now have 3 outdoor cats
I am a little nervous about filling the feeders up because they are on the hunt all day long and would feel rotten if the darn cats got any of them, especially the Carolina Wrens, my fav's. but I guess i'll just have to see. I have my feeders up high so I think the birds will detect them if they are climbing but the ground feeders will be at a disadvantage, but also the cats will not be out all day long in cold months. I have also found that the cats, especially the older ones, eventually get bored with the birds coming and going. The young cats are full of energy so they never quit. I did not feed all summer but never really have fed in summer. Plenty for them to feed on and I don't want to make them dependent on me too much. Now in winter I feel they kind of need it, especially with snow cover, and I have more time watching them compared to summer when I am too busy. I have so many fruit bearing shrubs in the yard right now and they are loaded to the ground with berries. Funny thing is the birds don't seem to have much interest till the snow is on the ground. Now the berries I wait for all year, my blueberries and black raspberries, are attacked as soon as they are ripe.