Slugs eating cats food

taytobreath

I feed a colony of feral cats in my area but I'm forever having problems with slugs eating their food.

I dont want to kill the slugs, has anyone got any tips on how to stop them doing this. Maybe I should start feeding them too, something like a small saucer would attract them away from the cats food.

biko

Did you try putting the food up on a small table?
If you're in the pale maybe check with Hedgehog rescue Dublin for them to put some hedgehogs in your area.

2Mad2BeMad

taytobreath wrote: »

I feed a colony of feral cats in my area but I'm forever having problems with slugs eating their food.

I dont want to kill the slugs, has anyone got any tips on how to stop them doing this. Maybe I should start feeding them too, something like a small saucer would attract them away from the cats food.

salt....

taytobreath

biko wrote: »

Did you try putting the food up on a small table?
If you're in the pale maybe check with Hedgehog rescue Dublin for them to put some hedgehogs in your area.

Yes, I made a table for them and their food is covered in one of those large plastic containers to protect it from the elements, but the snails still made it up onto the table and into their food.

I'm not from Dublin, would cats kill hedgehogs?

Happy4all

If you used dry food would the slugs be less interested?

taytobreath

2Mad2BeMad wrote: »

salt....

No. I dont want to kill them either.

taytobreath

Happy4all wrote: »

If you used dry food would the slugs be less interested?

They only get dry food, slugs love their dry food. They are huge because of it.

Alun

taytobreath wrote: »

I'm not from Dublin, would cats kill hedgehogs?

In my own personal experience, hedgehogs roll up into a ball the minute they see a cat. the cat just looks on all confused for a bit, then pokes hedgehog with it's paw, recoils and promptly ignores it

Alun

You can get self adhesive copper tape in garden centres that slugs and snails won't crawl over. Also crushed eggshells are supposed to work.

taytobreath

Alun wrote: »

You can get self adhesive copper tape in garden centres that slugs and snails won't crawl over. Also crushed eggshells are supposed to work.

Thank you, they sell it on amazon too. I'll try woodies tomorrow.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/30mm-Self-Adhesive-Copper-SLUG/dp/B00BYUDJFI

hgfj

https://www.pest-control-products.net/3018/slug-snail/getting-rid-naturally/


Just googled and found this.

beertons

If you make a circle of Vaseline around the food bowl, the slugs won't go over it to the food.

byhookorbycrook

Hedgehog Rescue only release hedgehogs in places where there are hogs already, so that option is out. Coffee grounds or crushed egg shells tend to stop slugs as they can't crawl over them that easily. If you want a more humane way to control slugs that's also eco-safe, Nemaslugs are the way to go.
https://www.mrmiddleton.com/nemaslug-standard-pack/

Sheepdish1

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

Hedgehog Rescue only release hedgehogs in places where there are hogs already, so that option is out. Coffee grounds or crushed egg shells tend to stop slugs as they can't crawl over them that easily. If you want a more humane way to control slugs that's also eco-safe, Nemaslugs are the way to go.
https://www.mrmiddleton.com/nemaslug-standard-pack/

How does this product work? The OP doesn't want to kill them

mymo

Sheepdish1 wrote: »

How does this product work? The OP doesn't want to kill them

Nemaslug is a biological control, nematodes kill slugs, I've used it in the garden about every 3 years as I get an awful lot of slugs. The nematodes occur naturally in soil, but you get huge amount in a pack, you add to water and water onto area, pack says you could drink the water it's harmless to animals and birds too. These nematodes are sterile and don't live more that 6 weeks or so, therefore can't kill all the slugs.

As for the cat food problem, vaseline is harmless, they avoid it, I've put it around pot rims to stop them eating my seedlings.

aonb

One of my cats sleeps in a workshop at night that has an outside door. The slugs get in somehow - and I often found them on my cats food bowl :mad: I got a large tray, put it on a couple of bricks to raise it off the floor, filled it with sand (you could try cat litter too if you have no sand) and put the cats food bowls into the centre of it. Cat can reach the bowls easily. Problem solved. Basically sand, will keep the slugs away as they wont cross it.

Knine

Slugs are nasty disease carrying yolks & I'd make sure your cat food was somewhere they can't access. I'd certainly not be leaving them a bowl of food. :eek:

Graces7

Slugs seem to be in huge numbers this year? Maybe the damp summer? I have slug tracks on the inside of my bedroom curtains! They can slime under the door as flat as flat.

taytobreath

Aren't they weird little creatures the way they have the intelligence to sense and seek out food.

I've gotten to a point in my life where killing anything now is a no no for me. Last night I spent half an hour trying to get a moth out of my house without killing it. Whereas years ago I would of thought nothing of killing it, then when I do kill something by accident I get this heavy burden of guilt that I was responsible for ending a life.

Must be my ould age.

Thank you for your suggestions regarding the OP

Graces7

slugs are the enemy of mankind.... if I didn't control them I would lose all my vegetables and flowers.... where I am they are a total plague. Nasty slimy....

They are total pests I’ve no idea why you don’t just put down something to kill them.

Igotadose

taytobreath wrote: »

Aren't they weird little creatures the way they have the intelligence to sense and seek out food.

I've gotten to a point in my life where killing anything now is a no no for me. Last night I spent half an hour trying to get a moth out of my house without killing it. Whereas years ago I would of thought nothing of killing it, then when I do kill something by accident I get this heavy burden of guilt that I was responsible for ending a life.

Must be my ould age.

Thank you for your suggestions regarding the OP

Stop feeding the cats. Saves wild birds, reptile and mammals. Trap and sterilize the cats, they'll be healthier.

Graces7

Igotadose wrote: »

Stop feeding the cats. Saves wild birds, reptile and mammals. Trap and sterilize the cats, they'll be healthier.

Cats matter and curb vermin. Even when neutered they need food. Well done to all who care for ferals.

Igotadose

Graces7 wrote: »

Cats matter and curb vermin. Even when neutered they need food. Well done to all who care for ferals.

Neutered cats mean fewer of them. Most of the kittens don't survive to adulthood, but some might, and they live nasty, brutish & short lives. It's just cruel to perpetuate that cycle.

Cats matter. Mice matter. Birds matter. Hares matter.

DBB

Folks,
In the interests of keeping this thread open, let's stop heading off topic with discussion of the perceived rights and wrongs of caring for feral cats.
Either start a new thread, or do a forum search for one of the many (probably locked) threads on the topic.
Thanks,
DBB

pawrick

The copper solution suggested earlier is probably the best one if you don't want to kill the slugs. Also if you can have the cats neutered/spayed as the colony will only continue to grow larger once there is a steady food source and it's really the best thing to do for both the cats well being and local wildlife. Look up TNR for more info.

taytobreath

All the cats have been neutered and 1 ear from each cat has been tipped to recognise this. There has been no kittens from this colony in 3 years, they are all healthy and well fed by me and the other residents in the area.

I bought 10 meters of copper tape from amazon, this will be there Monday and applied to all their bowls on the same day.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B018RDZ3HG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1