Couple pond noob questions

[BennyLava]

Well, I value everyone's opinion here on this site. So I am glad to have heard yours. But at this point, I would like to say that cats have in fact killed two of my fish. I know this cause I saw a cat run off with one of my smaller fish, and the other I found dead outside the pond with little teethmarks and clawmarks in it. Also caught another cat in the act, he flipped it up out of the pond and was sort of sniffing it as it flopped. That is one that I unfortunately had to destroy, as he was a repeat offender. I had scared him off several times and turned the dog loose on him as well, knowing that he would easily escape, of course.

However, as I am out of city limits, I am in my legal rights to destroy any animal making a pest of itself. Dogs, cats, rats, skunks, opossums, squirells, pretty much anything except for escaped livestock. I know this because I was told so by the sheriff's office. The police have no jurisdiction, that's only in city limits so I had to call the sheriff. When asked what to do about stray dogs harassing my dog, and the cats harassing my fish, his exact words were "Shoot them." I was like "... what..." and he went on to tell me that I would have no other recourse, as animal control is left up to the people, out of city limits. All I would have to do is say the word "feral" (as in I believed the animal was feral) and no legal action could be taken against me. So while you are probly right about most people, people living out of city limits don't really have any other option. I can't really afford to fix my pond all up against predators right now, as I am still in school and will be for a while to come. So does that mean that I have to put up with the local cat lady's cats destroying my property?

I can't just catch them in a live trap and give them back to whoever it is that owns them, they will be right back the next day. And the law certainly ain't going to help me out. So I am left with few options, I'm afraid. It really is unfortunate. And I do think that some of the cats I have shot were indeed feral cats. Wild, looking for a free meal. A lot of bobcats and such grow around here. But some were likely pets, and like I said I really did not want to have to do it, but was left with no other alternative.

 

[stroppy]

im sure you could get a net to cover it ...i have had to cover mine because of foxes ...if your fish are worth so much thats what i would do

 

[DrCase]

Benny Benny Benny ...... thats great that you took care of your problem...
You gotta do what you gotta do, if you want to keep your stuff .

But you dont have to go into such detail on how you do it.
Take care of it, and show a little cooth..

Here you get more time for animal cruelty, than murder

 

[BennyLava]

Ok I understand what yall are saying. People just don't want to hear about it. I just thought that surely many other people here had the same problems. So I won't talk about it anymore outside this one conversation. Although I do stand by my point. Someone else's pet should not be able to roam onto my property and destroy it, with no way to stop it. That's just plain immoral. You wouldn't let a someone's dog come chew up all your outside furniture and jump all over your new car. I guess instead of killing (killing an animal is not always "animal cruelty", as per my conversation with the sherrif) them I could always just catch them and take them to the animal shelter or something. If they would let me, and I don't know if they would. And I know they won't take some vicious feral animal. In which case, I could take the animal to the opposite end of town and let it out, but then it would just likely starve (if it wasn't feral) or get ran over, and that is more cruel than the much more humane quick way.

 

[koikeepr]

Right. I agree with you that folks shouldn't just let their cats and dogs run stray and doing damage. If you have a pet, then it should either be in your house or in your fenced property. I agree with you 100%.

But you need to make you pond predator proof. For example, i've got stones rimming my pond, but I put small 6 or 7 inch stones on any flat area I can so that no cat can possibly sit comfortably around my pond to reach for a fish. The rocks are in their way. Or, as stroppy suggests--a net.

 

[DrDave]

Anyone who thinks a cat can be contained in a yard is either ignorant or stupid. My cat can leap 8 feet to a flat surface on a brick column. It is impossible, short of keeping them indoors 24/7 to keep them in your yard.

That said, in my 41 years of ponds, I have never had a cat attack on my fish and I have had cats over 60 years.

 

[koikeepr]

who you calling stupid? LOL!

I meant the dog I referred to in that instance. Clearly you can't contain a cat in a fence...

And I agree. I've seen claw marks on fish and everyone assumes it's a cat. Mostly it's one of the other typical predators. If you've got a pond where a cat can reach your fish...you've got a bad pond design, bottom line.

 

[DrDave]

Everyone is ignorant, only a few are stupid. We have had our share of both, hopefully we can educate them so they are niether.

For the hopelessly stupid we have a place called BANNED.

For the most part, we have a lot of folks here that want to learn and that is what this Forum is all about.

We don't always agree, but as a whole we get the job done and people get educated.

 

[stroppy]

how about useing one of those water squirters ... that should be more than enough to scare off any cat ...i do realize cats can be a real nusence for other people but its more or less impossible to stop them going into others gardens

 

[DrDave]

We have had several posts on the water squirters AKA Scarecrow. I had one, and while it works great for cats, in my case no threat, it didn't do squat for the egrets or raccoons the real threat. Racoons are very bold and it takes a lot to scare them away. I'm thinking an animated dummy would probably do more if it looked human.

Maybe we should have a Dummy building contest here. Submit your photos with detailed plans on how it is built.

Another thought, a Chuckie doll that is IR operated. I wonder if it exists?

 

[Meekaboo]

The raccoons in my area would never be afraid of an animated dummy. You can walk out into the yard and have them stand within a couple feet of you. I have even waved my arms and shooed them and they stood their ground.
My solution was two good sized dogs. My dogs don't stay out overnight but I guess the raccoons can smell them and it's enough to keep them away. I seen racoon footprints the second day after I installed my pond. I haven't seen any indication of 'coons since and I'm into my third year now.

 

[KoiGirl]

Well, I'm glad I stayed away from the conversation for a bit...I am an all around animal lover! I understand Benny's point and I think koikeeper handled it beautifully.

I'd have to say that I think the most effective way to protect against predators is to build your pond with that protection in mind...then all these hassles can be avoided later!