Hedgehogs vs Cats!

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Had hedge hogs for many years, garden is a jungle
Had some scrap wood so I built some boxes for winter.
Something's been in there as the food has gone and a present left

Any way it seems that some Hog was gulfing all the food.......I suspect a cat.
Food is gone 30 mins after I put it out at 21.00.
So I make the entrance smaller with bricks (it has an internal tunnel to spec) eventually it seems that the hole is small enough, Hogs don't lick the plate like cats.

Long thin hairs left on roof of tunnel is a give away, but hogs have hairs that colour too?

Got the entrance down to 85-100 wide and slightly shorter in height, with external bricks.
Original hole was 115 X 115..............a cat gets in that! tunnel is about 10" long.
When I reduced one box entrance that food would not go straight away.
I guess that Hogs were turning up later but no food.

[kwackers]

Our hogs are hard as nails - watch 'through' the box when the cat sits up.

[youtube]IX-V7mqOA5s[/youtube]

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Yeh, in the past mine used to hiss at my dogs, size of a foot ball no kidding.
Whats your dimensions for the entrance aperture ?

[kwackers]

It's about 120mm, they recommend 150mm.

As you can see from the video below the cat could nearly get the food, hence the extra bit of wood as a baffle.

If I was making one now I'd make the holes bigger but put the entrance on the side of the box so that the two holes are at right angles.
In fact I'll probably make another, now the hogs are getting fat they're struggling a little getting in.

[youtube]Hnzh_4tZOiQ[/youtube]

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Seen hedgehog poo on the path and drive.
So put some food in the two boxes.
Last night food gone in one.
Used grass last year from garden dried.
Bought some hay today sorry straw.
Went out about 20 minutes ago to put food in and both boxes have Hogs
They did not nest over winter in them but sometimes stayed a few days especially in heavy rain.
Our garden in like a jungle and when renovating the decking have a place to put another two boxes, I realise that getting more than one hog in the garden may not be possible but heh.................

Blackbirds and tits are building in numbers.

Saw a big fox two nights ago on the cycle path.

[mercalia]

cats are a menace should be classed as vermin. There is a big fat white cat that hangs around at the base of the tree that the local squirrels use to get into the big trees, in the hope of getting one I assume Well I have some fun with it with a laser pointer from my flat 3 floors up, have it running after the squriming point of light on the ground, such a stupid cat being white dont have a chance of catching anything? not even a green point of light have it running around in circles chasing its tail sort of

[bigjim]

cats are a menace should be classed as vermin. There is a big fat white cat that hangs around at the base of the tree that the local squirrels use to get into the big trees, in the hope of getting one I assume Well I have some fun with it with a laser pointer from my flat 3 floors up, have it running after the squriming point of light on the ground, such a stupid cat being white dont have a chance of catching anything? not even a green point of light have it running around in circles chasing its tail sort of

I should imagine if they weren't domesticated and were all feral they would be capable of inflicting a lot more damage on their natural food source..

[pete75]

cats are a menace should be classed as vermin. There is a big fat white cat that hangs around at the base of the tree that the local squirrels use to get into the big trees, in the hope of getting one I assume Well I have some fun with it with a laser pointer from my flat 3 floors up, have it running after the squriming point of light on the ground, such a stupid cat being white dont have a chance of catching anything? not even a green point of light have it running around in circles chasing its tail sort of

Presumably grey squirrels? They are classed as vermin. Vermin destruction is the reason mankind started to keep cats.

[Cugel]

cats are a menace should be classed as vermin. There is a big fat white cat that hangs around at the base of the tree that the local squirrels use to get into the big trees, in the hope of getting one I assume Well I have some fun with it with a laser pointer from my flat 3 floors up, have it running after the squriming point of light on the ground, such a stupid cat being white dont have a chance of catching anything? not even a green point of light have it running around in circles chasing its tail sort of

Ha ha - the cat is having fun and getting a workout but you are wasting your life shining a wee light for it to play with. Cat-slave, you are!

Cugel, collie-slave.

[mercalia]

cats are a menace should be classed as vermin. There is a big fat white cat that hangs around at the base of the tree that the local squirrels use to get into the big trees, in the hope of getting one I assume Well I have some fun with it with a laser pointer from my flat 3 floors up, have it running after the squriming point of light on the ground, such a stupid cat being white dont have a chance of catching anything? not even a green point of light have it running around in circles chasing its tail sort of

Ha ha - the cat is having fun and getting a workout but you are wasting your life shining a wee light for it to play with. Cat-slave, you are!

Cugel, collie-slave.

well the cat seems more puzzled than anything. not sure if it is enjoying being toyed with. but the effect is to move it away from the squirrel tree. yes the fat cat needs some exercise