Cat Relocating and Beetle Hunting...

RachVR6

What a weekend it's been!!! For those of you that are bored, I thought I'd share my weekend.

In our backyard we have 2 decent size ponds now, connected by a stream, with your average koi fish and a few frogs in them. Well about a week ago I went to let the dog out and noticed a cat sitting by the pond. I went out to shoo it away, as we've previously had an issue with strays breeding under our house, and it just sat there and looked at me like I was crazy. I noticed something laying in front of it and creeped in for a closer look. It was eating one of our fish!!! The biggest one we had as a matter of fact! As big around as your wrist and 8-10in long without the tail. So there, laying by the pond is half of a fish and that fat little white and black cat is staring at me all cocky, like 'Whatcha gonna do about it?'.

So for fear of being attacked by this cat that wouldn't budge out of my yard, I went and got my bf. He came out with a little beebee gun. NO he didn't shoot the cat. There were NO pellets in it, but he stood up on the porch and shot the cartridge off thinking the sound would scare it off. It didn't even phase the thing. So my bf leapt off the porch and started hopping towards the thing until it ran off. Of course I'd run too if this 6'2" thing came bounding towards me.

Back to this weekend. So we got a trap, baited with sardines (eww) and set it up by the pond. The next morning, what do you know, we caught something! Only this time it wasn't that fat little fish thief, it was this big tan cat. Oh well we decide to take it across the river and set it free that night. I'm sure that's against some law to be dumping cats but the ASPCA wants you to PAY them to take the cat and put it to sleep. I surely don't have the money to pay somebody to 'dispose' of a cat that wasn't doing any harm to anything except my fish and trash bags, especially when it's not my fault it's hanging around my house.

So anyway, we reset the trap friday night and go back to sleep. The next morning, another cat! This time a scrawny grey one. We dump this one down across a river near a bunch of fields and like the night before we set up the trap yet again. Come Sunday we have caught a third cat, which is white and grey and looks to be a bit younger than the previous ones. What is this!? The community watering hole!?!? I don't know how much more of this I can take! After dropping this one off at the same site as cat #2 my bf and I discuss the possibility of taking donations to help fund the gas needed to relocate the furry offenders. Unfortunately we forgot to reset the trap last night so there is no catch for today.

Now, during this whole Project Cat Relocation, we are also acting as Beetle Hunters. Our house, inside and out, has become somewhat infested with these brown beetles, better known as Brown Marmorated Stink Bug. Gross! They've found the small holes around our window air conditioners, which of course wouldn't be there if our central air worked half decent. We inspected every INCH of the house and my bf, with his hand in a ziploc baggie, plucked them off the walls, curtains, blinds, you name it and threw them into the grocery bag I was forced to hold. They are rather harmless, but I'm not one for bugs at all, especially in my house. It grosses me out to no extent. These ones extra annoying with their buzzing when they fly and their apparent lack of site, as they like to run right into the side of your head. Yuck. Well on our scavenger hunt, we came across a motherload of them, in the bedroom of all places. Eww eww eww eww eww!!!!! You should've seen how fast I ran out of there! We had a blanket hanging over the window to darken the room right next to the window a/c and on the wall, below the window, behind that blanket was 20-30 of them, that I SAW at least before retreating to the hallway. Ugh, just thinking about it gives me the goosebumps and makes me feel like they're crawling on me. Uuuuugh gross. Anyway, my bf being the brave guy he is, grabs the vacuum and proceeds to suck them all up.

After he finishes I decide, enough is enough, and there's no way I will be able to sleep knowing that they could be in there still, so we head to Lowe's and get a huge thing of indoor/outdoor bug killer spray. When we got home we sprayed every crack and crease, inside and out to make sure those suckers wouldn't be back anytime soon. We also used that foam insulation strips and plugged up any and all access points. Yuck! When we are home tonight we are cleaning every inch of the house to make sure all the beetles, dead or alive,are out and that we didn't miss any possible entry points.

So that was my weekend...how was yours? :laugh:

RachVR6

What a weekend it's been!!! For those of you that are bored, I thought I'd share my weekend.

In our backyard we have 2 decent size ponds now, connected by a stream, with your average koi fish and a few frogs in them. Well about a week ago I went to let the dog out and noticed a cat sitting by the pond. I went out to shoo it away, as we've previously had an issue with strays breeding under our house, and it just sat there and looked at me like I was crazy. I noticed something laying in front of it and creeped in for a closer look. It was eating one of our fish!!! The biggest one we had as a matter of fact! As big around as your wrist and 8-10in long without the tail. So there, laying by the pond is half of a fish and that fat little white and black cat is staring at me all cocky, like 'Whatcha gonna do about it?'.

So for fear of being attacked by this cat that wouldn't budge out of my yard, I went and got my bf. He came out with a little beebee gun. NO he didn't shoot the cat. There were NO pellets in it, but he stood up on the porch and shot the cartridge off thinking the sound would scare it off. It didn't even phase the thing. So my bf leapt off the porch and started hopping towards the thing until it ran off. Of course I'd run too if this 6'2" thing came bounding towards me.

Back to this weekend. So we got a trap, baited with sardines (eww) and set it up by the pond. The next morning, what do you know, we caught something! Only this time it wasn't that fat little fish thief, it was this big tan cat. Oh well we decide to take it across the river and set it free that night. I'm sure that's against some law to be dumping cats but the ASPCA wants you to PAY them to take the cat and put it to sleep. I surely don't have the money to pay somebody to 'dispose' of a cat that wasn't doing any harm to anything except my fish and trash bags, especially when it's not my fault it's hanging around my house.

So anyway, we reset the trap friday night and go back to sleep. The next morning, another cat! This time a scrawny grey one. We dump this one down across a river near a bunch of fields and like the night before we set up the trap yet again. Come Sunday we have caught a third cat, which is white and grey and looks to be a bit younger than the previous ones. What is this!? The community watering hole!?!? I don't know how much more of this I can take! After dropping this one off at the same site as cat #2 my bf and I discuss the possibility of taking donations to help fund the gas needed to relocate the furry offenders. Unfortunately we forgot to reset the trap last night so there is no catch for today.

Now, during this whole Project Cat Relocation, we are also acting as Beetle Hunters. Our house, inside and out, has become somewhat infested with these brown beetles, better known as Brown Marmorated Stink Bug. Gross! They've found the small holes around our window air conditioners, which of course wouldn't be there if our central air worked half decent. We inspected every INCH of the house and my bf, with his hand in a ziploc baggie, plucked them off the walls, curtains, blinds, you name it and threw them into the grocery bag I was forced to hold. They are rather harmless, but I'm not one for bugs at all, especially in my house. It grosses me out to no extent. These ones extra annoying with their buzzing when they fly and their apparent lack of site, as they like to run right into the side of your head. Yuck. Well on our scavenger hunt, we came across a motherload of them, in the bedroom of all places. Eww eww eww eww eww!!!!! You should've seen how fast I ran out of there! We had a blanket hanging over the window to darken the room right next to the window a/c and on the wall, below the window, behind that blanket was 20-30 of them, that I SAW at least before retreating to the hallway. Ugh, just thinking about it gives me the goosebumps and makes me feel like they're crawling on me. Uuuuugh gross. Anyway, my bf being the brave guy he is, grabs the vacuum and proceeds to suck them all up.

After he finishes I decide, enough is enough, and there's no way I will be able to sleep knowing that they could be in there still, so we head to Lowe's and get a huge thing of indoor/outdoor bug killer spray. When we got home we sprayed every crack and crease, inside and out to make sure those suckers wouldn't be back anytime soon. We also used that foam insulation strips and plugged up any and all access points. Yuck! When we are home tonight we are cleaning every inch of the house to make sure all the beetles, dead or alive,are out and that we didn't miss any possible entry points.

So that was my weekend...how was yours? :laugh:

ali106

WOW you've got your hands full girl!!!

I'm right there w/ you about the bugs though...ick I remember we used to have those in my old house.....omg they were everywhere...now its just lovely fruit flies....sigh...the fun never ends does it!:grumble:

big hugs and I can't beleive they wanted you to put down the cat...or pay for it...that's sooo sad...he was just being...well a cat!:ohwell:

here's hoping your week goes a little different!:drinker:
Ali :flowerforyou:

mommared53

ACK!! Wish I hadn't read that because now I keep thinking I feel something crawling in my hair. (shudder)

RachVR6

ACK!! Wish I hadn't read that because now I keep thinking I feel something crawling in my hair. (shudder)

:laugh: Sorry!

memaw66

At least you only have beetles. We have been having a problem w/scorpions in the house. I can do most bugs, just kill them, no big deal, but scorpions and big water bugs freak me the heck out!!!

Do you think the cats will find thier way back to your place? They are pretty smart especially when they need to remember where they found good food. Maybe when you relocate them you can leave some food with them so they won't come back so soon???? Just a thought.

Phoenix_Rising

:sick: :sick: :sick: :sick: :sick: :sick: :sick: :sick: :sick:
Now I feel like I have creepy crawlies all over me!!
:frown: :frown: :frown: :frown: :frown: :frown: :frown: :frown: :frown:

jamerz3294

Ohhh.... when you said Beatle hunting, I thought you had this in mind...

:laugh: :bigsmile: Think I'm glad that our weekend was rather relaxed and restful, *chuckle*