Mesmerising compost bin
By Limpet
9 comments
The cat has become obsessed with the composter. This is not an exaggeration; for a week she has been spending all day and all night, close-up staring at it.
It has become so crazy that we have to go capture her if we want her indoors at night.
This morning I woke up at 5.30am and took a cup of coffee with me to the bottom of the garden, and there she was; staring at the compost bin.
I sat down quietly with her a while and had confirmed our suspicions; there is something living down there.
I’ve been thinking maybe there is a nest of hedgehogs, mice or (I hope not) rats. Can’t think of what else it can be. When I watched this morning, it was clear that there is a tunnel of some sort underground in front of the bin and something large rustled throught it while I was there.
Now I’m not so sure what to do about it.
Do I keep the cat away from it; keep her in for a few days so she doesn’t disturb it if there is a nest?
Do I leave her to be a cat, and let her make life more difficult for possible rats by leaving her to do her thing?
I don’t like the thought of a rat’s nest under my compost. Oh what to do…
18 Apr, 2011
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Comments
I think you're right; it's a secluded and quite 'wild' part of the garden and nature will be nature. At least we always know where the cat is :)
18 Apr, 2011
I'd leave alone aswell. She might get rid of whatever is there for you.
My cat is like that sometimes. last week she sat in the rain for hours literally until she was drenched lol, just staring at a place where I thought there was nothing. There must have been something there.
Then she came in all full of mud lol
18 Apr, 2011
The amount of times I've wondered about what goes on in their little heads. I'll leave her to it for now. I might drag the deck chair down there and join her for a day of compost-watching lol
18 Apr, 2011
Ollie my cat spend's age's mouse watching in the wild bit at the back of my garden.I have a couple of log's there and that is his favourite seat.Like everyone else I would leave her be :-)
18 Apr, 2011
I think there must be a rat or mouse because that's what keeps cats watching for ever until the offending creature either moves away or is caught by the cat.
It's part of being a cat so I would definately leave her to it.
18 Apr, 2011
leave her to do her job, its probably a mouse, casper spends forever staring under the shed and i got a gift last week :o((
18 Apr, 2011
Thanks for all your comments and advice, much appreciated! We've left her to do her thing and if she wants to spend all night staring at the compost then let that be it. She needs to just be a cat and do her job! I don't know why I worried in the first place, unfortunately my boyfriend and I tend to treat the cat a little as our substitute child lol :)
19 Apr, 2011
I have to agree with everyone, leave her to be a cat! Ours also sits for ages, staring at the boundary fence. Why? Because the garden shed behind our garden fence has mice nesting in it! She can hear them, occasionally brings one to the door. Just glad we don't have a catflap! : o )
20 Apr, 2011
Limpet, I think I would leave her to do her own natural thing. She`ll probably plonk her find on your doorstep that to me would be the worrying bit. Keep us posted.
18 Apr, 2011