Keeping cats out of a Hedgehog Feeding Station | Hedgehog's Hollow

[@HedgehogsHollow]

Have you put out a hedgehog feeding station for your visiting hedgehogs? And have you had a success or failure at keeping out the cats and dogs and slugs?

[@royfinch8644]

Yes, the bricks in front of the three stations keep the cats out. i don't have "plastic" and more just wooden boxes. The slugs still get in though, into box 3 which i only put dried food in.

[@annoverton6379]

Love you passion Mike, my hubby got a larger plastic box than the one you used , cut out an entrance & taped up around the rough Edges with gaffer tape, then he put a flat thick piece of wood to weigh the Box down then a sheet of newspaper on the top of the wood for the food to go on top of it the metal dish, pluse we put a heavy terracotta pot on top of his food station to stop lid coming off, we have 5 metal shallow dishes for either food or the water, water we leave outside the box, our hedgehog loves his food station which we have used for 5 years now, I hose it out regularly too, but will use your idea from previous video re copper tape as we find slugs get in when food dish is nearly empty, regards Ann & Norman

[@tonyf68]

Great to see the footage of how well your tunnel has worked. That’s a very determined cat! It was funny to see it watching while the hedgehog was eating the food 👍

[@HedgehogsHollow]

I genuinely felt sorry for the cat, especially when it was meaowing so very sadly. But the tunnel worked, and despite visiting a few more times, the cat no longer visits the garden at all, so it's been a success.

[@harrish6]

@@HedgehogsHollow I Also recorded the ingenuity and determination of well fed neighbours cats devouring expensive food provided for up to 8 hogs in any one evening. I can't say I can find much sympathy for the cats if they have problems getting around the barriers I erect attempting to frustrate their efforts

[@helenhornsby9152]

I place my hog food under half of a pet carrier with weight on top & brick obstructing entrance so only hogs can enter. Worked ok to date, about 3 years! Happy hogs.

[@HedgehogsHollow]

That's a great idea, and obviously a complete winner. Your hedgehogs must be very happy

[@ruthandrews3642]

Because of cats I bought a ready made tunnel which had an opening on one end and another sideways on to link with the feeding station entrance. It has been very successful until a new cat started to visit. I have a trail camera set up and was amazed to see the same cat inside the feeding station then a short film of it squeezing itself along the tunnel out again !!!

[@TheC0-ckmeister]

I BELIEVE another method is to keep the water bowl for the hedgehog fairly close to the entrance of the feeding station too.. obviously not that close so a hedgehog has difficulty entering but a cat often has to lay fairly flat to access a feeding station so if you leave the water around 10 to 12 inches from the feeding station door this will deter cats also as the last thing a cat wants to do is get wet!

[@HedgehogsHollow]

That's a great suggestion - I hadn't thought of that

[@matthewbowes7513]

My feeding station is made of paving blocks with a wooden lid and it works very well , thanks for cat video .

[@HedgehogsHollow]

I am glad to hear it's working well.

[@lorettalivingstone1128]

A few years ago, my sister bought me a beautiful hedgehog house and feeding dishes. My cat, who is always afraid someone is going to steal me from him, watched with interest, and the moment we settled the house and biscuits, he leapt on top of the house, clawed it, jumped off it and sprayed it. He did this almost every day no matter where we placed it. Needless to say, no hedgehog ever moved in permanently, although we did find evidence of one or two temporary stays. But the hedgehog house was made of a twiggy layer over black polythene over a wire frame, and now, I wonder if it was perfect as a claw-sharpening station, particularly since I now have a wooden house and even though he watched me place it, he's paid almost no attention to it. Maybe because it didn't have biscuits near it, or maybe because it just didn't work as a claw sharpener. I even covered the outside with pieces of tarp cut to size in case he sprayed it, but thankfully, he's just not interested. This one definitely has the odd wandering hedgehog overnighter but none of them have become permanent residents. There are way too many cats visiting my garden after dark so after a few abortive attempts at feeding the hedgehogs, all outsmarted by both mine and other cats, I just leave the hogs to forage by themselves. I've seen them crunching on bugs, and they enjoy the water left out for them.

[@HedgehogsHollow]

As much as a feeding station is a great addition to the garden, you’re absolutely right that have some great natural food sources is an even better option. And even having just an overnighting hedgehog is a great success .

[@caitlinsadiemay3120]

Thank you for this! I’ve had to stop feeding the hedgehogs due to a very sneaky cat! He’s a beautiful cat but an absolute unit and just so fat! I thought it was hedgehogs eating it until I decided to hang out later and watch!

[@patricehurip7118]

My cat is all the time stealing food ' hedgehogs because he is jealous ! I have to do a hedgehogs feeding station next spring Have a Nice Day And thanks for advice And share 💚💚💚

[@HedgehogsHollow]

Fortunately, my two cats are particularly fussy and they obviously feel that once the biscuits are out for the hedgehogs, it's beneath them and they surprisingly don't eat it.... It's the neighbour's cat that is the thief...

[@Pete.Ty1]

I'm having a similar experience with a feral cat trying to access the food, but unlike yourself I am not lucky enough to be visited by a hedgehog. Several years ago we had numerous hedgehogs and one always spent the winter hibernating in the barn. Sadly there's no evidence of any in the area at the present time. Perseverance is needed as you showed in one of your previous uploads. So I'll keep trying and keep hoping, fingers crossed.😊👍

[@HedgehogsHollow]

Keep trying and have patience. Mother Nature is remarkable in that the hedgehogs will likely find you, one way or another. Provided you're leaving out water and shelter, if the cats do become an issue, then stop leaving out food completely for a period and see if that helps stop the cats returning. I'm not familiar with all the specific hedgehog brand foods, but I believe that cats are not so fond of hedgehog biscuits, so if you get hedgehogs, perhaps look for a specific food that will hopefully not be attractive to the cats.

[@Pete.Ty1]

@@HedgehogsHollow Thank you 😊👍

[@Frostie3672]

Bricks in front of the entrance works for me with keeping annoying cats out, had one that managed to stick its head in the entrance once but couldn't get any further in & hasn't tried since. Also got one cat that looks inside the entrance to one of the hog houses but doesn't attempt to get inside & there's no bedding in the tunnel entrance for it to pull out.

[@HedgehogsHollow]

Sounds like you have a secure feeding station - well done for that. I think I ran out of bricks before I had a suitable solution, so the wooden tunnel worked for me

[@mirandakelly8733]

I have 5 disabled hedgehogs in my secure back garden, and a feeding station for the wild hedgehogs in my front garden. I also own a cat and I have cameras in both (wooden) feeding stations. Cats do not pose a threat to hedgehogs, apart from stealing their food. My own cat was very quickly put in his place by our very first blind hedgehog, who turned and charged at him, when he was threatening to pounce! He now ignores them, and they him. Cats never enter our secure garden feeding station, and only ever enter our front garden feeding station, when they know they won’t meet a hedgehog inside. The cats will enter after 5.30/6am once the last of the hedgehogs have gone to bed. Last year, the last hedgehog went into hibernation 31st October, 1st November the neighbourhood cats decided it was party time! Why don’t they enter our disabled hedgehogs’ station? Because all our hedgehogs are blind and aren’t too bothered about only coming out at night. There is a much higher chance of meeting a hedgehog in the back garden. From this point of view I prefer a wooden feeding station as the cats cannot see when there is no hedgehog inside, our stations both have two exits. With our front garden, I just take the hedgehog food inside early in the morning and put it back out at dusk. Leaving food out for hedgehogs in the Winter is more of a problem, when it’s beneficial to have food out for any hedgehog briefly waking from hibernation and looking for food. But only putting it out at night minimises the amount which will be stolen by cats. A tip for preventing rats and mice being attracted to a feeding station, is to put it in a more open area. Hedgehogs are less cautious about being out in a wide open space than rodents.

[@pollybramall4773]

lol,yes i have had a cat appear on a regular basis,and was eating all their food! i looked up tips on how to keep the cat from entering the feeding station,and opted for the simplest one,a bowel of water at the entrance,as the don’t like to get the paws wet,and hey presto it worked! thanx for sharing your video 🦔🦔🦔🦔🥳

[@douglasporter9053]

I have a couple of cats who visit my hedgehog house one is quite distinct the other not quite so much. The non-distinct cat is the one that climbs inside the house and steals the food. It's been known to pull the straw out, and if the food tray is sitting on top of the straw it eats the lot, I learned from that. I made a tunnel out of an old plastic plant pot, I thought that would keep the cat at bay, it didn't, it still tries to get in.

[@HedgehogsHollow]

There certainly are some really determined cats.

[@clarrytheclam]

I have four cats and attracting wildlife in a safe way is always a struggle, but I think I’ve pretty much optimised safe and happy outdoor exploration for both cats and wild critters ☺️ I have had the cats do the same to my nesting boxes as well, pulling out the straw and trying to stick their heads in. I think this was because a mouse had been there a few times, as it left some nuts and berries inside, so the cats could smell something, but thankfully it was still too tight for them to access fully 💕

[@harrish6]

We had up to eight hogs in our garden in any one night during 2020 and 4 or 5 cats belonging to neighbours. I have to find a way to prevent cats from stealing the hog food this year as I simply can't afford to feed the cats as well as the hogs - Help!

[@HedgehogsHollow]

I appreciate it can be very frustrating, and i have seen a number of videos of quite determined cats trying to get to the food. There are a variety of solutions, but the 90 degree tunnel has been a complete winner, and even though the cat does still visit to sniff around, my hedgehogs have had full access to the food without it first being stolen by rogue cats.

[@Frostie3672]

Plastic storage box is what I use, I place bricks in front of the entrance & that's worked for me in keeping annoying cats from stealing the food.

[@harrish6]

@@Frostie3672 Thanks - I have gone down the plastic box and brick route as it does seem to be the best way to deter some very persistent felines

[@lynnedavies5884]

@@Frostie3672 hi sorry to sound silly but if you are placing a break by the entrance how does the hedgehog get in

[@Frostie3672]

@@lynnedavies5884 the bricks are placed about 5 inches in front of the entrance, stops annoying cats getting in but there's enough space for hedgehogs to access.

[@wendymills2696]

What is the best way to make a safe feeding station for the hedgies & also what are good night cameras to get? We've had a Hedgie in feeding but have now found a new cat that we've not seen before & we think it's eaten the food we've been leaving out. We don't want to lose the hedgie

[@Panephysis1]

My wildlife camera picked up a mouse, a hedgehog and a cat all investigating the same feeding station....not sure if the cat was after the food or the mouse...only stills, no video.

[@HedgehogsHollow]

It is always interesting to me to see the activity that happens during the night that we may not otherwise know about without having a camera set up. I hope your hedgehog visitor starts visiting the feeding station more regularly

[@utaoffelmann7624]

I have also 4 cats. But they don't like the hedgehog food, if you mix catfood with a little bit dryfood for hedhehogs from 'Vitakraft'.

[@HedgehogsHollow]

Perfect! It's strange - my own cats don't bother the hedgehogs at all, it's only the neighbour's cat that likes to come and steal from the hedgehogs.

[@mirandakelly8733]

I started feeding our hedgehogs dry food, because my cat didn’t like it… my cat has since decided that it’s the best food ever! I at least know how to get the cat to eat something he’s being picky about… feed it to the hedgehogs! 😂

[@ruthandrews3642]

(I now have another ready made tunnel to link with the other so instead of an L shape entrance it’s now more of a Z…… the cat seems to have given up as I haven’t seen it for a while. ;0). )

[@takeiteasy7062]

Not sure if this sounds silly but what if the food was not visible and placed in a nontransparent box ? Would the cat still persist and seek it out and more importantly would the hedgehog find it? Just wondering as I'm thinking of trying this. I have neighbours cats all the time especially at night so I don't put food out because they eat it. Or what about creating a tunnel as you would for the den? A piece of drainpipe slid into the entrance perhaps?

[@HedgehogsHollow]

I think the cat is finding it through smell, rather than sight, so I suspect that hiding it, without restricting the access may not make any difference in this instance. The tunnel proved to be the key - and your idea of the drain in the side does sound like a reasonable solution.

[@rocker-barrel4786]

BnM stores sell tinned hedgehog food. Il take note off this video as nxt doors cat scoffs the lot.

[@hansiesma16]

Hello! My neighbourhood cats give me a hard time and to date one or them has managed to get into anything I have put down and I've been trying to stop them for months now. Only last night this cat got into another "predator free" feeding station - down the corridor and through the arched entrance at a 90 degree angle and into the main room where it scoffed the lot and then came out head first. I know this because my trailcam recorded entry and exit and proved that the hog didn't even go in. I have two questions. One about my latest inhabitant. This little hog has been coming out of its house intermittently during the night - three or four times for about half an hour each time, and last night it only came out once, for an hour. Is this entirely normal behaviour do you know? I'm wondering if it means the hog is poorly as I thought they would be out and about the whole night searching for food. Secondly, I think I need to provide food that cats won't eat. Will mealworms and grasshoppers be a sufficient supplementary diet? It seems not to rely on me feeding it at all but I want to, feed it that is!

[@HedgehogsHollow]

Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. To respond to your questions - no, I don't think the behaviour of the little hog is unusual. Hedgehogs spend a lot of time sleeping, even during the night, and if the weather is still cold, then they may spend a large amount of time sleeping during the night - interrupting their sleep only to eat, so no, I think that behaviour is very normal. With regard food - please absolutely do not feed them meal works - that is extremely bad for hedgehogs and will do a great deal of harm to them. If you don't feel that cats food is appropriate, you can try dry dog biscuits, provided the kibble is quite small for the hedgehogs to eat, or try hedgehog biscuits. You can find a video about what to feed hedgehogs here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e2q0iYqCep6cZsU

[@hansiesma16]

​@@HedgehogsHollow Thank you for responding and providing a link. The more I film it moving around the more reassured I have been becoming. It does look quite healthy but is plagued with fleas. The information on mealworms is so contradictory, that I've been in two minds about it for a while but yes I'll stop giving it mealworms. I think its hooked on the mealworms because it's rejecting good cat biscuits and wet food so I've bought some hog biscuits today. Its a damn shame because the birds love the mealworm and for that reason I've been generous with sprinkling them around this winter. Oh dear.

[@HedgehogsHollow]

The odd mealworm picked up that may have fallen from the bird feeder is fine, but meal worms are extremely detrimental to hedgehogs. Leave the hedgehog biscuits and it will take what it needs - remember, there's going to be a growing amount of natural food sources also available as it gets warmer, so it may not be rejecting the biscuits, simply finding other, natural source of food. Have you seen fleas on the hedgehog? Hedgehogs scratch naturally and a lot, that isn't specifically for fleas though, and the hedgehogs visiting my garden will always have a good session of scratching immediately after waking.

[@hansiesma16]

@@HedgehogsHollow Hello again, yes that's true and my Hostas will attest to have lots of natural food sources around in the coming months. No I haven't seen fleas, I just assumed because it scratches like mad every few minutes. Sometimes it falls over sideways when it's got one leg wrapped around its ear in a good scratching session. I don't see it ever, it comes out of its house when its dark and goes into its restaurant to see what it fancies and on the one night that it did eat a good handful of cat biscuits it then went straight back to bed for the rest of the night.

[@HedgehogsHollow]

All of that is very normal behaviour, so I wouldn't be concerned at all

[@desgardner7169]

The cats are no problem where I live, the problen are the rats who visit the local drivethrough fast food restaurant near by, it a common sight to see rats fighting over a half eaten burger thats been thrown out of a car, anyway this year a hedgehog built its nest in a broken upturned large flower pot in my garden it is still there now after two months but now the rats have started to eat its food, however the hedgehog can get out and look for its own food so I am not too concerned. I cant have rats in the garden so I have had to stop putting food out!

[@HedgehogsHollow]

It's sad that you have had to take that decision - but completely understandable. I'm sure the hedgehog will still have a sufficient natural food source - but you could still help with things like water, and bedding material and exploring ways of increasing the availability of bugs and insects for the hedgehog - things like logs decaying and the like are wonderful natural areas that insects will be attracted to and you can support your hedgehogs that way - without attracting rats.

[@dianestiner8602]

This kitty is fat enough well fed allready 😄

[@tonyburndred2432]

Hedgehogs come every night to feed out of the cat dish, the cats just look on, we probably have four even in winter that feed.

[@tilkaynine7902]

The whole point of feeding hedgehogs is because their very existence is threatened. Lack of insects being a serious problem. Please please please keep your cats in at night and put a bell on their collar. They will get used to it very quickly.

[@judithhope8970]

He's a very fat cat, so no need to feel guilty. Someone is obviously spoiling him.

[@HedgehogsHollow]

He is very well looked after. It was just the moans of disappointment that he couldn't get to raid the food 😀

[@martynarcher3957]

I have magpies and cats trying to get my Herby’s food.

[@gareth9012]

We use Spikes hedgehog food and it's out in the open - no feeding station except a couple of slabs. The numerous cats in the garden at night are curious about it and sometimes have a taste, but they don't eat it. I presume they don't like it. In the morning, the birds finish what's left over, which is fine and keeps the area clean. The only thief we had was one determined field mouse who took the food one piece at a time and hid it behind a log pile. It worked all night and it was quite impressive to see.

[@katherinebush-x8o]

Cheeky cat

[@helenrobinson8963]

Great video. I've managed to keep the cat off, but now I think a rat is going in!!! 😢 any ideas?