Scooby Don't wrote:

I've recently moved into my new house which has a lovely little pond in
the garden - home to 3 goldfish.

The water was so murky that you couldn't see the fish, so I called a
guy from a local aquarium company who came out to clean the pond and
install a saftey grating (I have a 2 year old child). He also attached
meshing to the grate to 'keep the cats from getting the fish'.

It hasn't worked! The fish have been terrorised by numerous cats and 2
of the poor buggers have somehow been dragged out and left to die. The
remaining goldfish is in a right state, his fins are torn and he has
claw marks all over him.

How do I keep the cats away - my neighbour recommends trellis along all
walls and nails on the gate, has anyone tried this or do you have any
other ideas.

Thanks
--
Scooby Don't
------------------------------------------------------------------------
posted via www.GardenBanter.co.uk

Think RACOONS!

Scooby Don't wrote:

I've recently moved into my new house which has a lovely little pond in
the garden - home to 3 goldfish.

The water was so murky that you couldn't see the fish, so I called a
guy from a local aquarium company who came out to clean the pond and
install a saftey grating (I have a 2 year old child). He also attached
meshing to the grate to 'keep the cats from getting the fish'.

It hasn't worked! The fish have been terrorised by numerous cats and 2
of the poor buggers have somehow been dragged out and left to die. The
remaining goldfish is in a right state, his fins are torn and he has
claw marks all over him.

How do I keep the cats away - my neighbour recommends trellis along all
walls and nails on the gate, has anyone tried this or do you have any
other ideas.

Thanks
--
Scooby Don't
------------------------------------------------------------------------
posted via www.GardenBanter.co.uk

Think RACOONS!

"~ jan JJsPond.us" wrote:

Are there raccoons in the UK or other fish eating (don't mind getting wet)
critters? Or are the cats in the UK particularly aggressive? Regardless,
look for the Scarecrow, a motion activiated sprinkler as shown he
http://www.km01.com/index.html click on Pest Deterrants. ~ jan

I agree. It does not sound like the work of cats.

Marion Margoshes wrote in message ...
Scooby Don't wrote:

I've recently moved into my new house which has a lovely little pond in
the garden - home to 3 goldfish.

The water was so murky that you couldn't see the fish, so I called a
guy from a local aquarium company who came out to clean the pond and
install a saftey grating (I have a 2 year old child). He also attached
meshing to the grate to 'keep the cats from getting the fish'.

It hasn't worked! The fish have been terrorised by numerous cats and 2
of the poor buggers have somehow been dragged out and left to die. The
remaining goldfish is in a right state, his fins are torn and he has
claw marks all over him.

How do I keep the cats away - my neighbour recommends trellis along all
walls and nails on the gate, has anyone tried this or do you have any
other ideas.

I, too, suspect it's not cats. A racoon or maybe a skunk would be my
guess. Most cats don't like getting wet, but I suppose one might make
an exception if it was hungry. My cat and the 30+ goldfish in my pond
get along well together. When I feed the fish, the cat likes to lap
up some of their food from the surface of the water while the fish
nibble from down below. The cat has never made any attempts to catch
or play with the fish otherwise, and I have never had any missing
fish. Also, the fish come up to the top to say hi when the cat walks
by; obviously they are not terrorized.

Thanks
--
Scooby Don't
------------------------------------------------------------------------
posted via www.GardenBanter.co.uk

Think RACOONS!

I gotta ask hubby when he returns tonight about raccoons....but he was
surprised by all the skunks here in Ohio when he moved here 5 years ago from
Derbyshire England, so I don't think it would be skunks. (Had never seen one
before.)

As to are the cats overly aggressive there. Unlike here they roam freely
everywhere. Hubby had three who regularly came to his back garden (yard) all
three Toms. One was missing half an ear. When we went on a pub crawl one
evening, walking back we saw numerous cats out on the rooftops.....one
desperately trying to get back into it's upstairs window, while three others
were chasing it. I found this all interesting as people here would go spare
if a neighbors cat came to their yard/garden.

Many people have cat flaps and declawing is considered cruel there, unlike
here where nearly everyone has their cat's claws removed. (We tend to like
to remove things those in Europe leave in tact.....probably should have left
that one out....lol.)

Lisa
"Gary" wrote in message
om...
Marion Margoshes wrote in message
...
Scooby Don't wrote:

I've recently moved into my new house which has a lovely little pond
in
the garden - home to 3 goldfish.

The water was so murky that you couldn't see the fish, so I called a
guy from a local aquarium company who came out to clean the pond and
install a saftey grating (I have a 2 year old child). He also
attached
meshing to the grate to 'keep the cats from getting the fish'.

It hasn't worked! The fish have been terrorised by numerous cats and
2
of the poor buggers have somehow been dragged out and left to die.
The
remaining goldfish is in a right state, his fins are torn and he has
claw marks all over him.

How do I keep the cats away - my neighbour recommends trellis along
all
walls and nails on the gate, has anyone tried this or do you have any
other ideas.

I, too, suspect it's not cats. A racoon or maybe a skunk would be my
guess. Most cats don't like getting wet, but I suppose one might make
an exception if it was hungry. My cat and the 30+ goldfish in my pond
get along well together. When I feed the fish, the cat likes to lap
up some of their food from the surface of the water while the fish
nibble from down below. The cat has never made any attempts to catch
or play with the fish otherwise, and I have never had any missing
fish. Also, the fish come up to the top to say hi when the cat walks
by; obviously they are not terrorized.

Thanks
--
Scooby Don't

------------------------------------------------------------------------
posted via www.GardenBanter.co.uk

Think RACOONS!

How do I keep the cats away - my neighbour recommends trellis along all
walls and nails on the gate, has anyone tried this or do you have any
other ideas.

Try a hav-A-heart type trap and see what you catch. Animal control
will come out and set a trap here, if they are asked. You might call
your local dog pound and talk with them, they may offer you some help.

Regards,

Hal

Are you sure that cats are the culprits? I have (or rather am owned by
cats) now and then, and they just don't seem to like dipping those paws that
far into water, in my experience.

Also, it doesn't sound very "catlike" for a cat to leave its prey behind.

Although I think the predator might be a bird or raccoon or some other, my
suggestion would be to put finer netting over the grate.

About your neighbor's recommendations: I think trellis might help a
predator rather than hinder it; as for nails on the gate, that sounds like a
lawsuit waiting to happen. (I'm assuming you're in the UK, where the people
are -- I hope! -- not as ready to sue someone as here in the U.S., but
it's still a consideration.)

Anne Lurie
Raleigh, NC



"Scooby Don't" wrote in message
s.com...
I've recently moved into my new house which has a lovely little pond in
the garden - home to 3 goldfish.

The water was so murky that you couldn't see the fish, so I called a
guy from a local aquarium company who came out to clean the pond and
install a saftey grating (I have a 2 year old child). He also attached
meshing to the grate to 'keep the cats from getting the fish'.

It hasn't worked! The fish have been terrorised by numerous cats and 2
of the poor buggers have somehow been dragged out and left to die. The
remaining goldfish is in a right state, his fins are torn and he has
claw marks all over him.

How do I keep the cats away - my neighbour recommends trellis along all
walls and nails on the gate, has anyone tried this or do you have any
other ideas.

Thanks
--
Scooby Don't
------------------------------------------------------------------------
posted via www.GardenBanter.co.uk

"Anne Lurie" wrote in message r.com...
Are you sure that cats are the culprits? I have (or rather am owned by
cats) now and then, and they just don't seem to like dipping those paws that
far into water, in my experience.

Wasn't there a thread not long ago about cats and water in this ng?
Some weird cats wanting to take a shower with the poster?

Also, it doesn't sound very "catlike" for a cat to leave its prey behind.

It will if it's just experimenting with the new "toy".

Although I think the predator might be a bird or raccoon or some other, my
suggestion would be to put finer netting over the grate.

Bird, maybe, or otter. That's England. Racoon are not native over
there, and are destructive enough that I would expect the gov animal
control people to have an absolute fit if they thought any had been
released.