Ooh, the pain must be getting to me...Odd mentions feeding the birds in his garden. This is something we have taken to big time as my wife has developed an interest in ornithology. We get a wonderful selection, sometimes five or six species at once or a charm of a dozen goldfinches.
A year ago we got new neighbours who brought with them a young cat. Crap in the veg patch was mostly solved by an electronic noise deterrent. It took two attempts and sadly it can be “heard” by some visitors. Then it began to crap under the plum tree from which we hang the feeders. Important to be wary when refilling!
Next up the cat killed four of the five frogs in our pond. In one case we heard (they could get next door via a crack in the wall) the wife saying “oh no, B’s got a frog, no don’t” in a voice that suggested she’d seen a mouse and instead of shoving the cat off the frog had merely jumped on a chair shrieking.
Now it tends to hide in the bushes waiting for the birds to appear. We have witnessed some serious acrobatics as it tries to kill.
In Melbourne domestic cats must be kept indoors for the sake of the birds. Some cat owners at least attach a bell. Most don’t care.
