Surrounded by thieves

Puddle Jumper

Up until now I though I lived in a pretty good neighborhood. I have a puppy who lives mostly indoors but she goes outside during the day to get some exercise and fresh air. She has water and food dishes both inside and out. Well it's a little too cold for her to spend too much time outside today so I let her out for about an hour earlier then brought her in. I then happened to look outside to see a stray cat eating out of her food bowl. So I filled up my water gun and ran out there but the cat got away before it was in range of my weapon so I went back inside. Immediately after I got inside I saw a flock of birds completely hiding her food and water bowls. So this time I hurried out there and the birds flew up out of the way as I grabbed my puupy's food bowl and went inside with it.

Then I watched. A second stray cat came along, looked around for the food bowl, then finally left. The first cat came back, looked around, left, came back a little later, laid down for a few moments, then left again. Some birds came and landed on the edge of the fence looking around and then left.

So there blows the idea that I lived in a good neighborhood. I'm completely surrounded by thieves who would steal my poor defenseless puppy's expensive food! Needless to say that her outdoor food bowl now comes in and out with her.
 

awatkins

Not harboring illegal parrot
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:ROFL: There really are no safe neighborhoods, are there?

That's the reason I started feeding the wild birds on my front porch and my poor little dog only inside the house. The birds were not only stealing her food, but were also chasing her away from it! I hope by offering them all they can eat, they will be kinder to my dog and stop pulling her hair when she is lying on the porch. lol
 

Fern

practical experience, FTW
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I tried that "feed them all they want" thing with the birds and all they did was bring along more and more buddies to share the wealth!

Then the cats got smart and decided they had a "bird nest on the ground" (okay-bad pun)
 

jdkiggins

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Puddle,
There are thieves everywhere here!

The cat's food gets eaten by the dog when he goes outside. What's left is nibbled by two gray squirrels during the day, and coons and opossums at night.

The bird feeders are raided by the squirrels as well, and by coons, opossums, and deer during the night.

I guess there's no way around it. Everyone has to eat. :D
 

awatkins

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I guess you're right, Jo. Everyone has to eat! But I think the deer must have read your mind--they're recently decided to redo our landscaping for us. The pretty little shrubs that once lined the front porch are now nubs--hey, that rhymes. :ROFL: Guess we'll have to find something not quite as tasty!

It's so good to see you here! I know how limited your computer time is these days. :Hug2:
 

Puddle Jumper

I went out to fill my pup's water bowl earlier today. I dumped out the ice and put the bowl back on the ground and filled it with water. As I walked back I saw one of the cat's from yesterday laying down and staring at me, so I ran at it and it ran away. Well I went inside and got the pup and as I walked back out holding the pup on a leash with one hand and her food bowl in the other, I saw the cat checking out around the water bowl - undoubtedly looking to see if I had put the food bowl there. It saw us coming and made a break for it. Ha, I outsmarted the cat.

Inside I keep my cat's food bowl out of reach of the dog and the cat doesn't appear to have any interest in the puppy food. But the cat has drunk out of the pup's water if her bowl's gone empty.
 

reph

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I put out food and water for everybody: birds, squirrels, cats, raccoons, possums. There shall be no hungry cats around here as long as I can do anything about it.