La puce wrote in message
ups.com...

compo wrote:
We wouldn't be without our cat.

We couldn't either without our 2 cats. They keep our two dogs in check
)

(snip)

although his habit of leaving the rabbits' back legs and sphincter under
the kitchen table took some getting used to!

Yurk!! Rabbits bits?! You've got a panther or something?! The most
carnaged we witness was the offerings of 3 lil' mice, which we found
lined up on the step in our house. The funny thing is that we could
touch them. Lilly, our she cat and top hunter, was growling when we
approached them. We had to distract her to gather the bits of rodents.
There was a woodpigeon once, cornered in our back garden by my tom cat,
who as soon as he heard me tapping on the window, jumped on the poor
bird, grabbed it and lep over the fence. I was a bit upset about this.
Rats and mice is one thing. But woodpigeon is a real shame.


Hi Compo and La Puce,

Yes, cats are great little helpers, and they *can* be trained to respect the
garden.

I have far fewer bulbs lost to squirrels since Cheetah and Panther have been
patrolling their territory. Other rodents are kept at bay, too, although
the other evening Cheetah brought me a live mouse. This morning I found the
tail and hind legs of a mouse in the kitchen .. delightful! Sadly, a bird
is occasionally killed, but most prey items are rodents.

I've also known cats capable of 'managing' dogs .. spit and claws usually
does it .. a great demonstration of who's boss. Oh well, best get back to
gardening or we'll be in trouble for hijacking this thread *and* going OT.

Spider