My two love the bird magnets I put up, keeps them entertained for hours :) The birds love when I make home made suet with peanut butter and bacon fat, I get swarms of different types of birds when I put it out
I bought special feeders that don’t let pigeons access the seed. They can’t fit through the bars but the little birds can. I and my cats love watching while the birds eat. I use binoculars. Too bad my cats couldn’t have little kitty binoculars so they could see up close.
I agree with Kaputnik that squirrels need a little lovin’! When we take walks in early autumn we collect hickories, black walnuts & acorns to give squirrels thru winter. Make sure to get newly fallen ones with no worm holes. Place away from bird feeder, along with some nice sunflower seeds; that’s their objective anyway. Gathering nuts is good exercise for tummy muscles!
. . . does anyone hear any funny chirping noises from their cats, when they are bird watching? They look entranced. Mine are indoor cats and seem to believe that if they were outside, the little birds would just jump in their mouth, so that they could be eaten. I like watching, the cats watching the little birds and squirrels. Retirement is bliss!
Feeding the birds is one of many things I miss now that I live in an apartment. It’s not allowed.
I used to have an outdoor camera set up to take photos of all the birds that stopped for a bite to eat. It was fun to observe which birds, I called them the neighbors, came by every day.
We had to give up on our bird feeder as it was a bear magnet. Now the wife just scatters sunflower seeds out on the walk, and the cat can watch all the squirrels and birdies at eye level. Oh the frustration.
Chickadees were nesting in a birdhouse in my sister’s front yard. I watched the parents bringing tiny caterpillars to feed their chicks. To make their little lives easier, I bought some live mealworms at a pet store and put them in a dish next to the birdhouse. Mom and Dad bird studied them closely, turned up their beaky noses, and went on collecting the caterpillars from wherever they were finding them. But soon, a mockingbird nesting in a tree overhead spotted the mealworms and began gathering them to feed to it’s own babies. It didn’t want to waste energy flying back and forth, so it would collect a dozen or so mealworms at a time before going back to the nest. The beak full of squirming worms looked like Medusa’s hair… or a beard made of her snakes.
We have to recharge our “cat entertainment center” every morning, sometimes in the afternoon during winter. Mostly we get LBJs (Little Brown Jobies) and cardinals. Our guys get to go outside, so we have to put the feeder high enough they can’t jump to it. Raccoons are sometimes a problem.
We have a Bird Magnet with a VERY dedicated Monitor Cat. He’s a bit miffed right now that the birds don’t seem to like the current variety of seed we’ve got and haven’t been showing up as much. The squirrels make up for it a bit, though.
WoodEye over 7 years ago
Peanut butter is one of my favorites, sand not so much.
butler2jc over 7 years ago
those little birds are so cute!
poppet bear over 7 years ago
My two love the bird magnets I put up, keeps them entertained for hours :) The birds love when I make home made suet with peanut butter and bacon fat, I get swarms of different types of birds when I put it out
Kaputnik over 7 years ago
The point is to make sure that the squirrels (or at least the clever ones) get fed.
Queen of America over 7 years ago
Brad has 4 or 5 bird magnets in the back yard. And a bird bath. And 2 hummer feeders. The cats always have something to watch.
catmom1360 over 7 years ago
I bought special feeders that don’t let pigeons access the seed. They can’t fit through the bars but the little birds can. I and my cats love watching while the birds eat. I use binoculars. Too bad my cats couldn’t have little kitty binoculars so they could see up close.
shaunnmunn over 7 years ago
I agree with Kaputnik that squirrels need a little lovin’! When we take walks in early autumn we collect hickories, black walnuts & acorns to give squirrels thru winter. Make sure to get newly fallen ones with no worm holes. Place away from bird feeder, along with some nice sunflower seeds; that’s their objective anyway. Gathering nuts is good exercise for tummy muscles!
arolarson Premium Member over 7 years ago
Ah….birds and feeders on the patio, cats at the patio doors for hours. We call it cat tv.
tweety6677 over 7 years ago
Don’t understand the sand.
Jed over 7 years ago
I love Elvis’s “ciphering”!
Susanna Premium Member over 7 years ago
I like the reference to Elvis’ weather report.
MDMom over 7 years ago
. . . does anyone hear any funny chirping noises from their cats, when they are bird watching? They look entranced. Mine are indoor cats and seem to believe that if they were outside, the little birds would just jump in their mouth, so that they could be eaten. I like watching, the cats watching the little birds and squirrels. Retirement is bliss!
ladykat over 7 years ago
Elvis, the bird magnet was purchased to entertain you and Puck and Lupin.
johovey over 7 years ago
Now we know what cats think when they look out the window.
LuvyaBebe05 over 7 years ago
Elvis finally learned birds aren’t weather.
shanaynay83 over 7 years ago
Feeding the birds is one of many things I miss now that I live in an apartment. It’s not allowed.
I used to have an outdoor camera set up to take photos of all the birds that stopped for a bite to eat. It was fun to observe which birds, I called them the neighbors, came by every day.
maryt over 7 years ago
Is Tommy going to make an appearance soon?!?!
Lady Bri over 7 years ago
Bird Magnet = cat’s entertainment tonight :-)
Seed_drill over 7 years ago
We had to give up on our bird feeder as it was a bear magnet. Now the wife just scatters sunflower seeds out on the walk, and the cat can watch all the squirrels and birdies at eye level. Oh the frustration.
Kitty Katz over 7 years ago
Feed the birds, tuppence a bag.
jimmjonzz Premium Member over 7 years ago
Chickadees were nesting in a birdhouse in my sister’s front yard. I watched the parents bringing tiny caterpillars to feed their chicks. To make their little lives easier, I bought some live mealworms at a pet store and put them in a dish next to the birdhouse. Mom and Dad bird studied them closely, turned up their beaky noses, and went on collecting the caterpillars from wherever they were finding them. But soon, a mockingbird nesting in a tree overhead spotted the mealworms and began gathering them to feed to it’s own babies. It didn’t want to waste energy flying back and forth, so it would collect a dozen or so mealworms at a time before going back to the nest. The beak full of squirming worms looked like Medusa’s hair… or a beard made of her snakes.
scaeva Premium Member over 7 years ago
We have to recharge our “cat entertainment center” every morning, sometimes in the afternoon during winter. Mostly we get LBJs (Little Brown Jobies) and cardinals. Our guys get to go outside, so we have to put the feeder high enough they can’t jump to it. Raccoons are sometimes a problem.
Sionyx over 7 years ago
We have a Bird Magnet with a VERY dedicated Monitor Cat. He’s a bit miffed right now that the birds don’t seem to like the current variety of seed we’ve got and haven’t been showing up as much. The squirrels make up for it a bit, though.
Caerin Premium Member over 7 years ago
Why are Elvis’s ears purple? I think most cats have pinkish inside their ears. Perhaps Siamese are different?
Aspen_Bell over 7 years ago
My mother used to call this the “birdie vision”. Her indoor birds (budgies) watched the wild birds at the feeder all day.