How Can I Keep Cats Away From My Pigeons?

Cats are skilled predators and they can take your pigeons away very stealthily. Just a moment of unawareness can cost dearly for your pigeons. They know when to strike and how to strike and once they set their target they becomes almost unstoppable. So, the question is

Can I keep cats away from my pigeons? Fortunately, the answer is yes however it won’t be easy because cats will continue to attack the pigeons unless they get your pigeons

So, here are some ways that you can use to keep cats away

Most Widely Used Ways To Keep Cats Away From Pigeons

Make A Scare Crow

This is the best way. No matter where your pigeons are installing a scarecrow will scare the cats so much so that they would think many times before attacking or they won’t attack at all. This technique will work perfectly for a certain time until the cat figures out that it is fake. So in order to make it working even after cats figure it out follow the next step which is

Use Ultra Sonic Sound

Ultra sonic sounds are those sound that we human can’t hear but cats can. Such high frequency sound will startle the cat and the cat will just go away and won’t attack. They can’t tolerate such high frequency sounds so, they won’t attack in the first place.

Use Water

If you see cat approaching your pigeons then just simply throw water. The cat will simply stop and run. Cats just hate water. So, water works perfectly to keep cats away.

Keep Dogs

Dogs are natural enemy of cats so if you have dogs in your house or garden then the chances are cat won’t attack your garden or home. They will definitely try to find a alternative and may to go to some other place to fulfill their hunger.

Yes, there has been attacks even after you keep dogs, because like I said cats are skillful predators and they know when the dog is sleeping or not aware and then attack at that moment catches their prey and runs away. However this is one of the best way to protect your pigeons and it will reduce the chances of cat attack to a great extent. Also, it’s possible that you may not see any cat attack at all.

These are the three most effective ways to keep cats away from your pigeons

Why Do Cats Attacks Pigeons In First Place?

Pigeons are soft and easy to prey. They stay in group and it makes much easier for a cat to catch a pigeon. Cats attacks birds in general. They are predators who attack birds and has high records in catching them because of their incredible speed and stealthiness.

One bite on pigeon’s neck is enough to kill a pigeon. Cats don’t have to work too hard to get a pigeon. Cat will attack pigeons pretty often especially if they become successful in catching the prey. They will continue to attack and more and more. They can be really stubborn and it can become incredible difficult to keep them away.

Can Cat Attack When I Am Feeding My Pigeons?

The chances are less, because cats are wary animals and they are scared of humans so they won’t attack when you’re feeding however if they are desperate then they can attack. The attack can be very swift they will try to get the pigeons as fast as possible and then flee away from that area carrying the pigeons in their mouth. If they are unsuccessful in the first attempt they might attack once or twice and if they still fails then they will run away.

This kind of attacks are very rare so, it probably won’t happen with you. However if you’re unaware while feeding then the cat can attack as the cat will notice your unawareness and strike at that moment to get their prey. So, while feeding be aware of any cats near you.

If you see cats near you chances are they are plotting to kill although it’s way too risky for the cat but the cat may try when you’re unaware. The top speed of cats can be upto 30 mph i.e. 47 km/hr and they can accelerate from 0-30 mph in a very short time so the chances are if the cat attacks and if you’re unaware then the attack will be over even before you realize it as it will be silent and fast.

My Experience

There was this uncle who had both pigeons and cats as pets. I used to visit his house. He used to feed them both and I thought that those cats won’t attack the pigeons ever. But one day the uncle was feeding the pigeons and suddenly the cat attacked although he couldn’t kill any pigeon but it could have. Next day however I heard that one of those cat has killed one pigeon.

The most important thing over here is that the cat were habituated with humans as they have seen human from their childhood and lived with them and the fear of human was gone. So, even though the uncle was present over there the cat didn’t hesitate to attack the pigeons.

The cat noticed when uncle was unaware and attacked the pigeons at the moment and killed the pigeon. Cats are skilled and intelligent predators so if you have cats and pigeons in your house then you need to aware and take precautions before time so that the cat won’t be able to attack the pigeons on the first place. Follow these steps use ultra sonic sound, use water and put a bell on your cat neck.

Can Collar Bells On Cat Protect Pigeons?

Yes, it does reduces hunting success because pigeons will get alert once they hear the sound and then fly away. This will reduce the hunting success automatically. But if the bird is young and not aware of the sound then the pigeon can become prey. Since, cats has to run to catch their prey so the bell will start making pretty loud sound and that will make the pigeons aware.

This circumstances has been witnessed many times and they fail almost every time because the birds gets aware and flies away even before the cat reaches them. So, if you want to protect your pigeons then you can use bells. This will work just fine to protect your pigeons.

But it’s not the ultimate solution because distance is required in order for the bell to work  if you have pigeons and cat as pets then the distance between them won’t be too much and the cat can just prey on them easily. So, follow the above mentioned steps to keep your pigeons safe.

What Can I Do To Protect Baby Pigeons From Cats?

Baby pigeons are the easiest prey for cats. They are completely vulnerable and defenseless. Just a nest is not good enough to protect them. You need something strong enough to protect baby pigeons. You can keep the nest inside a nest box or bird house in that way the baby pigeons can be safe but if it’s in tree branches then there is not much you can do about it.

Assuming that you have the nest in your house then you need to make sure that there are no openings or cracks as the cat will try it’s best to break or get into the nest box or bird house. The cat will scratch, bite and even try to flip it upside down in order to open It. If there is any opening or if it’s made of bad material then it can become devastating because  the cat can break in and get the baby pigeons.

So you need to make sure that the nest box and bird house are made of high quality durable material that can withstand such attacks easily. The chirping sounds from the baby pigeons will make the cat even more desperate to get the baby pigeons and will attack the nest even more violently.

Another thing is that you need to be aware if baby pigeons starts making too much sound then you should immediately go and check as there can be some predator it can be cat or someone else. If you see any predator don’t panic instead take immediate steps to keep the predator away as that can save your baby pigeons life. So, just follow these guidelines and your baby pigeons will be safe.