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I am in the computer room and my husband very quietly told me to come quietly to the back door to see what was there. We usually have possums and raccoons stealing our cat's food. Not this time. A not very big deer was under our apple tree eating away. We have a four feet high fence.
I would love to see it leave, but I don't want to disturb its feeding time to make it go. The apples are so small we never bother with them. Sometimes we see rabbits collecting them, but the cat has taken care of that. She is a hunter and had captured a bird Sunday morning. They mostly fall off the tree and worms get into them and the birds come and have lunch too.
I love our animal viewing back yard. There are so many birds around that it can get really noisy out there sometimes. They seem to like the cat's food more than they like seeds. We keep water for everybody too and a bird bath both water and dirt. Maybe I need to buy a salt lick too. Good idea!
wow I would love to live near you and see all this and get some photos too . I loved my big back yard sadly we lost our house in foreclosure when our jobs went to mexico . But I hope you know how blessed you are to have such a thing woo hoo !!!
Your backyard sounds like a wonderland. But I am going to take issue with your statements – especially your cat. Please don't take offense. It is just that I have heard so many brag about their little hunters over the years.
Cats are not nature. They have had two thousand plus years of human intervention. They are domestic animals. If I was to go into the woods and shoot an endangered animal or bird; you would probably be right there with our game protectors to see that I received the harshest possible treatment - including jail time. Even if I were to kill any protected species; I would still be fined. Most of the birds, rabbits and other animals (that your cat hunts) are protected. Some could even be endangered. If it was up to me and it isn't; I would like to see our game commissions treat the owners of domestic animals, that destroy our indigenous animals, just as harshly as if the owners pulled the trigger themselves.
Also; rabbits don't collect apples. Rabbits usually graze on grass. They will sometimes take a bite out of an apple.
I am sorry to rain on your parade. I don't mean to single you out. I have just seen too many birds disappear because of neighbors that love to watch their little 'hunters'.
This is what I miss about our former home in the woods. We had the most delightful array of animals to see. Deer, coyotes, owls and other birds. We even witnessed a snowy owl from the arctic snatch a squirrel in the dead of winter.
Here in suburbia, we are lucky to see a squirrel once in awhile. Everyone's yards are enclosed with fences, so there are no stray animals to see. Sad.
Cool! We have an acre surrounded by several acres of woods, and get deer all the time. In the winter with snow on the ground I toss apples out to them, and they come in huge herds to eat them. Also raccoons, foxes, coyotes, skunks, possums, owls, turkeys, etc. etc. visit our yard. We've even had bears in our town, but I've never seen one in our yard. I love living with nature, unfortunately not everyone shares that view. At least one of my neighbors shoots the deer occasionally with a bow, and some of my neighbors are terrified of all wildlife. One is even afraid of frogs. LOL.
Quote:
Originally Posted by fisheye
Also; rabbits don't collect apples. Rabbits usually graze on grass. They will sometimes take a bite out of an apple.
Actually, rabbits love all sorts of fruits and veggies as a treat. Our wild rabbits will even nibble the bird seed that falls to the ground. They don't just live on grass.
Well, I think I saw his dad walking down the street at the back of our lot last week and I saw Bambi himslef in our front yard, eating the black berries a couple of days ago.
We too are lucky to live in the land of the wildlife. As our great granddaughter says, GGMa, you really live in the forrest don't you?
We have red fox and occasionally a grey one, deer, coons, possums, chip munks and squarrels as well as Armadillos, ground hogs, rabbirs and about every kind of bird known to man kind, except for the tropical ones, right in our yard. We have only lived here 4 years. I thought I would get tired with watching them after awhile, but I am still in awe of each creature. Our daughtter and son in law moved to our area early in the year, after buying a place here 3 yeaars ago. She keeps asking me if she will ever get used to watching all the wildlife? I told her, Nope, you will never get tired of the wonders of mother nature.
wow I would love to live near you and see all this and get some photos too . I loved my big back yard sadly we lost our house in foreclosure when our jobs went to mexico . But I hope you know how blessed you are to have such a thing woo hoo !!!
Sorry to hear about your job. My husbands job went to Mexico too. I think the company he was working for hoped he would apply for another less paying job but he had been getting SS for several months and just told them goodbye. Yes, I know how lucky I am. Our sons job went to India and he is still unemployed. His unemployment will be up soon too. He is only getting six months. I really feel for this generation and its economic woos.
Your backyard sounds like a wonderland. But I am going to take issue with your statements – especially your cat. Please don't take offense. It is just that I have heard so many brag about their little hunters over the years.
Cats are not nature. They have had two thousand plus years of human intervention. They are domestic animals. If I was to go into the woods and shoot an endangered animal or bird; you would probably be right there with our game protectors to see that I received the harshest possible treatment - including jail time. Even if I were to kill any protected species; I would still be fined. Most of the birds, rabbits and other animals (that your cat hunts) are protected. Some could even be endangered. If it was up to me and it isn't; I would like to see our game commissions treat the owners of domestic animals, that destroy our indigenous animals, just as harshly as if the owners pulled the trigger themselves.
Also; rabbits don't collect apples. Rabbits usually graze on grass. They will sometimes take a bite out of an apple.
I am sorry to rain on your parade. I don't mean to single you out. I have just seen too many birds disappear because of neighbors that love to watch their little 'hunters'.
I am not really that happy with our cat right now. Does that help? I am happy when what she brings to the patio is a field mouse. I liked our rabbits and squirrels. The rabbits like the persimmon trees and the squirrels like the walnuts, pecans, chestnuts and our bird seeds. She has also bitten the tail off a resident lizard and jumps to get bugs at night when our lights are on and they land on our glass door.
I don't agree that cats are not nature though. I was raised on the farm and every animal is a part of nature and they all have their natural enemies. And I don't care a fig about endangered species. If they are meant to survive they will. Trying to keep something around after it has run it course is fruitless.
I am not really that happy with our cat right now. Does that help? I am happy when what she brings to the patio is a field mouse. I liked our rabbits and squirrels. The rabbits like the persimmon trees and the squirrels like the walnuts, pecans, chestnuts and our bird seeds. She has also bitten the tail off a resident lizard and jumps to get bugs at night when our lights are on and they land on our glass door.
I don't agree that cats are not nature though. I was raised on the farm and every animal is a part of nature and they all have their natural enemies. And I don't care a fig about endangered species. If they are meant to survive they will. Trying to keep something around after it has run it course is fruitless.
You should care about some of the endangered species. I am not PETA. I also believe in balance. I also want our wildlife around for our children and children's children. I am not the only person that points a finger at house cats: Google There are many websites that can enlighten you on the destruction caused by owners that let their cats run.
As far as wildlife; I have it all around me and everyday. I just want others to be able to enjoy what I enjoy.
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NCN
I am not really that happy with our cat right now. Does that help? I am happy when what she brings to the patio is a field mouse. I liked our rabbits and squirrels. The rabbits like the persimmon trees and the squirrels like the walnuts, pecans, chestnuts and our bird seeds. She has also bitten the tail off a resident lizard and jumps to get bugs at night when our lights are on and they land on our glass door.
I don't agree that cats are not nature though. I was raised on the farm and every animal is a part of nature and they all have their natural enemies. And I don't care a fig about endangered species. If they are meant to survive they will. Trying to keep something around after it has run it course is fruitless.
Hopefully your cat gets run over by a car. You know, driven by that other species that is also part of nature.
No, I kid. I don't want to see any creature be hurt. Do the right thing and keep your cat where she belongs.
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