CAT scaring device

[3Huts]

My resident Hogs are being deterred from their normal garden activity by the recent presence of a CAT. I wonder, is anyone using an ultrasound cat scarer which does not do any harm to the Hedgehogs. A mention here of the Make and Model of such a unit would be appreciated. Thank you.

[Nic]

Hi 3Huts

Personally, I do not think it is safe to use ultrasound deterrants with hogs around. Once, a while back, I tried a rat scarer, with the intention of moving it before it got to the time the hogs arrived. One evening a hog caught me out and arrived early whilst it was still there. I happened to look out of the window and saw the hog passing the rat deterrant and it visibly flinching when it went past.

So I wouldn’t want to risk using any electronic animal deterrant.

You don’t say how the cat is deterring the hogs normal activity. Normally hogs aren’t bothered by cats, so it may be that they will become used to it. Or is the cat eating the hog food – in which case it is possible to have hog boxes which they can be kept out of. But maybe it is doing something else?

[3Huts]

Hi Nic.

Thank you for once again providing sensible advice.
The Problem has been the cat eating the Hog’s food which, until now has been laid out in the open. I thought the two Hogs currently in residence were reluctant to approach the food and water bowls after the cat even though a small amount of food remained. I thought perhaps the cat odour was off putting.
After reading your thoughts I have abandoned the idea of an ultrasound scarer and I will invest in a good cat-resistant feeding station box instead.
Kind regards.

[Nic]

Hi 3Huts

If you are going to get a hog box for feeding, I would get one where the hog has to turn immediately right or left from the entrance rather than it can enter straight into a corridor and then turn. Then if you put a row of bricks along the internal corridor, cats find it harder to turn if they have had to flatten to get through a shallower height.

You can then also put an obstacle at the side of the entrance so that the hog can’t get the angle to easily get in. It’s sometimes a matter of trial and error to get it just right so that the cats can’t get in but the hogs can, but a persistent cat can get into those boxes unless you adapt them slightly, even when the doors are made smaller. Hogs can easily climb over the bricks and having a shorter body length and able to adapt their shape quite well, they can fit through smaller spaces than cats.

You could also try a sheet of perspex balanced on earth filled flower pots and weighed down on top – preferably against a wall or another obstacle. Some cats will still try to crawl on their bellies to get to the food, but aren’t so keen if they have to crawl through shallow water trays and get their bellies’ wet! Occasionally there is a hog who doesn’t like eating in boxes, but they normally seem to find the slightly more open perspex sheet ok. The hogs are quite happy to go through the shallow water to get to the food.

Good luck. I hope you find something that works.

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