General Chat

Water won't work, doesn't work. Unless you want to spend all day and all night doing it.

Cats get wet, they get dry, they come back. Particularly if they are un-neutered toms, who seem to like visiting here for their battles.

An animal charity says cat owners need to "take responsibility" for the suffering their pets cause to wildlife.

South Essex Wildlife Hospital said it is treating up to 60 animals a day, mostly birds, which have been attacked by cats, of which about half die.

On Facebook, it urged people to keep their cats indoors to stop the "daily slaughter" and "ecological disaster".

Being a non cat lover I have some sympathy.

It might also prevent the unwanted cat faeces appearing in our garden and having our seed beds scraped up.

Many years ago I was told the only certain way to keep unwanted cats at bay was to wet them. Another neighbour also claimed to have success by spraying them with a hose pipe if they came into his garden.

Whilst I haven't tried the hose personally, I must admit I have often been tempted.

To put things in perspective we have two cats in our small close which are good as gold, as they are rarely let out alone. There was a 'feral' one from the next close but it seems to have been kept indoors recently after complaints from another neighbour about it cr....ng in their garden.