Attracting garden birds if you have cats....

A few years ago I bought a bit of land behind our house. Most of it is now laid as garden and grass for the dogs and kids to enjoy but at the foot of the garden we have a little woodland with a stream running through it.

In addition to the 3 dogs I have 4 cats and unfortunately the cats do kill a lot of stuff - garden birds, pigeons, mice, voles, hares, moles, bats, squirrels, rabbits and even the odd crow.

Because of this I have never encouraged birds to the garden which is a shame but I know what would happen. Anyway - this woodland bit down at the end of the garden would make a great place to do some wildlife photography. The big trees (not in these pics) have tawny owls, buzzards and we sometimes get deer down there but what I'd like to do is have a go at photographing garden birds.

What concerns me though are the cats. They wouldn't be hunting whilst I was down there but the last thing I want to do is lead the little birds to slaughter whilst I'm away.

Do any other cat owners manage to attract garden birds ?

All manner of birds obviously bob about down there without me noticing as it's a 'wild' patch but I'm wondering if attracting more birds by adding feeders would aid the cats more than it would me ??

Here's the area anyway.....


Just one existing box


I've dicsussed this before and feeders in the 'open' garden rather than amongst the trees has been suggested as the cats would have no cover for hunting. Other folk have said that the woodland would be better but to use tall pole feeders or hanging feeders well away from branches or trunks that the cats can use.....

Anyway - I can handle dogs but If anybody else has naughty cats - I'd be keen to know how you get on encouraging birds to the garden withouth mass death

PS

My cats don't wear collars so bells aren't an option.

I was about to answer, then saw the last line.

The only way I have stopped Daisy hunting, is to put on a collar and bell. But she hates wearing it. Same goes for Mack, except his is a huge bell I clip onto his collar, when he is loose in our woods.

I have problems with pets and wildlife , the dogs have a really large area fenced in with 7 foot,concrete footed fence, to keep them contained,and wildlife safe. Though it doesn't always work out, as a squirrel with a death wish found out this weekend Not pretty.
The rest of the back yard is just grass and then the woods, which are fenced in at our boundary in the woods, which is why the dog have their own secure garden.
The birds and wildlife have a feeding station, far away from the dog part of the garden, and I keep an eye on Daisy, and try and get her collar on before she goes out..

Same as Moonie - the only way to give wildlife a chance is to get your cats to wear collars with bells. They do get used to it after a while.

Dessie, our cat, has always worn a collar and bell, the birds take no notice of him but then he is to slow to catch them anyway. Sparrow Hawks are what the birds have to watch out for, we often have them swooping down to catch the birds feeding

Bazza

I meant to say Daisy was never a very determined killer/hunter, these days she just likes to sunbathe. In the UK; she had a thing for frogs

I actually worry more, that one of the big Birds of Prey that we have flying over the house, might go off with her, as she is very small

Some of my feeders are on wrought iron stakes, very heavy duty, the birds can get to the food, but the cat can't.

It's a lot easier for me though,as these days we only have one cat , you have 3 or 4 don't you??

4 Moonie although only 3 are hunters.

Hmm, it's a sticky one alright. I think perhaps having a feeding station with maybe wire around it that the cats can't get through/over (there would be ways of doing this such as bending the top of the wire back on itself so the cats hit a barrier)? I just don't know though... We've recently made a bird table, and attached a rope from the table pole to the pole of an old swing (you could use trees) and we're hanging feeders of all sorts from the rope - cats won't be able to bother that!

xx