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Sorry Nick. I am a bit conflicted about the whole feeding other people’s cats thing. Cats will often attach themselves to whoever they perceive as the best provider, even if that means an unhealthy diet of dreamies (also known as cat crack) the owner may be trying to give it a healthy diet and the cat is off trying to find a new owner who will feed them all the nice things.
I have just acquired a rescue cat who was give up for exactly this reason (the previous owner left a note that I will quote a bit of here…
“We don’t want to part with Button, she has done nothing wrong! A really awful neighbour started feeding Button, then she would shut her in her house for days, it was awful. Every time I called, Button would rush back She stopped eating at home but was putting on a huge amount of weight. I have begged but the woman won’t stop so Button needs. New home away from us and our disgusting neighbour. “
Please do not think I am accusing you of similar. I am not. But just wanted to give a different perspective. Cats are not loyal like dogs and are easily led.
I think fussing and giving comfort to someone’s cat is fine but letting them in the house and feeding not so much. Whe have just started letting Lyra, nee Button out and I am paranoid about her making friends with the neighbours!
Anyway all good, as I say I am sure you are not trying to adopt the cat but just be careful.
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No I am not trying to adopt her. I don’t really want her in the house and she usually waits outside for her breakfast.When she pinched my dinner she whipped in the back door and out again very quickly.
Five dogs and a similar number of cats overtime in my life so I understand your concerns.
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Obviously a cat of discerning tastes!
Zebby, in his last few months, became partial to the very expensive Sheba “fishy”.
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All good an please don’t think that was what I was suggesting. Just wanted to highlight it as it was not something that ever crossed my mind until we heard Lyra’s back story
Yes, what is it they put in Dreamies???
I’m surprised they seem to occupy only a small part of the Supermarket shelves. I’ve never known a cat unwilling to demolish as many as they’re allowed in one sitting.
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Not sure but it is clearly addictive!
Bit like Wine Gums……
(well, they are for me, anyway. I’ve had to raid our store, just by thinking of them……)
I am now lucky enough to have a hedge hog visit as well during the small hours. I wondered what they fed upon and if any assistance could be offered.
Most hog vlogs ask you not to feed mealworms. These are considered addictive and a regular supply will turn them against their natural slugy wormy diet.
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From the extensive list I’ve just read on-line, it seems the easiest would be wet cat food i.e. something calcium rich, chicken being an option. The alternative appears to be very limited brands of cat kibble unless you want to order from/go to a pet shop. When I was a kid, my parents put out milky bread, which I now read is one of the worst things for them.
Interesting what you say about kitty seeking you out as I have friends who have cats on restricted diets due to medical issues, one of which should be but isn’t losing weight, perhaps as they are visiting another house(s) nearby. They may even be raiding the bowl of fox-food put out by one neighbour, which I understand to be a mix of garden veg offcuts and dog food.
I use peanuts 
or a dedicated / specialist hedgehog 
food. Clean water 
is a must .
The most I have had at a single time is five -that was something.
With warming , the idea they fully hibernate is a myth. I’ve fed them on Christmas 
Day.
At a pinch, you can use cat 
biscuits , but I do not want cats around - as I do not want to upset Mrs Houdini ( my cat)
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They are the lucky ones
You should best use dedicated bought hedgehog food or wet cat food if nothing else is available. They can’t digest some things that you might think of and others could be analogous to giving a human only chocolates, ie they would eat them but it wouldn’t be good for them and eating too many might stop them searching harder for proper food…
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Both Wilko and larger Tesco sell it, I often get it from Ark Wildlife along with my sunflower hearts.
They deliver and that is a good thing
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Why do you need to feed the hedgehogs? Here I have them in the garden and the fields around. They feed themselves. Presumably if they are surviving well enough to breed, they don’t need extra food. Surely the key to increasing the numbers is to improve the habitat?
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With you 100% on that. The key to hedgehog survival is providing and maintaining suitable habitat such as small wood piles and overgrown corners of the garden. No harm in providing fresh water especially in dry weather. with the right habitat there should be sufficient food to sustain a breeding population
The hogs travel great distances foraging at night so in urban areas making small holes in fences so that they can move around freely between gardens helps a great deal.
We are blessed with a large hog population here in wild North Yorkshire. We never feed them and they keep my cabbages free from slugs and snails.
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Because we are destroying their environment and paths .
Where people had gardens with slugs , they now have hard standings with gravel.
All that building, destruction of hedgerows etc . This is prime hedgehog territory. I have a scruffy bit of hedge opposite me , and I have pleaded with the Recreational Trust that administer it to leave it as I think the hogs shelter in it, indeed I can see all the paths in and out of it .
Hog numbers have declined sharply both through loss of habitat and through indiscriminate use of rat bait boxes, ideal for hoglets to hide in.
I also have dug a pond for frogs and have a herb garden for pollinating insects
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I think you might need somewhere else. I grow my beans in pots, I planted my first runners today. The pot gets weighted with house bricks to add stability .
The dwarf beans have a sunflower in the centre to help attract pollinators (apologies for straying to the garden thread)
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