Cats and birds don’t mix
The Blade car park seems to be used as a dumping spot for irresponsible cat owners who have a surplus cat to get rid of. After hanging around the car park for a while, they seem to quickly disappear into the surrounding bush to become our worst pest, a feral cat. They are hard to catch, in our five years up here we have only caught two in our quick kill possum and stoat traps.
However, we have found a new trap based on two Tim’s traps in a large boxed trap. We now have five in place, laced with bait but unset so the feral cats can get used to them during the “roar” while we have a break.
When we start to trap again at the end of
April, we hope to have some off-cuts of venison from local deerstalkers with which to bait the two traps in each box.
We know there are cats there because they leave a very tell-tale possum carcass on our possum traps. They are completely stripped down to the bone.
I hope these new traps are going to work because these feral cats are demon bird killers. Please if you have a cat you can no longer keep, take it to the SPCA, don’t just dump them. If you don’t want kittens, do the right thing and spay your females.
Volunteers to help us are always welcome to join, our expansion in the Whakamārama bush needs you. Ph Col on 552 6771.