Hello and welcome back to our Toronto backyard… and sometimes slightly beyond!
We have just started to see a couple Ruby-throated Hummingbirds coming around, usually at dawn and dusk. FINALLY!
There has been no shortage of Cedar Waxwings high up in the trees as well. Seldom do they come down low except when the holly berries are ripe for picking later in the fall as the weather starts to turn. We hear them more than we can see them. But it’s still nice.
Of course we have a lot of the usual birds coming to visit our feeders and baths (Cardinals, Blue Jays, RWBBs, Grackles, Starlings, Gold Finches and House Sparrows) but I’ve not been in pursuit of taking photos as I try to just sit back and enjoy what is with us than try for pictures. Away from the yard, it has been very busy with all sorts of wildlife activity to share another time.
For this blog I want to share about enjoying the yard, and not just for us, but for our cats too. Free roaming felines can be a hot topic with some people. Some say there is nothing wrong with them doing this. Others loathe the cats wandering about. We have to agree with the later, while we love cats, but not when they are given absolute freedom to hunt and kill birds and other wildlife.
Our cats, Merry and Molly, just turned one year old recently.
We’ve been wanting to have them outside with us but know right now it would be too much to handle with the two of them on leash and harness. Our last cat Meadow loved being on the leash and she was great with all the backyard activity. In all her years, never did she ever harm another creature.
This is how she loved to spend summer afternoons with us out back. Just take in the warm sun and relax.
It was through a friend of ours that we learned about the KittyWalk products. She has one for her cat that lays across the deck. We thought about this for a number of days before deciding on the 10 ft long lawn piece.
The walk is a huge hit with Molly!
Merry, it can be hit or miss, as she’s a bit high strung and skittish. But we work with her and we are having more better days with longer outside periods with her.
Sure they aren’t as inexpensive as a leash and harness but they really do help keep the cats under control and the birds safe. Peterborough Ontario just passed a bylaw banning free roaming cats and hopefully other cities and towns will soon follow suit.
It’s an ongoing debate with some people. No matter how much you tell them about the bird kills, or even the dangers to their wandering cats, they still have their backs up about any sort of containment. They somehow think their cats are invincible to disease, cars and larger predators that may be in their neighbourhood.
This is a Great Horned Owl I found near our house a couple weeks ago. What cat could stand a chance if she silently came down on it?
Or how about momma Raccoon if someone’s cat got too close to her young?
Those who disagree might have a change of opinion if their cat ever brought home an Indigo Bunting in it’s teeth. This is one of the males nesting in a park near us. Photo’d July 2, 2016.
Some stats…
Even if you aren’t seeing your cat bringing home birds does not mean it’s not done harm to them in it’s travels. Not all cats bring them home as presents. Not all birds are killed right then and there. Some birds do escape, often flying off and dropping dead, being literally scared to death. Cat saliva is full of bacteria and a tooth puncture will also eventually be the death of a bird. Believe me, I know about cat bites, I received one and it put me out of work for almost 2 weeks. I was unable to move my fingers for 6 days due to the swelling. I was on intravenous antibiotics for 4 hours in emergency the first night. They wanted to admit me but they had no available beds. If one single cat bite can do that to a full grown man, just imagine what such a bite would do to a bird.
We love our cats and we love the birds that visit us. We work hard to enjoy both with us outside. I hope you do too, if you have a cat or two.
LoveloveLOVE your July post!
Thank YOU for being a responsible and considerate cat owner, wish there were more like you out there!
Great post! We created a cat “pen” with deer netting, but have always been worried about owls swooping in from above (we had a nesting pair in our yard) as well as other predators. The Kittywalk product looks like a simple solution that you can connect in a modular fashion. Thanks for sharing!