cats in the larson trap

vermin99

Have a fierce lot of magpies at home along with cats.Now the cats are half wild and do keep down the rats for us.so put down the larson trap and keep catching the cats.this happens with both bait and the decoy magpie.i put it up trees and everything still going into it.so any ideas ? Thanks

meathstevie

Mount it on a fence post ( tall one ) and fix a perch to the post for new arrivals to land on. If you're trapping to protect other wildlife keep in mind that feral cats are fairly detrimental to all sorts of wildlife as well.

dodderangler

Do you know any farmers about with rat problems?
Maybe worth leaving them a feral or two about the yard

vermin99

Thanks lads , ill try the fence post and see what happens

Robotack

dodderangler wrote: »

Do you know any farmers about with rat problems?
Maybe worth leaving them a feral or two about the yard

http://www.tnrrealitycheck.com/barn_cats.asp

I don't believe that spreading any ferral species is a good idea. And it's a myth that they control rats. They kill far more song birds etc. There's very few that will tackle an adult rat. Sure they'll kill the odd one, but there's so many rats that a couple of cats won't control them. They will however leave their toxic poo everywhere.

gozunda

Robotack wrote: »

http://www.tnrrealitycheck.com/barn_cats.asp

I don't believe that spreading any ferral species is a good idea. And it's a myth that they control rats. They kill far more song birds etc. There's very few that will tackle an adult rat. Sure they'll kill the odd one, but there's so many rats that a couple of cats won't control them. They will however leave their toxic poo everywhere.

Great article! but we're not California, Hawaii or as I remember do we have Coyottes or other indigenous American wildlife.

I've been known to been 'fairly detrimental to wildlife' myself.

Like the OP said - cats do keep down the rats.

Mink are feral I believe as in escaped from captivity and gone wild. Your average yard cat is as about feral as the missus.

I have farmed for many years and I have cats that do a brilliant job dispatching rats and mice. One old female cat will go for days on rat hunting sprees during the rat breeding season. As for the song birds it's a bit like the line 'won't someone think of the children' - overused and over exaggerated imo. Yes they kill birds but most birds are way too fast and cute to allow moggies within 10 feet. Rats don't fly and make a much tastier snack for a hungry cat, I have seen this from watching the cats that live outside - they have a job to do and bg they do it just fine.
I note the old toxic poo line there - cows, dogs and even humans can all produce toxic poo - most farms are covered in sh1te anyway so unless you live in a nice manicured urban area again not a significant issue.

If you just don't like them, that's grand but I hate to see this stuff repeated as nauseum every time the 'cat' word gets mentioned....

As for the OPs post about the Larson trap I would suggest the same - placing it on top of a post. Good way of catching them as there is nothing to warn them off.