Keep cat out of back garden.

KoolKid

I have a small lion head rabbit. He loves his freedom & generally has the run of the back garden. There are no gaps in the fence so he has nowhere to go. Recently I have spotted a cat in the garden. Now obviousally this fella will remember there is a rabbit about & poor Fluffy is nervous about going back out.
Any suggestions of how to keep this cat out? Besides a good hosing if I get the chance.;)

the_syco

Cats are not meant to like bottles of water. Seemingly the sun glinting off them makes them nervous. Seems this works if they are stood up, about half full. Unsure of how much this is an old wives tale, though. They are sometimes put on the ground, or sometimes hung by some rope.

morganafay

Unfortunately you can't guarantee the cat or another cat won't be around. It's brilliant that the rabbit can roam around the garden, but I'd only let it out when supervised. Also you'd have to be careful of it digging, because if it dug a hole a few inches deep it could squeeze under the fence, if that's possible. My lionhead rabbits can get underneath their little house in their run, which is only a couple of inches off the ground, don't know how they do it, and get through tiny holes. And birds and other animals could be dangerous too.

There's no sure way to keep the cat away, so you have to be really careful.

I wish I could let my rabbits free range but I have 6 cats

KoolKid

Thanks for the replys. The fence is safe as it is set into the ground all around. If we are there we leave the back door open so he can always get in if he needs to.

kylith

I've recently heard of a plant known as 'scardey cat' which apparently cats and dogs don't like, so you could try that around the perimeter.

My grandmother tried water bottles to keep cats out; they don't work. She also tried orange peel, and all that did was attract slugs.

I'd say your main options would be to keep a close watch on the bunny, build a run for him, or get a dog that likes rabbits.

Zapperzy

There's cat repellant sprays you can get, never used them myself so don't know how effective they are, you would have to make sure they are safe for the rabbit and that they do not repel rabbits too. I know they were used where I work to keep 2 cats away from the door and I never see the cats hanging around the door anymore, but I think it had more to do with people stopped feeding them.

Cherry Blossom

People who have pond fish sometimes use some sort of a big net contraption to keep birds and things from getting them, again not sure how effective they are or if they'd stand up to cats.

KoolKid

Thanks guy's.
I like the dog that likes rabbits idea. Don't think mrs would go for it though.:D

johndoe99

You can buy a bottle of "Cat Off", it keeps my cat out of whereever I put it. Or if you have Jeyes Fluid, put some in a sprayable bottle or equivalent and spray it on your fences, walls etc.

morganafay

Zapperzy wrote: »

There's cat repellant sprays you can get, never used them myself so don't know how effective they are, you would have to make sure they are safe for the rabbit and that they do not repel rabbits too. I know they were used where I work to keep 2 cats away from the door and I never see the cats hanging around the door anymore, but I think it had more to do with people stopped feeding them.

I got some cat repellent stuff you spray in the house where you don't want the cat to go, and it worked for like a day, and then you had to spray it again. But if the cat really wanted to go somewhere, then it would.

You'd have to be sure any repellent you use is safe if the rabbit chews or eats something with it on.

KoolKid

TBH I don't think I would trust a spray. For the moment I think Ill only let him out if we can leave the back door open.Probably need either a big hutch or something with a run. He stays in at night anyway.