for my aunt. Lots of water lillies.

Your pond is rectangle and doesn't really seem to have ledges a cat could use to be right next to the water.

Its hard to keep cats out of your yard when there is a food or water source. I've never had luck with keeping tom cats away so now I just be nice to them as long as they don't hurt my other cats. You could call animal control or even go down to the pound and rent a trap, then once caught take him down to the pound. It the most humaine way. I've heard of people shooting BBs at cats before. My neighbor where I used to live got arrested for shooting at a cat with a pellet gun because. Its just horrible. What ever you do don't harm the kitty because we have to remember he may be someones pet and I know I would be devastated if some did something to hurt my pets.

Good luck! I hope everything goes well.

I love cats to death but I understand your plight totally and whoever's cat it is should keep it indoors ideally, or at least off your property. Cta don't care about property lines though.

I think some cats are into fish and some aren't...with my two one of them will bat at the fish through the tank glass (tanks are very well covered) and watches them all the time but the other one ignores them completly. Some cats like Sushi said are just going to watch and drink the water maybe, but i would be scared to take that chance. I think a heavy frame sounds great, but I have never had a pond so i am not sure if there are better ideas out there.

Good luck either way, just wanted to let you know that even cat lovers like me think you should be able to keep your pond cat-free!

thankyou both! i appreciate those comments coming from cat lovers.

i don't know that i'd be willing to let the cat get close enough to see what it does as it wasn't just walking towards the pond it was creeping like they do when hunting so i really don't trust it

i also remembered that there's a plant you can buy that cats really object to the smell of, so i'll try and find out the name of that and try and get some to plant around the garden!

also do plastic bottles filled with water actually work? my friends last night suggested that, saying cats don't like to see their eye's reflected so it scares them and i said well the pond water wasn't scaring it but they said that the cat was probably to focused on the fish and didn't care about the water.

my lily's are only young so they are not providing much cover yet so i'll just have to be patient i guess, i do however need a few oxygenating plants to add and will attempt to get some tomorrow.

but the heavy frame is definitely a good option...even if just to ensure it isn't blown off in a winter storm!

I just bought some water hyacinth and its really cool. From what my aunt told he they get beautiful purple flowers and grow large. and spread out. They are floating plants that have really cool feathery roots. Your fish might enjoy hiding in it. lol.

I've never heard of the water bottle thing. I don't think it would work. My cats have seen mirrors and drink out of our pool and its never scared them. You could spray that cat with a water bottle or hose. That way no physical harm is done to the cat but I'm sure he is going to be scared to death. This trick works great but sometimes its hard to get the hose on before the cat has seen you and run off.

I understand you don't want him near the pond, but did you happen to notice if when he was creeping over to the pond, if his eyes where very wide and open, ears up, and head moving in sharp twitching movements, maybe even making little mews. If so then I'm sure he does want the fishies. If not, I'm sure he will just go away. The only reason I've ever had stray cats stay around is because I put cat food and water out. I bet he was just checking your yard out.

If he just wants a drink maybe you could put a bowl of water out. After all it is summer and I'm sure he is hot. Then again that is kind of like saying " Welcome to the family."

i'll keep an eye out for that plant! sounds good!

to be honest i was yelling for the cat to get away before i had a chance to look at his features! the cat's house is right next door and they can see into my garden so if he was thirsty he was right beside his house anyway and i certantly don't want to invite him into my garden

a super-soaker water pistol might be the answer to keep by the back door pre-filled for any emergency moments!!

Water is a good idea, we have used that to keep our cats off the counters and such, although some of them don't seem to be othered by it! Definitely worth a try though, easy, low-cost and won't hurt the cat. :-)

awhile back someone suggested pushing the cat in the water and they said it works. My suggestions are extreme, but I'm not a cat fan either. Your fish are moving around better in the day and I doubt the cat can catch them then. Your biggest worries are at night when the fish have slowed down. I lost some expensive fish about 3 years ago to cats and they were all snatched at night. I'm not exactly sure what you really want to do about it but I'd set traps out and haul the trespassers away. The way I look at it is this. That pond belongs to the fish, that is also their yard. They do not leave the pond and visit the neighbors yard to torment their cats, thus their cats shouldn't be in your yard tormenting the fish. People need to have more respect for their neighbors and keep their pets to themselves. You shouldn't have to worry about a pet getting into your yard. Maybe wild animals, but not some jerks pet.

Anyhow those are my thoughts. Good luck.
Scott

I don't know how much money you want to spend but I have seen these motion detectors that spray a jet of water across the pond like an arch, I know people use them to scare off herons and such and the way cats hate water it might really deter them and they're pretty to look at. I think I saw them in a Birds and Blooms magazine my mom gets (it's a gardening magazine).

Definitely invest in a good solid covering. Like I mentioned awhile back, the netting worked well on our pond to deter that stupid heron. It would also deter cats, I'm sure. Ours is raised about 12 inches from the surface of the water, so a cat wouldn't be able to reach down into the water.

At my parents' house, all their cats are outdoors (which I hate!). In all our years only one cat has ever really bothered the fish. Another cat caught some that were sick and hovering at the surface. But my mom has found neighbor cats eyeing our fish before, too. I agree with those of you who said cat owners need to respect their neighbors and keep their pets indoors. It is much safer for the cats, too, another reason why mine are strictly indoors.

thanks everyone for all your suggestions! i haven't personally seen the cat since but that's not to say it hasn't been round when i'm out, but the netting frame hasn't appeared to been interfered with so hopefully that's a good sign!

i'd love to catch the cats in a trap as my dad actually has a trap at his house but unfortunately the neighbours in question can see right into my garden from their daughters bedroom window and i would be seen!

i'll keep you's posted on what i do/buy!

thanks again

Jude

hhhmmmmmmmmmmmm maybe if your neighbors see the trap they'll get the hint? Of course I wouldn't want you to start a war. Although they really should have more respect for others and keep thier terrors in the house.

i used to have a neighbour who i didn't get on with a couple of years ago ( i had to ahem...yell through the wall during the night to tell her to keep it down...if you get my drift ) so i definitely don't want to go down that road again as it's a horrible feeling.

it is however even a problem to another neighbour who's garden is being used as a toilet by these cats and the neighbour has a two year old wee boy who has a learing difficultly and is picking up the cats droppings when playing in the garden and i've been told the mother is very stressed about it! not nice at all!

Well I am a huge cat fan,but will also admit that I don't go for Cats running loose outside either.Most are not spade/neutered,and why there are so many cats in the world today. I keep my cats indoors and yet there are two outdoor cats nextdoor that like to come in a corner of my yard to"poop".Very Bad----it's not right.
I think that you're wise to take all precautions no matter if you see the cat again or not,because you just can't count them out for sure.It's a Cat's natural instinct to hunt and snatch,and if the opportunity comes up,they most certainly will.The heavier cover will help for sure. I also noticed that the cats next door really don't care for my new Wind Chimes-Seems to scare the crap out of them when they start up! Good luck with whatever you come up with.

I know what you mean Devs about other cats pooping in your yard. I also have that problem and also people walking their dogs and stopping to poop (dogs, not the people) in my front yard, then leaving it. The cats running free have always been such an issue with me, as not only do they go on others property, breed freely if they are not spayed or neutered, but they run the risk of being killed by being run over! I hate seeing dead animals on the street.

Yes, I would put the trap out, if it is a humane trap, but also talk with the neighbor, tell them you saw the cat watching your fish and tell them you have put put a trap. Maybe they can be delt with.

Good luck, and I hope your fish remain safe!