By Tiffany Larsen
I love birds. I love my cat. I love my garden. Some would say that these are the ingredients for a perfect storm of potential bird carnage. However, with a little research, ingenuity, and diligence I believe that I have minimized the risk for my feathery friends.
My dream is to someday build a “Catio”, which is a secure, large, and glorified cage that is attached to the side of a house, with a cat-door or flap. Cats can come and go as they please, which is ideal, because as the saying goes, “A cat is always on the wrong side of the door”. A catio allows them to sit outside when they want to and enjoy some fresh air, and if a lovely sunbeam happens to shine down, they can go out and warm their fur in splendid style. The cat is safe from predators, and the cat is prevented from becoming a predator as well. Hopefully I’ll manage to build this in another month or two. There is a wonderful company in Los Angeles that can build any size catio, in case anyone is interested in pursuing this option: Custom Catios
Until my dream of catio-utopia comes true, I have created a rather garish, but successful, reflective garden which discourages birds from entering my backyard. It is a little reminiscent of The Stravinsky Fountain next to the Centre Pompidou in Paris, France, but not quite as elaborate. (….and I also do not have a 16th century Gothic church in the background, more’s the pity!).
First step: After a bit of internet research on “How to discourage birds from entering your garden”, I learned that birds do not like shiny, moving objects and the sight of potential predators. So, I bought some spinning reflective disks from a garden center. A few of the discs have large predatory-bird eyes painted on to them, which look scary even to a human, so I’m pretty sure that the birds’ self-preservation instincts are activated and they stay away. I put loops of Aluminum foil around a few branches that are easily moved about in the wind. I bought an old statue of an owl at a garage sale and placed it in an open and visible area. I hung up two sparkly disco-type shirts (once used as Halloween costumes), and some old mirrors, that spin around with the breeze. Every morning I place a collection of several ceramic and stuffed-toy cats and dogs in the yard which hopefully looks (to a bird passing overhead) like an intimidating den of carnivorous beasts.
Second step: In the morning I place a collar with a bell on my cat’s neck. Every time she runs or moves, you can hear it tingle. I take the collar off every evening so that she doesn’t have to hear that annoying bell ringing every time she turns over in her sleep (which helps me as well, because she usually sleeps so close to me that I can barely move).
Finally, the most important aspect to my bird-protection plan is that I never leave the cat outside unaccompanied. Luckily, she follows me wherever I go, so this is easily accomplished. If I ever do see any birds nearby, I quickly grab a large mirror that I pivot and shake with both hands so that the light of the sun acts like a beacon of warning. When the birds see this flashing light they take off instantly in all of their winged glory.
So far, I have nary a sad story to report! The cat gets to enjoy a lovely, yet bizarre looking, garden and I am able to sit outside and enjoy my garden with my cat by my side.
I hope that catios will eventually be a regular feature on any dwellings lucky enough to have a cat in residence. Until then, I hope my fellow bird- and cat-loving compatriots will join me in this noble endeavor to protect our feathered and furry friends in any way that we can…..all it takes is diligence, some shiny, spinning objects, and a little bit of old-fashioned bird sense!
Tiffany Larsen is an animal lover, quixotic dreamer, and clandestine opera singer. She has worked as an Executive Assistant, Copywriter, and Editor in California, Florida and Paris, France. She has a B.A. in Psychology from UC Irvine. Email: VerseauTiff27@gmail.com