How to Keep Cats Away From Bird Feeders

Are you worried about your pet cat (or your neighbour's cat) attacking your bird feeder and putting your garden birds at risk? Cat's have a natural urge to kill birds, and we're sure if you've got a pet cat you've had a feathered friend dropped on your doorstep once or twice before.

While there's not much you can do to suppress the natural instincts of a cat, there are a few steps you can take to keep cats away from your bird feeders.

Choose a tall feeder

A great way to keep cats away from your bird feeder is to make sure the bird table is high-up and out of reach. Something like our Tambora Bird Feeding Station is ideal because it's both tall and thin.

The thin, slippery metal pole will help ensure that cats can't climb your bird feeder (like they would a tree). This dramatically reduces the chances that the cat will be able to reach the birds perched on your feeder!

Buy Tambora Bird Feeding Station >

Use plants to your advantage

While it might be a pretty uncomfortable thought, one way that you can keep cats away from bird feeders is to plant the feeder amongst a spiny or uncomfortable shrub like a holly bush.

This will certainly make it much more difficult for cats to approach the feeder, and we're pretty sure they won't try to jump over or into the bush anytime soon - even if there is an appealing snack in view.

To provide cover for the birds, you could also add some tall-growing plants and vegetation. Just be careful that you don't plant these too close to your feeders, otherwise, cats might use them to stalk the birds while they're eating. 

Avoid putting birdseed on the ground & clear up spills

Sprinkling bird food in the grass is a definite no-go if you want to keep cats away from your bird feeders. Ground-feeding birds are a much easier target than birds high-up on the bird table, so encouraging ground feeding is not recommended. Ensure that any bird food that's spilt on the ground is cleared away quickly. Our Tidy Garden Mix is a great option because it doesn't contain husks that will fall to the ground and give the appearance of food!

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A few other ways to deter cats from your garden

If you're finding that the neighbours' cats are persistently bothering the wildlife in your garden, there are a few things you can do to stop them coming into your garden altogether. These might be more drastic solutions, but they will help to protect your bird feeders in the long-run.

• Add an angled piece to the top of your garden fence that faces outwards. This will stop cats from climbing over your fence.

• Attach a taught piece of wire along the top of the fence. This will make it much harder for the cats to balance on the top of the fence.

• Place pieces of orange, lemon or lime peel around your garden. Cats are not fond of the smell of citrus, so this should deter them.

• Invest in a cat deterrent gadget. There are a few different options on the market that are sure to keep the cats well away from your garden.

Above, you can see our CATWatch device which uses ultrasonic technology to keep cats away from your bird feeders. The ultrasonic sound it transmits cannot be heard by dogs, hedgehogs, guinea pigs, rabbits or birds - so it's a safe choice if you have other pets roaming around the garden.

Buy a CATWatch Device >

If you have any questions about keeping cats away from your bird feeders, or if you'd like to find out more about our bird feeding products, feel free to drop us an email - sales@reallywildbirdfood.co.uk.