If you have a garden, you likely have to deal with a pest problem. Unfortunately, one common enemy of gardeners is birds. Birds can be incredibly destructive when they start eating plants and other crops. This article will discuss how to keep birds from eating cat food. Hopefully, following these instructions will help keep your garden healthy and free from bird damage.
Birds are attracted to cat food for several reasons, just like most animals. The smell is likely the most significant attractor. Some birds may also eat cat food because they taste good to them. Many people have also attributed some thirst or hunger that birds get from cat food to be a factor in why birds may eat cat food.
Contents
What Happens if Birds Eat Cat Food?
A cat food bowl is made to appeal to its primary consumer, but if birds eat out of it, they can ingest something that isn’t good for them. There are several reasons why this behavior is bad for your pet bird.
If the specific contents of the average canned or bagged feline diet are unknown, it’s safe to assume that your pet birds should not be consuming any part of those diets.
While there may be some nutritional benefit from some ingredients in those products, most contain an abundance of certain additives and preservatives not intended for pet bird consumption.
Most commercial pet foods contain high quantities of protein, fat, and carbohydrates, which can be tough on a bird’s digestive system, especially those less than fully developed. Diets with such high concentrations of these ingredients can lead to obesity in birds, as well as other problems such as fatty liver disease (hepatic lipidosis).
While some birds may find various flavors and components of cat food irresistible, it is best not to let your pets eat any part of this diet unless it is offered sparingly and only under the close supervision veterinarian.
Although most cats can survive on a diet without meat or grain products, that does not mean that they shouldn’t have access to these things at all. On the contrary, variety is essential to the health of cats, and they should still be given a balanced diet with plenty of nutritional value.
A Detailed Guide on How to Keep Birds From Eating Cat Food
Step 1: Give Your Birds Their Food
The first step in avoiding hungry birds is to make sure they have their food. You can supplement the bird’s diet with cat food, but you should not rely on it for all of its nourishment. Even if your bird seems to be eating cat food more than its own, there are some health-related reasons why you shouldn’t give in to that temptation.
To keep birds from eating cat food, start by purchasing a separate birdseed container or feed them from a hanging perch away from where the cats eat. Keep an eye on how much of each type of food they’re taking so you’ll know when it’s time to refill their dish, and only use high-quality foods with no added chemicals or preservatives.
Step 2: Remove Leftover Cat Food From Your Cat’s Bowl
Your feline friend may seem like the perfect garbage disposal for leftover cat food, but your birds probably don’t appreciate it.
So first, make sure to put your cat’s food away after every meal so birds can’t access it. Then, if there is any left in their bowl, clean it thoroughly before putting it back because even the tiniest amount of food residue might be enough to attract a bird.
Step 3: Predator Sound to Keep Birds Away
Sometimes, no matter how hard you try to keep your birds away from the cat food bowl, they’ll still find a way. Try playing some bird predator sound. There are commercially available bird-repelling devices like this one, or if you’re feeling creative and have access to audio editing software, make your own.
This specific device is available in both MP3 and WAV formats; all you need to do is plug it into a speaker system and play the sounds as loud as possible for at least eight hours a day during daylight hours.
Of course, you can also place these speakers near where your cat eats so they won’t even notice anything unusual going on – it will just sound like normal background noise to them.
Step 4: Scarecrows
Scarecrows are another way to keep birds away from your cat food, and they can make for a decorative addition to your yard or garden. They’re made by placing a realistic-looking human replica (made of plastic, rubber, cloth, or other materials) in an exposed area like outside your house, fence, or shed where the cat food is kept.
The scarecrow should be put out immediately after you fill up the bird feeder; it will start working as soon as birds notice something unusual and unexpected in their territory and avoid the area thoroughly.
Step 5: Bird Repellent Gel
Birds can be very persistent about getting to the cat food, and you might even find one standing on the rim of your bowl while you’re eating. If this happens, try placing a bird repellent gel like those pictured above and around your cat’s feeding area.
These products can be bought at most stores that sell pest control items; place them near any area where birds tend to gather, such as next to your bird feeder or hanging from a tree branch. Check them every week and see which ones need replacement – they lose their potency after a certain amount of time has passed.
Step 6: Reflective And Bright Objects
Just like scarecrows, reflective and bright objects can be used to keep the cats away. Cats are compassionate creatures that hate changes in their surroundings; no matter how well you clean your yard or garden, they won’t like seeing anything out of place.
Placing shiny pieces of foil or metal objects around the perimeter makes them feel uneasy about entering the area due to their natural aversion to change. However, make sure these items aren’t harmful if swallowed by your cat (or any other pets, for that matter).
Step 7: Enclosed Feeding Station
If you’re trying to keep your cats and birds apart but don’t want to move or change anything in your yard, consider making a small enclosed feeding station that only the birds can access. You’ll need some sturdy wooden posts (at least 5 feet long), chicken wire, metal garden stakes (to attach the wire to the posts), and a drill.
Drill holes of different sizes throughout all four sides of each post; you may need more than one per post depending on how large they are. Then roll out the chicken wire and bend it around the wood until it forms a small enclosure without any openings.
Attach it with garden stakes and fill it with bird food and water inside. Add a space on top just big enough for birds to get in, and make sure it’s high enough away from your cats!
Step 8: Visual Deterrents.
Visual deterrents can be used in addition to other methods to keep your cats from accessing certain areas. They’re generally not the best way to go, but they have been known to work when everything else fails or if you don’t have time for anything else.
Several visual bird deterrent products are available commercially at stores and online, so try finding one that works best with your yard and garden. Some people use fencing wire, which is run along the top of the fence or tied from one side to another; it should be put up when you first set out your scarecrow and left there all year long (the spikes will get caught on cat hair and might need some sharpening every now then).
Others prefer hanging thread-like objects from the trees to make their yard look disorienting. These are usually fishing lines or something similar, hung in long lines or at different heights so that they’re noticeable no matter where the cat is.
Step 9: Maintain Garden Area
No matter which method you use, make sure your garden is well-maintained so that the cats are less likely to approach it. This can mean anything from keeping up with pruning and weeding to picking up any pieces of garbage or small objects so they don’t have anything to play with or lie on.
You can also let some weeds grow around the fence line, which will provide more cover for the birds and discourage your cats even further!
While keeping them apart might seem like a daunting task, following these simple steps will help you keep your yard safe year-round. If you know anyone else who is having problems with this issue, make sure to share this article with them! These steps will help in how to keep birds from eating cat food.
Conclusion:
We hope you have gone through the article on how to keep birds from eating cat food. It’s essential to keep your cat food away from birds. If you want to make sure that the cats in your household are getting enough food, it is good to have two kibble dishes available, so they don’t go hungry for too long if one dish goes empty.
You can also protect their food by providing it with a cover or making sure there aren’t any holes where rodents could get inside and steal some of the meal. Regardless, remember that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when keeping our furry friends fed!
You can check it out to Make Galvanized Wire Safe for Birds
