Jabba & his backyard

Hi all, its been ages since ive posted on here so i thought id share some recent (not so good) events with Jabba.
Now Jabba is very protective of his backyard when it comes to other animals, he will chase birds out of trees & so on. Well in the last 6 months i've had 2 echidnas in the backyard that he has tried attack, lucky for them they just curl up in a ball & all that happens is a silly dog ends up with holes in his face & blood everywhere. So that was all good no harm to the echidnas i just took them out bush & let them go both times.
The next little episode happened a few weeks ago when i went out one morning to let him off the back veranda & he flew down the back & started tearing into something so i ran down there & he had this black tomcat in his mouth doing what staffies do & was trying to shake the stuffing out of this stray cat. I finally got him off the cat & he settled down straight away. Well this cat wasnt in very good shape with one of its legs looking pretty bad so i took Jabba back up to the house & locked him up again but by the time i went back down this cat had managed to drag himself away & i couldnt find him so i dont know if it survived it injuries or not. It did make a mess of Jabba as well he had some pretty bad scratches & i was worries about his eyes after spending $6K getting them fixed a few years ago.
Now im not a cat person, apart from a few friends cats i hate the bloody things. Well this black tomcat had been stirring Jabba up for about 12 months, he would come into the backyard at night & walk right up to the back deck & set him off at all hours of the night.
So i have gone around & put timber at any gaps in the fence to stop the native wildlife from crawling under anywhere. But i can't stop the cats.
So Jabba isnt a fan of other animals in his yard except for dogs he knows & people during the day.

Sounds like Jabba's just being a dog who's finding fun chasing in his back yard. Sadly, that's what many dogs will do - I have no idea how many rats/rabbits/pheasant/etc Nola and Chaos have had over the years.

I think you've done the right thing by blocking entrance for wildlife. As you say, though, there is very little you can do about cats. If you have neighbours with cats, it might be an idea to let them know but ultimately it is your yard.

You could add a skirting to the bottom and top of your fence to stop cats and animals from getting in, just wire mesh around the bottom and top of your fence it wont cost much
and will stop wildlife and peoples pets from getting in, you really need to check your garden before you let him out, you may not like cats but that is no way for any animal to die, animals don't stir up other animals, he was probably looking for food or shelter, you don't know the cat was stray he may of been someones pets who went off and slowly starved to death unable to move or die from his injuries, really isn't fair to do that, you really need to secure your garden.

I'm sorry, Amelie, but I think your response is unfair. If you read the post properly, you'll see that that 'I have gone around & put timber at any gaps in the fence to stop the native wildlife from crawling under anywhere. But i can't stop the cats.'

Cats are notoriously hard to stop from going where they please, boarding or wire mesh wouldn't. I tried that and more in one garden that was used by the neighbours' cats as a loo. I never do understand why dog owners are expected to curb their dogs' behaviour but cat owners just shrug their shoulders when their pet causes a problem.

Dogs will be dogs, cats will be cats. Cats will go into gardens, dogs will chase them. Short of keeping Jabba in all the time, I'm not sure what else there is that can be done, but berating someone and laying on a guilt trip about an accident isn't going to help.

I agree with Liz, being completely honest I can't stand cats. Only animal that I don't like,  hubby has one so I'm forced to live with a cat. When we got Misty we tried everything to introduce them but even though Misty just wanted to say hello the cat scratched her badly on her eye. Since then we kept them apart. There is not much you can do to keep them out of your garden if they are determined. They do sonic cat repellers but I think they also affect dogs so that is no good.

We had one of our neighbours knock on our door a few months ago to say hubbys cat kept coming in his garden and he's scared of what his two staffs might do if they catch him. Hubby told him not to worry as he wouldn't hold the dogs responsible as it's his cats fault for going in the garden but he is sorry apart from keeping it locked up all day he can't stop it going in this guy's garden.

The neighbour was ok with that as he was just concerned about his dogs getting in trouble. 

I think you have done a lot to try to keep them out. Hopefully they won't be back 

If anyone has any tips to stop the things climbing on my car I'd love to know! Sick of seeing scratches and 
paw prints on my car.

To be honest Amelie I think Brett did all he could in the circumstances and agree with Liz that berating him for what he couldn't control and also tried to do the best for the cat is unfair.

I'm not sure what else you can do that the others have suggested Brett. Strangely, I don't get cats in my garden now that we have Flo, I guess they know that it's her garden. She will also shoot down the garden at the sight of a cat, fox or bird !

There are ways of keeping a cat out of your garden or in your own garden you just need to do research on it and invest in the time, its the same as fox proofing a chickens run and coop there is a way, adding skirting around the bottom and top of the fence, a cat will not step on uneven ground so it will not step onto the wire mesh or without mesh there are other ways also, I am not berating him for what happen but he didn't seem sorry about it either, what is a few second to check your garden is secure before you let your pet out...how hard is that??? I do it every day, several times a day, it doesn't take much time, i know its not the dogs fault or the cats fault they just do what they do but we as owners need to protect them like he said his dog got beat up by the cat that would not of happened if he checked his garden first and that poor cat wouldn't of dragged it self off to die or those echidnas wouldn't of injured his dog if he checked his garden first, knowing his dogs history and the history of his garden visitors taking two minutes out of your day to check your garden if worth it surely.

You can check the garden before you let a dog out but what happens if the cat enters when the dog is already there?

Sorry but I think you are wrong to say Brett doesn't seem sorry about it. If he didn't care he wouldn't have taken the time to ask on the forum. I think he has done a lot to try to prevent anything further happening and he is asking for advice and not to be criticised.

Mistys Mum wrote:You can check the garden before you let a dog out but what happens if the cat enters when the dog is already there?

Sorry but I think you are wrong to say Brett doesn't seem sorry about it. If he didn't care he wouldn't have taken the time to ask on the forum. I think he has done a lot to try to prevent anything further happening and he is asking for advice and not to be criticised.

I doubt the cat entered while the dog was out side, must of been a really dumb cat but again dogs shouldn't outside without observation anything could happen its like leaving a toddler outside only dogs are more curious and destructive and i'm sorry but he didn't seem sorry about the cat at all, he's asking on the forum now months after it started just his wording he didn't seem fazed at all, just a cat thats been teasing his dog kinda of way to put it.


I'm sorry i don't sugar coat things and i am opinionated. are you -OP- 100% to blame of course not but you are partially to blame and for Misty Mum sorry but it sounds really irresponsible what your OH told your neighbour "oh well its the cats fault if he goes in your garden and gets attacked" no..its your fault and your OH for not securing your garden or keeping your pet secure, im sorry but it is not hard, I have an indoor/secure garden cat, only recently a garden cat but before that he was strictly indoor it is not hard to keep them happy indoors and behaviourist and experts are now saying they aren't the solitary survive on their own type people think they are, playing games for enrichment and exercise keeps them happy rather than chuck them outside some seem to do (not saying you do)

Amelie wrote: dogs shouldn't outside without observation anything could happen its like leaving a toddler outside only dogs are more curious and destructive

What a bizzarre statement! Our dogs are outside all the time on their own, it's their freedom to be where they want within our boundaries, and to do what they want. The idea that they could only go out while supervised is just plain odd.

We all of us have our opinions and many of those are strongly held. We can still all take the trouble to express them with consideration to others, no matter how strongly you disagree.

My yard is secure for my dog, he can't get out & I'm not going to spend money "cat proofing" my yard for a pet that i dont own. He loves the kids next door & they are always talking to him over the fence but they are only little & he plays too rough for them just yet. They know not to come into the yard & they manage to keep their cats out of the yard.
I looked for the cat after the fight for 30mins but i had to go to work & the neighbor even looked for it during the day but couldnt find it.
If people want to let their cats roam free this is what happens.

I agree with you Brett. Your responsibility is your dog and your yard, not what may stray into it. We can't be with our dogs outside 24/7 ! I think you've done all you can given the circumstances.

I agree with you Brett.
You've done everything you can to secure your garden and wandering cats is something out of your control.
Ultimately it's your space for you and your pet to roam and enjoy freely.

If my cat were killed I would be very upset. Just as I would be if it were my dog. Whether or not we like cats isn't the issue - this is an entirely practical matter. It is impossible as a cat owner to supervise your cats at all times unless you are a psycho who never lets their cats roam outside. It is a very difficult situation on both sides.

Cat deterrents:

http://www.rspb.org.uk/makeahomeforwildlife/advice/gardening/unwantedvisitors/cats/catdeterrents.aspx

A lot of people swear by these (also on Amazon - read reviews and see what you think):
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_trksid=p3984.m570.l1313&_nkw=cat+scarer&_s%20%20acat=0

http://www.conceptresearch.co.uk/catwatch-the-cat-deterrent-keep-cats-away

You'll have to research.