Marion Margoshes wrote in message ...
Scooby Don't wrote:

I've recently moved into my new house which has a lovely little pond in
the garden - home to 3 goldfish.

The water was so murky that you couldn't see the fish, so I called a
guy from a local aquarium company who came out to clean the pond and
install a saftey grating (I have a 2 year old child). He also attached
meshing to the grate to 'keep the cats from getting the fish'.

It hasn't worked! The fish have been terrorised by numerous cats and 2
of the poor buggers have somehow been dragged out and left to die. The
remaining goldfish is in a right state, his fins are torn and he has
claw marks all over him.

How do I keep the cats away - my neighbour recommends trellis along all
walls and nails on the gate, has anyone tried this or do you have any
other ideas.

I, too, suspect it's not cats. A racoon or maybe a skunk would be my
guess. Most cats don't like getting wet, but I suppose one might make
an exception if it was hungry. My cat and the 30+ goldfish in my pond
get along well together. When I feed the fish, the cat likes to lap
up some of their food from the surface of the water while the fish
nibble from down below. The cat has never made any attempts to catch
or play with the fish otherwise, and I have never had any missing
fish. Also, the fish come up to the top to say hi when the cat walks
by; obviously they are not terrorized.

Thanks
--
Scooby Don't
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