Cats

[Radders]

Does anyone have any tips on how we can keep other people's cats out of our garden and away from our piggies. One has taken to sitting on the roof of our hutch!

 

[eileen]

i have a cat,other peoples cats sit on top of hutches,i find they are just curious.katie my cat rounds the guinea pigs up if they accidently escape there run.i have hutches with bolts and use newton hutch huggers and covers so that no cat can have contact with my guinea pigs.indide in winter both my c and c cages have lidsand 150cm liberta cage as sturdy covers.

 

[7squeakers.]

Last summer, one of my neighbours two cats tried to get at my guinea pigs when they were out in their run on the grass. The cat wouldn't go when I shooed it away. I had to push it away with a broom. (I didn't hit it!)
The best thing for keeping cats out is a dog - but that's not always feasible! I've tried Lion pellets - little pellets soaked in real lion urine. They didn't work. I've been told that those plastic black cat silhouettes with glowing eyes are good. I keep a squeezy bottle of water handy in case a cat comes in my garden. (My Neighbours two cats have started to use my garden as their toilet, damn things! )

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

Cats are my favourite animals, and my cat is really protective of the guinea pigs and buns. Priya sees off any cats who come in the garden and in fact she ended up poorly with cystitis, due to stress, when a new cat moved into the neighbourhood and was looking in the rabbit hutches at night.

 

[piggieminder]

I found I didn't get other peoples cats in my garden when I had my own and like Priya she kept an eye on the guineas to make sure they were OK. I had a lot of cat visitors for a while last year but I made friends with a neighbours cat and all the rest went home wet (only wet, I'd never hurt an animal I love them all too much). Now the garden is this one cat's territory the others stay away. This cat now accepts the guineas are allowed and doesn't take any notice when they are in the run.

 

[bex's gpigs]

Dont cats hate lemon and orange? Spray that around your pig cage (no idea if that will actually work) just a thought x

 

[smileyface:)]

I found that if you get a hutch/run with a smaller grill such as this sort of design then its much harder for a cat to surprise a guinea pig and scratch it
the other sort of wire you see on some hutches and runs is in my opinion much too open and my cat would easily get a paw through for a quick flick at a passing piggie - I know the changes are small but wouldn't want a piggie with a scratched eye having to go to the vet.

I find that cats just loose interest after a while and most are just watching the pigs like we would television! Also cats love the roofs of hutches if they are felted, as they get toasty warm in the sun, so if you don't want them on the roof I would just put some more uncomfortable on top - spiky stuff like pine cones?
And the best thing I found that used to deter my young cat from poking through the larger wires of the house cage they did live in, was to wrap it around with mesh netting - the sort you get for going under dresses - very small holed - pigs never nibbled it and you could still see through but the cat soon got fed up getting her claws stuck in it, acts as a fly screen too on a hutch door.

My own cat does great at pouncing on neighbours cats, but getting a cat might be a step too far if you dont want one!

 

[Swissgreys]

To stop a cat sitting on top of your hutch, put a pile of old coat hangers on it.
It won't hurt the cat, but will make it almost impossible for the cat to find a comfortable sitting place.
Plus it's quick and easy.