Cat "TV"

[jmcquown[_2_]]

Buffy has gotten more interested in watching the birds on my patio.
(For a while she paid no attention to them.)

For some reason the northern bluebirds have been having a party today in
the birdbath on my patio.

https://s13.postimg.org/glm4vl8dj/bluebirds.jpg

Take a bath, get the dust off!

https://s12.postimg.org/jtey6ghl9/splash.jpg

I love watching birds so it's a win-win. :)

Jill

[dgk]

On Tue, 8 Nov 2016 12:09:08 -0500, jmcquown >
wrote:

>Buffy has gotten more interested in watching the birds on my patio.
>(For a while she paid no attention to them.)
>
>For some reason the northern bluebirds have been having a party today in
>the birdbath on my patio.
>
>https://s13.postimg.org/glm4vl8dj/bluebirds.jpg
>
>Take a bath, get the dust off!
>
>https://s12.postimg.org/jtey6ghl9/splash.jpg
>
>I love watching birds so it's a win-win. :)
>
>Jill

For several years I had a heated birdbath in the backyard and I loved
to watch the birds using it during the winter. Unforunately, they
seemed not to understand the old adage about not pooping where you
drink (or bathe). Because it was warm, it evaporated quickly in the
cold so I would have to fill it every day, which was a bit of a pain.

Now I'm in Florida so not much need for a heated bird bath here -
besides, most of the birds are way too big for that bird bath.

[[email protected]]

This was a number of years ago, but you will enjoy this:

http://people.eku.edu/styere/Bird-Watching2.jpg

Gene

[dgk]

On Thu, 10 Nov 2016 08:10:29 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

>This was a number of years ago, but you will enjoy this:
>
>http://people.eku.edu/styere/Bird-Watching2.jpg
>
>Gene

I always thought that it was sort of unfair to the bird to have to
live with cats trying to figure out how to get in.

I used to try to put birdseed out after the cats were inside, but
sometimes the logistics just worked out that the cats were outside
while there was still birdseed in the feeders. Now that is a conflict
of interest, but the birds almost always got to eat in peace anyway
since my cats weren't really great hunters.

[jmcquown[_2_]]

On 11/11/2016 9:49 AM, dgk wrote:
> On Thu, 10 Nov 2016 08:10:29 -0800 (PST),
> wrote:
>
>> This was a number of years ago, but you will enjoy this:
>>
>> http://people.eku.edu/styere/Bird-Watching2.jpg
>>
>> Gene
>
> I always thought that it was sort of unfair to the bird to have to
> live with cats trying to figure out how to get in.
>
> I used to try to put birdseed out after the cats were inside, but
> sometimes the logistics just worked out that the cats were outside
> while there was still birdseed in the feeders. Now that is a conflict
> of interest, but the birds almost always got to eat in peace anyway
> since my cats weren't really great hunters.
>
I've only ever been owned by two cats. Persia, whom someone had front
de-clawed before she came to live with me. And now Buffy, fully clawed.
Doesn't matter. They're indoor-only cats.

The hunting instinct is satisfied by play. I've got tons of toys and
Buffy loves batting golf balls around even when I'm in another room. No
cat of mine will ever be an outdoor cat. The birds are safe, she just
watches. It took a while before she even showed any interest. I was
just posting pics of the bluebirds. Didn't mean to start a debate about
indoor-out.

Jill
Jill

[dgk]

On Fri, 11 Nov 2016 10:59:55 -0500, jmcquown >
wrote:

>On 11/11/2016 9:49 AM, dgk wrote:
>> On Thu, 10 Nov 2016 08:10:29 -0800 (PST),
>> wrote:
>>
>>> This was a number of years ago, but you will enjoy this:
>>>
>>> http://people.eku.edu/styere/Bird-Watching2.jpg
>>>
>>> Gene
>>
>> I always thought that it was sort of unfair to the bird to have to
>> live with cats trying to figure out how to get in.
>>
>> I used to try to put birdseed out after the cats were inside, but
>> sometimes the logistics just worked out that the cats were outside
>> while there was still birdseed in the feeders. Now that is a conflict
>> of interest, but the birds almost always got to eat in peace anyway
>> since my cats weren't really great hunters.
>>
>I've only ever been owned by two cats. Persia, whom someone had front
>de-clawed before she came to live with me. And now Buffy, fully clawed.
> Doesn't matter. They're indoor-only cats.
>
>The hunting instinct is satisfied by play. I've got tons of toys and
>Buffy loves batting golf balls around even when I'm in another room. No
>cat of mine will ever be an outdoor cat. The birds are safe, she just
>watches. It took a while before she even showed any interest. I was
>just posting pics of the bluebirds. Didn't mean to start a debate about
>indoor-out.
>
>Jill
>Jill

That's one advantage about living in Florida. I am (slowly) working on
getting a fence put in so I can let the cats out without them roaming
away, but almost all of the birds are the size of the cats so I'm not
thiinking that they're going to be killing any of them. The Ibisis
travel in large flocks, and the Egrets are just too big for anything
less than a really hungry cat to try attacking.

But I do worry a bit about the little lizards. Those are big enough
for the cats to show an interest, and small enough so they present no
danger. Well, most of them. There are a few real monster lizards
around the lake but they stay by the lake.

And we do have poison frogs and snakes, and those do concen me. The
frogs mostly only come out at night and hang around the lake, but
snakes to travel around. Most are harmless but one isn't.

I'm thinking of maybe having a patio built. The house originally had a
patio but the original owners had it enclosed and now it's the Florida
room. All glass. So maybe a new patio would be nice for the cats -
Marlo loves the one at Mom's house, but they're not really outside,
not really on the ground. Maybe I'll have a patio but leave some real
grass amd a few plants instead of having all of the floor tiled?

[jmcquown[_2_]]

On 11/12/2016 2:38 PM, dgk wrote:
> On Fri, 11 Nov 2016 10:59:55 -0500, jmcquown >
> wrote:
>
>> The hunting instinct is satisfied by play. I've got tons of toys and
>> Buffy loves batting golf balls around even when I'm in another room. No
>> cat of mine will ever be an outdoor cat. The birds are safe, she just
>> watches. It took a while before she even showed any interest. I was
>> just posting pics of the bluebirds. Didn't mean to start a debate about
>> indoor-out.
>>
>> Jill
>
> That's one advantage about living in Florida. I am (slowly) working on
> getting a fence put in so I can let the cats out without them roaming
> away, but almost all of the birds are the size of the cats so I'm not
> thiinking that they're going to be killing any of them. The Ibisis
> travel in large flocks, and the Egrets are just too big for anything
> less than a really hungry cat to try attacking.
>
I see lots of "shore birds" but they aren't the ones I see in the back yard.

> But I do worry a bit about the little lizards. Those are big enough
> for the cats to show an interest, and small enough so they present no
> danger. Well, most of them. There are a few real monster lizards
> around the lake but they stay by the lake.
>
Alligators? I had one of those wander into my back yard once. No idea
why since there isn't a pond nearby. They do travel.

The anole lizards and blue tailed skinks are common here. A skink got
into my house once and buffy and I both tried to chase it down. Cute
little things but no, I don't want them inside.

> And we do have poison frogs and snakes, and those do concen me. The
> frogs mostly only come out at night and hang around the lake, but
> snakes to travel around. Most are harmless but one isn't.
>
We have venomous snakes in the area but for the most part the ones I see
are harmless black snakes.

> I'm thinking of maybe having a patio built. The house originally had a
> patio but the original owners had it enclosed and now it's the Florida
> room. All glass.

I call that an atrium. Sounds like a nice enough place in the house for
the cats to play. Weren't you asking about plants not long ago?

So maybe a new patio would be nice for the cats -
> Marlo loves the one at Mom's house, but they're not really outside,
> not really on the ground. Maybe I'll have a patio but leave some real
> grass amd a few plants instead of having all of the floor tiled?

Sure, you could do that.

Jill

[dgk]

>
>> I'm thinking of maybe having a patio built. The house originally had a
>> patio but the original owners had it enclosed and now it's the Florida
>> room. All glass.
>
>I call that an atrium. Sounds like a nice enough place in the house for
>the cats to play. Weren't you asking about plants not long ago?
>
Good memory, yes I do have an atrium, about 6 feet by 12 feet. And
that is open all the time for the cats. It's open at the top to the
weather, but the cats can't climb high enough to get out. It's the
biggest litterbox in the world.