Australian Politics Forum - I couldn't believe it

Lord Herbert

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Re: I couldn't believe it
Reply #15 - Feb 22^nd, 2017 at 2:02pm

mantra wrote on Feb 22^nd, 2017 at 1:48pm:

After all this talk about possums - amazingly 2 ringtails appeared at early daylight this morning. I have never seen one before - only the brushtails. They were scurrying along my fence and looked like squirrels with long skinny tails which were stuck straight out behind them.

I couldn't find the cat, so walked up the garden path and saw one of them sitting on the fence watching me. Then it scurried off to join its mate. They played tarzan amongst the trees for about 10 minutes then went to the top of the biggest tree and disappeared - maybe into a nest.

I found the cat hiding in a nearby bush. He must have been following their activity, but if he wasn't there - it would have been a stray cat doing the same.

It was only three years ago that I stood in awe on my driveway at night lit up by the halogen spotlights and watched a couple of possums swinging amongst the trees like little Tarzans. Amazing dexterity. Then one climbed along the branch of a crepe myrtle until it bent right across the driveway to form a bridge to the row Arizona pines. That was intelligence solving a problem for her, because right underneath, on the driveway, were three cats with their heads moving in unison while watching this little trapeze artist.

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mantra

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Re: I couldn't believe it
Reply #16 - Feb 22^nd, 2017 at 2:21pm

Lord Herbert wrote on Feb 22^nd, 2017 at 2:02pm:

It was only three years ago that I stood in awe on my driveway at night lit up by the halogen spotlights and watched a couple of possums swinging amongst the trees like little Tarzans. Amazing dexterity. Then one climbed along the branch of a crepe myrtle until it bent right across the driveway to form a bridge to the row Arizona pines. That was intelligence solving a problem for her, because right underneath, on the driveway, were three cats with their heads moving in unison while watching this little trapeze artist.

It was a great experience. They are very nimble. Now I've got to figure out a way to protect them if they decide to stay. I heard this chattering late at night weeks ago in the front garden and wondered what little animal it was. I thought whatever it was - the cat must have killed it because the noise stopped after that. Most nights I don't let him out.

The council is digging up my street to put new water pipes in - so they've possibly moved to my back garden to escape the bulldozers and trucks.

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Lord Herbert

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Re: I couldn't believe it
Reply #17 - Feb 22^nd, 2017 at 7:25pm

mantra wrote on Feb 22^nd, 2017 at 2:21pm:

It was a great experience. They are very nimble. Now I've got to figure out a way to protect them if they decide to stay. I heard this chattering late at night weeks ago in the front garden and wondered what little animal it was. I thought whatever it was - the cat must have killed it because the noise stopped after that. Most nights I don't let him out.

The council is digging up my street to put new water pipes in - so they've possibly moved to my back garden to escape the bulldozers and trucks.

Good luck with keeping the cat inside at night. With my three cats, one by one, over a period of weeks, I had to relent and let them stay out at night because they were driving me insane with their whining about wanting to be let out of the house.

I'm almost 100% certain they stay on the property and don't wander.

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mantra

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Re: I couldn't believe it
Reply #18 - Feb 23^rd, 2017 at 7:50pm

Lord Herbert wrote on Feb 22^nd, 2017 at 7:25pm:

mantra wrote on Feb 22^nd, 2017 at 2:21pm:

It was a great experience. They are very nimble. Now I've got to figure out a way to protect them if they decide to stay. I heard this chattering late at night weeks ago in the front garden and wondered what little animal it was. I thought whatever it was - the cat must have killed it because the noise stopped after that. Most nights I don't let him out.

The council is digging up my street to put new water pipes in - so they've possibly moved to my back garden to escape the bulldozers and trucks.

Good luck with keeping the cat inside at night. With my three cats, one by one, over a period of weeks, I had to relent and let them stay out at night because they were driving me insane with their whining about wanting to be let out of the house.

I'm almost 100% certain they stay on the property and don't wander.

Your cats probably do wander a little bit Herbert, but probably wouldn't go far. Night is exciting for them - they hear all sorts of enticing noises which tempt them out of their safe zone.

I keep the cat in as much as possible, but like you I give into the whining sometimes if it becomes too incessant.

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Lord Herbert

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Re: I couldn't believe it
Reply #19 - Feb 23^rd, 2017 at 8:09pm

mantra wrote on Feb 23^rd, 2017 at 7:50pm:

Your cats probably do wander a little bit Herbert, but probably wouldn't go far. Night is exciting for them - they hear all sorts of enticing noises which tempt them out of their safe zone.

I keep the cat in as much as possible, but like you I give into the whining sometimes if it becomes too incessant.

If they wander, they're keeping it a secret from me, but just as a safe-guard they all have reflector collars on them so cars at night can pick them up easily if they're crossing the road.

I have mice on my property and lots of cockroaches running around at night to keep them entertained. Also scores of fruit bats rutting noisily all night long in nearby fruiting palm trees. And then the possums, of course.

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mantra

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Re: I couldn't believe it
Reply #20 - Feb 23^rd, 2017 at 8:24pm

It sounds a bit like my garden at night. The heat has brought out the cockroaches. The mice have gone, but occasionally I find a half eaten rat on the doormat. Rats eat cockroaches.

I have a street at the front and back and fortunately the cat is terrified of traffic so stays well away from both roads. He doesn't need to wander far. My garden is his playground. If he doesn't find a rodent, he'll find a cricket or a frog. He doesn't kill or maim them - just brings them in for me to take off him.

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Lord Herbert

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Re: I couldn't believe it
Reply #21 - Feb 24^th, 2017 at 6:55am

mantra wrote on Feb 23^rd, 2017 at 8:24pm:

It sounds a bit like my garden at night. The heat has brought out the cockroaches. The mice have gone, but occasionally I find a half eaten rat on the doormat. Rats eat cockroaches.

I have a street at the front and back and fortunately the cat is terrified of traffic so stays well away from both roads. He doesn't need to wander far. My garden is his playground. If he doesn't find a rodent, he'll find a cricket or a frog. He doesn't kill or maim them - just brings them in for me to take off him.

I have the same problem with Gizmo my de-sexed tom. He no longer wakes me at night with the gift of a fresh and very much alive mouse, but simply deposits it in the kitchen or lounge-room and then returns to the backyard in his role as nighttime vigilante against mice incursions upon his territory.

The mice are still here in the house, but due to the furniture being heavy and up against the walls, I've been leaving them to live there after several times laying traps for them which they've ignored.

I had a rat ('Ben') living up on the wardrobe in my bedroom for awhile, but I think he's gone now through the window which is always left open. He too avoided all of four traps I laid for him.

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Jovial Monk

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Re: I couldn't believe it
Reply #22 - Feb 24^th, 2017 at 7:55am

Poison is the way to get rid of mice and rats.

Mice I know—had an invasion of them at the shop—all that lovely malt. Tried traps and caught a few (stupid employees had a mouse trapped—and let it go outside! I would have flushed the thing down the loo!

But putting some blue baits around got them all. Went through and collected like a dozen dessicated, dead and dying mice. Then stuffed a 1.5cm gaps between two lengths of timber 12' up the outside wall—no more mice problem.

Next year had a weevil problem—all that lovely malt!

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Lord Herbert

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Re: I couldn't believe it
Reply #23 - Feb 24^th, 2017 at 8:49am

Jovial Monk wrote on Feb 24^th, 2017 at 7:55am:

Poison is the way to get rid of mice and rats.

Not if you own three cats, two hens, and a nice young family of possums, not forgetting the Blue Tongues under the sheds.

Jovial Monk wrote on Feb 24^th, 2017 at 7:55am:

Mice I know—had an invasion of them at the shop—all that lovely malt. Tried traps and caught a few (stupid employees had a mouse trapped—and let it go outside! I would have flushed the thing down the loo!

But putting some blue baits around got them all. Went through and collected like a dozen dessicated, dead and dying mice. Then stuffed a 1.5cm gaps between two lengths of timber 12' up the outside wall—no more mice problem.

Next year had a weevil problem—all that lovely malt!

I refuse to kill them in a painful way. It's either a gun or a spinal-cord snapping spring-trap or nothing.

Those sticky pads should be banned - cruel as hell.

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mantra

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Re: I couldn't believe it
Reply #24 - Feb 24^th, 2017 at 11:24am

Lord Herbert wrote on Feb 24^th, 2017 at 6:55am:

I have the same problem with Gizmo my de-sexed tom. He no longer wakes me at night with the gift of a fresh and very much alive mouse, but simply deposits it in the kitchen or lounge-room and then returns to the backyard in his role as nighttime vigilante against mice incursions upon his territory.

The mice are still here in the house, but due to the furniture being heavy and up against the walls, I've been leaving them to live there after several times laying traps for them which they've ignored.

I had a rat ('Ben') living up on the wardrobe in my bedroom for awhile, but I think he's gone now through the window which is always left open. He too avoided all of four traps I laid for him.

Haha. That's happened to me on several occasions when the cat brings a baby rat inside to play with and it escapes. I cut a hole recently in a security screen so one could get out which fortunately it did. That was annoying, but not as annoying as having a rat in the house. They have a distinctively unpleasant smell and chew through electrical cords when they get bored. It can take weeks for one to disappear. I don't let them get comfortable so I lay out traps, even though I've never caught one that way. They must know instinctively how to avoid them.

I don't like using poison either, but have used it out of desperation.

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Lord Herbert

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Re: I couldn't believe it
Reply #25 - Feb 24^th, 2017 at 11:47am

mantra wrote on Feb 24^th, 2017 at 11:24am:

Haha. That's happened to me on several occasions when the cat brings a baby rat inside to play with and it escapes. I cut a hole recently in a security screen so one could get out which fortunately it did.

Now it's telling all its friends you've kindly created a portal for them to come into the house at night through without needing any help from the furry concierge.

mantra wrote on Feb 24^th, 2017 at 11:24am:

That was annoying, but not as annoying as having a rat in the house. They have a distinctively unpleasant smell and chew through electrical cords when they get bored.

That's one thing that's been on my mind - them chewing through the wiring, even though I've long since had one of those instant cut-off devices installed in the mains box.

mantra wrote on Feb 24^th, 2017 at 11:24am:

I don't like using poison either, but have used it out of desperation.

At the risk of being called a 'beta-male', I'm going to forgive you this time.

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