Cat Issues.

3 Musketeers

3 Musketeers

Junior Guinea Pig
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Ireland,Wicklow
Hi all, i need help on this one fast.

Theres this little ginger tabby cat that has been constantly, constantly at my outdoor guinea pigs, trying to swipe at them, he just missed my poor boy ed, and ed froze with the fear.
The cat also keeps knocking off their waterbottle during all hours, sometimes the piggies go all night without water which is dangerous, i've tried putting bowls of water in but they just knock them over.

I've been told to throw hot water at it, soak it, kick it or even poison it.
Even just the thought of hurting a cat makes me sick to my stomach, having to wake up and go outside and find a cat dead in my back garden would actually make me sick.

I cant keep them inside since i have no room, and the piggies wouldn't have any room either.
I dont even know who owns the cat.
I really feel like I'm out of options, so does anyone have any suggestions to keep my piggies safe?
because not only a swipe from a cat can kill them, the shock can do, and i dread going outside and finding my first round of guinea pigs limp and cold, from such a sad death.

Help needed!
 
There are various things you can buy online that are supposed to deter cats coming into your garden - I don't know how effective they are. Lion poo being one and some plastic spiky things being another.
 
We unintentionally found out cats do not like the citrus motion sensor air fresheners...my Willow used to always jump up at the TV so we moved the dvd player forward and stuck the air freshener behind it. So of course he jumped up and it went off, not sure if it was the noise, the smell or the shock but he only made sure he wasnt imagining things a second time and has not set food up there again in 4 years! I'm not sure it'd work outside or where you could position one where it wouldnt go into the pigs hutch, but it's an option :xd:

You could also try sprinkling chilli flakes or citrus peels around the hutch, they dont like the smell. My Granny swore by plastic bottles filled with water for some reason, but they seemed to work, I'm not sure how.
 
It depends on how much you're willing to spend. You can cat proof your garden with special fence attachments. Or add extra barrier (chicken wire etc) to areas where the cat is trying to get. Just a shield you can easily remove when you need, but adds space between the cat and piggies.
There are water bottles with a stand or bar attachments you could put inside cage or just try securing the bottle in two places so it's harder to move (look around your house, old dog collars, cable ties etc). What I would be worried about is, if cat can do this what damage would fox do?

I would keep eye on the cat, too. As it could be he's stray looking for water/food. If you see any injuries/signs if illness it's rspca who deals with them. If it's healthy looking then cats protection could help.

Cats are stubborn and street wise cats are hardy and not phased by the cat repelling products. I've seen a cat sitting right next to the cat repellent or pooing right next to rosemary plant...
Whoever is advising you to pour hot water, kick or poison it shouldn't be classed as sane adult. Extremely cruel and I would want to see such actions punished as animal cruelty. Glad you're not taking advice from people like this...
 
Coming from a cat owner please do not throw hot water at the cat or use poison!

Some things you can try is spraying said cat with cold water and : or using citronella which is a natural deterant for getting rid of cats. You could also try filling plastic bottles with water and laying them around the hutch
 
Forgot, to add. You can diy the fence attachments to cat proof the fence or even try something simple as putting vaseline on top of the fence (where cat walks).

personally, I would opt for physical barriers but if everything else fails and you think it's dangerous for your piggies to live like this you can use lawn sprinkler. Turn it on when cat is around (not actually near piggies, just around garden) to give it chance to change direction without freaking out. There's automatic one called scarecrow sprinkler. I wouldn't use this method personally, but guess cat would prefer this to a poison. Just be mindful where the cat runs in panic to ensure it doesn't get hurt or runs in front of car etc. Just think you're worried about your piggies getting scared to death by cat, if you scare the cat it might get injured when running in panic as these go off only after animal is close to it, leaving no chance to change direction without being scared away...
 
Can you double mesh the guinea pigs cage? It may help to make them less reachable. Also lots of tunnels and hides so they have plenty of cover to help make them feel safe.

I must be so stressful.

Could you get a shed to keep them in?
 
Thank you all for your amazing replies!

Sadly, i dont think i have the funds for fences, what I could try is the plastic water-bottles, the cat repellent and more.
If it proceeds Ill probably try purchasing another grid to make sure the cat doesn't get them, and also any foxes, there is one fox that drives my neighborhood mad, it knocks over bins for food so i cant imagine what it would do to my piggies.

Before I owned my guinea pigs, i think i remember feeding the cat, which i now totally regret.
I do have a shed, but its way to damp for my piggies.

Just hoping for the best, ill probably try water-bottles next.

I most definitely am not going to hurt the cat, but hopefully it doesn't keep making everything so stressful.
 
Please be careful with some cat "repellents" as most of them are citrus based which contains ingredients like linalool and limonene that are actually toxic to cats :(

To be honest your best bet is to make up some kind of predator proof enclosure around the hutch if you can't bring them inside or into a building of some kind.
 
Hensa said:
There are various things you can buy online that are supposed to deter cats coming into your garden - I don't know how effective they are. Lion poo being one and some plastic spiky things being another.
Click to expand...
What about calling animal controll, if u don't know the owner. If the cat has a. Hip, they will find the owner. Can't have it tormenting your piggies!
 
If the cat looks healthy and hangs around for food call cats protection. Alternatively, if you have transport and carrier you can catch it and take to nearest vet to check for chip. There's not much owner can do to stop cats from being predators.
Cats protection will take healthy strays, obviously there might be waiting time due to space, anything from days to months.
If it's skinny, injured or has any sign of illness (even runny eyes, patchy fur) then rspca will take him, it's just case of waiting for animal collection officer.
They'll check for chip, if he's not chipped, keep him for 2wks, treat him and if no owners come forward he'll be rehomed.
 
Is there a way to build an enclosure around the hutch to keep the car a reasonable distance away? You could get some chicken wire and nail it to some wood. In the meantime, do you have a hutch cover? You could roll it down so the cat can't get its paws through the bars, at least, and the cover would hopefully reduce the smell of the cat too.
 
I have 2 covers on my hutch both from Scratch and Newton. One is the thermal cover with bye bye fly screen and the one on top is the thermal hutch hugger. They are both very good and I am very happy with them.
 
My mum was plagued by cats so invested in an ultrasonic cat repellent device. The cars won’t cross the line where the device is, so it works a treat. It wasn’t expensive, either. And it’s solar powered I think.
 
I've got 2 of the solar powered cat repellant devices. I put mine in soil in flower pots so they can stand on paths near entrance points and on the patio. I move them around from time to time as I noticed some cats know where they are and run past quick once they realise it's a horrible noise but it doesn't hurt, that way I get the element of surprise. You need to be careful not to have them to close to the piggys as they can hear the sound even though we can't. I got mine on ebay for less than £20 for the pair, they are till working after a year.
 
I don't know if you can do anything. I don't believe in different devices that can make them run away from your house. I think that if cats feel that you are a good person they will still come and come. My grandmother had such a situation and she couldn't make cats go away. She even bought a dog for that but they were still coming. So she just gave up and started to feed them hehe. So the thing that you can do is to take them home and to prepare for them, in your yard, a large cat tree. They will tell you thanks and you will feel better for sure.
 
graphadflinin said:
I don't know if you can do anything. I don't believe in different devices that can make them run away from your house. I think that if cats feel that you are a good person they will still come and come. My grandmother had such a situation and she couldn't make cats go away. She even bought a dog for that but they were still coming. So she just gave up and started to feed them hehe. So the thing that you can do is to take them home and to prepare for them, in your yard, a large cat tree. They will tell you thanks and you will feel better for sure.
Click to expand...
Ghost thread 😁
 
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