My cat, Samson aka Sammy....

timer lady

Queen of Hearts
During construction this past spring/summer, Sammy became an outdoor kitty. He's always, before this time, been content to be indoors.

Now he's hunting birds in my backyard bird sanctuary. He's killed 2 birds now....yesterday it was a yellow rumped warbler. One of the prettiest birds, in my humble opinion


http://www.pinebrookwetlands.com/photos/birds/Yellow-rumped Warbler.jpg

Sammy tried to bring it in the house; in the meantime I'm between livid & in tears.

How do I get Samson back into the house & content again?
 

busywend

Well-Known Member
I don't know. When you bring him in, does he sprint for the door every time it opens?
Maybe the colder weather will bring him in for good.


I think once they get the experience of outdoor living AND hunting for live animals, that is it - they love it.
 

flutterby

Fly away!
He may never be content to be an inside kitty anymore. However, a collar with a bell works very well against their hunting prowess. Hard to be a stealth hunter when they're going, "ting ting ting" when they walk. :D
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
I also recommend the bell.....bigger the better.

I dunno. Bruce the stray was outside quite a while when he previous owner dumped him. A few wks at least, and finally easy child couldn't take him meowing at her door anymore and asked if I'd take him in. For the most part Bruce is perfectly content to be an inside kitty.......and on my lap 24/7. lol But every once in a while he gets a hankering for outdoors. So we don't dawdle at the doors. He'll slip out.

He slipped out one night and I refused to go after him. About 2 hrs later he was back and desperate to be inside. lol

You can get this indorr grass for kitties at walmart. Grows in a little plastic container. Bruce loved it and it kept him happy to be inside. Reminds me I do need to go get him another one. Bruce was going out to nibble on the grass to get his greens. :)

Hugs
 

TPaul

Idecor8
If I may ask a very private question of your kitty of the male kind???

Have you had him bush wacked??? :doctor: Fixed??? :dont_know:


If he has not been fixed, being out of doors free to chase the :hawaii_girl:might have gotten into his blood. Might have to have him snipped to cool the tiger in him down.


The:hearye: idea is a great one, and will help the birdies out a lot.

Well here is to a much more, :grey:mellow indoor kitty!!
 

gcvmom

Here we go again!
I think the others are right... the cold weather will be your best bet for encouraging him back in the house (that and some kitty treats to bribe him), and certainly the bell is the birds' best defense while he is outside. And of course, if he's not already neutered, like TPaul advises, that will help, too.

We have one cat that's a "hunter" and one that is a "Garfield". We have to watch when we open doors to the outside, otherwise the hunter will bolt.
 

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
I agree with-the bell. It will ring just as he is about to leap.

It is very hard to get a cat back into the house when they've been exposed to and excited about killing things in the wild.

Treats, toys, whatever you can do. And warmth.

by the way, when he brings you things, no matter how icky, it means he loves you.
 

flutterby

Fly away!
Terry said:
by the way, when he brings you things, no matter how icky, it means he loves you.

Even if it's just parts. :sick:

They really love you, though, when they bring them in alive. That's always fun and exciting.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Bruce is finally mousing................

I had to threaten to bring Mr Underfoot and Skinny Minnie in from outside to do his job. And then of course literally throw him onto the mouse as it darted into the kitchen! :rofl:

Now he's stalking the pantry and stair doors just waiting for the lil bugger........if the traps don't get it first.......or Underfoot and Minnie on it's way back into the house.

I'll be proud when Bruce brings me the mouse......dead or alive. lol
 

Star*

call 911........call 911
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3562592

I was thinking if you put this on Samson - It has enough bells & the birds might just .....well you'll see.

I think it would work..:D

Cats don't like citronella or citrus sprays also - but it would keep him from being in your yard...you can also ask the wildlife guys which birdfeeders would allow the birds to eat higher up and not be lower so he could get a snack.
 

witzend

Well-Known Member
Bells don't work. Not because the birds don't hear them, but because a bell does not mean "danger" to a bird, and a cat will learn in a matter of minutes to stalk without ringing the bell.

These birds are native to North America, and cats are not. They've only been here in any kind of numbers since the turn of the last century. Birds have no natural fear nor defense against them.

If you want Sammy to stop killing birds, you must bring him back inside. There are cat toys and cat videos that can help him to not be bored. But you can't train wild birds to fear cats, even with a bell.

Here are some good links with factual information and studies regarding "outdoor cats" and wild birds.

http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/cats/index.html

http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/cats/materials/predation.pdf
 
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timer lady

Queen of Hearts
Thanks for all the advice. Starbie - you are a hoot! I can afford that outfit.

Witz, I've heard that before. I'll look into more toys for Samson & things to keep him busy indoors. I have to say he doesn't like the cold weather & that may keep him in while I "retrain" him.

Thanks, ladies.
 

graceupongrace

New Member
Linda,

Our cat was always indoors. The breeder required it, and besides, we had coyotes where we lived, so there weren't a lot of outdoor cats in our neighborhood. :(

She loved a toy that looked sort of like a short plastic cylinder with a lid. There were holes on the sides and one on the top. You dropped a ping-pong ball through the top hole, and the cat would reach in the side holes to try to get it out. Honestly, she played with it for hours on end. We also made it more exciting by dropping a toy mouse inside instead of a ping-pong ball. :D
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Witz have you seen that plastic film stuff you can put on your windows to tint them? It's supposed to be super easy to do. easy child's mother in law did it to her picture window to keep outside birds from soaring into it and her parrots from attempting to soar out of it. Also kept the sun out.

I think you can pick it up at Lowe's, not sure about wallie world.
 

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