Garden Motion Sensors (Cat Deterrents) Do they harm outdoor chipmunks?

[ilovechips]

hi all 

I have a mate who loves chipmunks, he has a bunch of them and houses them in an outdoor aviary. He has neighbours pet cats coming in his garden and passing his aviary and lurking around it, and spraying around it  and other things in his garden

Like me he is a keen wildlife lover and wants birds and other wildlife to keep going in there too

He doesnt use the internet anymore so i got the idea to ask on here to see what other people say and if you have any knowledge

Hes has tried loads of deterrents but none have worked, some working for a really short time before becoming useless. Hes come across a product called `Cat Watch` which is apparently the only motion detector which has been tested and approved by the RSPB. Hes interested in getting it but is afraid of the frequencies affecting his chippies. Ive read in books and online of chipmunks being affected by frequencies from televisions and radios. Getting that product is like the last resort as he has already tried lots of deterents and spent money on them to try and deter them. Hes thinking of putting it in his garden to try and scare them off from coming in, and the product is said to be really effective.  The product is supposedly that cats can only be affected by it, and it has been approved by the RSPB so it doesnt affect birds, i wouldent imagine

I wanted to find out for him if you can have one of those motion sensor things in your garden when you house chipmunks in the garden? Will it affect the chipmunks or will they not be effected by it?

[ilovechips]

heres the product http://www.amazon.co.uk/Concept-Research-Catwatch-Cat-Deterrent/dp/B003AJMGD2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1304823789&sr=8-1

[pinkpill]

i'v just googled this product and it says its only reppelent to cats, not even dogs are bothered by it, it says its not repellent to other garden wildlife, which (i wouldnt of thought) meant only birds, as hedgehogs and the like are still wildlife  you can only try it, as this product is not harmful to any animal, even to cats, they just dont like the sound so its just a repellent. 

[ilovechips]

Hi pinkpill 

What other frequencies are chipmunks affected by apart from televisions and radios?

[pinkpill]

i'm not sure but my chips love the tv noise, if i turn the tv off theyre mega quiet, but you can get rodent sonic repellents, which i'v used in the past, b4 my chippies tho  so i'm assuming like certain species of animals, they all have different pitches they dont like, teenagers also have a high frequency pitch that they use for controlling kids grouping on street corners n so forth, apparently you cant hear it once your out of your teens 

[bettyT]

My Auntie has 4 cats!! .. and she is a very good cat owner and they are all very loved and spoilt, but her neighbour had problems with them going into there garden, so my aunt purchased a water gun and hand delivered it to them next door and gave permission for them to shoot the water at her cats to see if it would work!! as she had spent loads of money buying things for next door as she felt guilty, but nothing seemed to put them off!!!

I wasn't sure if it would work!!!!!... But after 6 weeks now, if the lady next door just points the water gun at at one of the cats they don't come down into her garden!! they just give her a dirty look!!! tee hee!!! and go the long way around!! and I am sure water won't do any lasting damage to the cats!!!

may be worth a try??!!! 

[chris]

I'm a keen wild life lover and cat lover too.

I imagine what is audible to a cat is audible to a chipmunk too so sound repellers shouldn't be advised.

The best method of protecting chips is to double mesh so cats claws can't directly contact chips.

I have 4 cats that now ignore the chipmunk aviary as they realise its a waste of their time. They also repel other cats from our garden.

I am going to reiterate this point cats are cats they are semi wild and they always will be. The RSPB say there is no direct link to falling bird populations due to cats, most of the fledglings cats kill are either ill or would have died before maturity for other reasons other than cats.


The reason I am making this point is some moron a couple of years ago shot one of my very healthy cats behind the ear with an air rifle. It caused my cat an awefull lot of pain and distress but luckily after some very expensive vet bills he pulled through. Now how is my cat more vile and tormenting to birds than the irresponsible moron that pulled the trigger on that air rifle?

The person that pulled the trigger on that air rifle is no better than a cat killing a bird.

I am an an animal lover full stop I have dogs cats and chipmunks and I love all wild life.

You can't blame cats for the rapid demise of any species thats just isn't true. The most lethal animal on this planet to animals is man. We shoot them we trap them we destroy their natural habitats by either cutting it down or building upon it or we kill the insects they live on.

So a cat has a crap on your lawn do what i do get a shovel and move it it really isn't a big deal.

If you had a family of badgers living near by that crapped on your lawn would you complain?

Cats are more native to the uk than siberian chipmunks and a majority of cat owners  neuter or castrate their pets  so as to stop them breeding.

Cats also keep other vermin at bay you wouldn't necessarily like living in your garden or Attic such as rats so they also do you a favour too.

So should we kill all the foxes too because they kill the bunnies.  Oops no humans gas the rabbits and introduced mixymetosis that killed the rabbits so gave the foxes no other choice than to target mr farmers chickens. So  then foxes become persecuted because humans killed off its natural food source so it went for something that wasn't a pest to us.

Should we repel the badgers because they are blamed for spreading TB in cattle?

I live in the country side and in 45 years I have seen 4 wild badgers alive that makes me lucky I guess. I have probably seen 145 dead badgers on the side of a road.

I bet each and every one of you would complain if they decided to cull badgers again I certainly would.

So the point of my post is that most cat owners prevent their cats from breeding imagine if that wasn't the case  you could have hundreds of cats in your garden killing your birds but you don't/ That one kitty you don't like is probably a much loved pet of some elderly man or woman or child that has been prevented from breeding but gives its owner as much pleasure as the birds in our garden or the chipmunks we keep in captivity.

OK now I suggest we stop persecuting cats and accept them for what they are which is probably somebody's much loved pet

[ilovechips]

Chris,

I posted a post about asking if `cat watch` will work for my friend who owns some chipmunks. Why you had to respond with all that i dont know. To me it seems yo cant accept that many people find them a nuisance. But you have to accept it. Instead of trying to turn the post into a cat-defending thing. I want people to reply with suggestions or knowledge about cat watch and if it is ok to purchase for chipmunks

[ilovechips]

hi bettyt,

that sounds like a good idea except that they always run off when he is in his garden lol

[chris]

It's a sore subject with me as I had one of my cats shot by an moron with an air rifle

[Sarah-Jane]

  I am not saying a word on the matter!

[chris]

So are we also to repel all the squirrels and moles that dig up our lawns and the sparrow hawks that prey on small birds and animals maybe we should start putting human repellent in gardens it would be more beneficial to all the animals

[ilovechips]

So are we also to repel all the squirrels and moles that dig up our lawns and the sparrow hawks that prey on small birds and animals maybe we should start putting human repellent in gardens it would be more beneficial to all the animals

I dont want this turning into something, i just want to find out for my friend if cat watch is worth buying or not. Sorry your cat got hurt, but that hasnt got anything to do with my post

[chris]

I just don't understand why cats have become the animal of choice to deter or persecute.

The rubbish about cats crapping in gardens is rediculous nobody complains about the other animals that do it.

[chris]

As an animal lover I'm not going to stay quiet over any animal that is being persecuted or repelled because those that repel are not animal lovers