Each evening I put out chestnuts for the local squirrel. The bowel can hold 8 mixed size chestnuts. Each morning I noticed that only a small number were taken. I decided to put out 7, in the morning 3 were left. The next morning I put out 6, it left 2. For the last week I have put out 5, it always leaves one taking only 4. This raises the questions; why does this squirrel only take 4 chestnuts? can this squirrel count? It takes them away one at a time.
Can grey squirrels count!?
Oct 07, 2004
12 Replies
Is there a safe and natural way to keep cats from using my nice never walked on garden beds as a litter box ? I have tried hot pepper flakes and ammonia without success. This is becoming a large problem. Especially when your yard begins to smell of cat urine and feces. It is a small yard in suburban Long Island. Any help would be appreciated as I would like the cats to never be in my yard ... Thanks in advance ...
I have heard that you can embed plastic forks (with the tines up and the sharper the better) under pine straw mulch and the cats will learn not to tip toe into your flower beds. I have also seen - maybe at Gardeners Supply - sharp grids to place in the beds to discourage cats.
yeah - here it is:
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called scat cat mats
look> Is there a safe and natural way to keep cats from using my nice never walked
Use Google groups and search this group for 'cats'. You will find miles and miles of threads on cat discouragement.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
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the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the endorsements or recommendations I make.
Gus writes in article dated Thu, 07 Oct 2004 15:55:48
+0100:Maybe he can carry 2.
Bury one, eat one. Bury one, eat one. Then he's no longer hungry.
-- spud_demon -at- thundermaker.net The above may not (yet) represent the opinions of my employer.
Need a good, cheap, knowledge expanding present for yourself or a friend?
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I used to use the little skewers that you buy to make kabobs with. It only took a couple of weeks and they were happily crapping all over my grass instead of my flower beds.
Since I am now a domestic slave to a feline (those who have cats and think otherwise are deluding themselves) I have learned a few things. My kitty always wants to sniff whatever I am cooking or eating. Of course I do not always humor her, but there are times when I choose to amuse her. After all, cats aren't the only ones that can be independent when they want to be.
She does NOT like anything citrus or onions or garlic. She scrinches up her face and backs off giving me a look that says "WHY did you do that to me?"
So, you may be able to grind up citrus peels, garlic and/or onions and sprinkle this concoction about to see if it helps. I read recently that a cat's sense of smell is something like 300 times what ours is.
In the past, before the bamboo skewers and Miss izzy, I tried all sorts of things to ward off cats. Pepper flakes do not work. Some snail granules (Corey's) attract kittys.
Kate
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I sure do see your point. BUT, I found the best way to keep neighbors cats out of your yard, is to get one of your own. After I got my cat and she grew up, she would wait outside just to defend her turf. She had her own little place in the yard with sand in it for a potty and after she came to live with us there were seldom any interlopers that didn't leave without a butt kicking.
Yup, an occasional bird (very rarely, maybe three in as many years) got caught, but that would happen anyway. That's a basic fact of nature. It's not pleasant, but you can't fight it. Could those cats be coming in BECAUSE of the bird population from your feeders? (just food for thought) Now that we are thankfully living way out in the country this same kitty still defends her turf, catches moles and meeces and earns her keep. In the city, other people's pets can become a real nuisance. The neighbor we had and his two huge barking dogs is one of the primary reasons for our selling our home and getting out.
Kate
4" wire | >fencing stuff. the other alternative is a take em alive trap and drop the cats off | >at the local humane society. Ingrid | >| >"Jimmy Egan" wrote: | >
| >>Is there a safe and natural way to keep cats from using my nice never walked | >>on garden beds as a litter box ? I have tried hot pepper flakes and ammonia | >>without success. This is becoming a large problem. Especially when your yard | >>begins to smell of cat urine and feces. It is a small yard in suburban Long | >>Island. Any help would be appreciated as I would like the cats to never be | >>in my yard ... Thanks in advance ... | >>
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| >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | >List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List | >
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| >Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame | >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | >Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other | >compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the | >endorsements or recommendations I make. | | | | | | | Need a good, cheap, knowledge expanding present for yourself or a friend? |
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SVTKate quoth:
Most cats don't like citrus, and good thing she doesn't like onions or garlic. They're both in the family of vegies that give cats hemolytic anemia, which can make them very sick and/or kill them.
Priscilla
She likes green beans and a taste of avocado though, the little mooch.
SVTKate quoth:
No problem with those! ;-) One of mine is nuts about anything in the cabbage family -- cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower. He also likes mushrooms.
Priscilla
How funny! I will have to offer Izzy some of those and see what her reaction is.
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