Any suggestions on keeping weasels safe from cats and dogs in our yard? (1 Viewer)

[s.diana.s]

Cats have been documented to prey on several species of weasel, it's not that unusual AFAIK - FWIW, you can find videos of cats preying on weasels (or the aftermath) on Youtube. I've even seen one from someone in the US whose cat brought in a live stoat that he managed to release later. Rarer than catching mice or lizards, but then again there's a huge number of unattended cats wandering about. Dogs catch all manner of critters that are more agile than themselves; it's not like they have to be particularly dexterous given the size discrepancy, at least as long as the dog isn't worrying much about getting bit by its prey. Irrespective of the actual success rate of either species, the disturbance is still there.

Cats catching weasels? Eeeek! I didn't think they would dare. But there hasn't been a cat here since 2013, and he was indoors-only and lived on my lap.

In any case, weasels can fit through very small spaces indeed, and probably have spaces of their own. I first saw my current little guest on the afternoon of Christmas Eve. I was going outdoors when I saw a pretty little white face at the small opening in the outer door where the extension cord goes through! I can't imagine how that head could fit through the tiny crack. We looked at each other a bit, then the rest of him came through, crossed the entry, hid, then poked his head out and looked at me some more. If you want to build a safety shelter for them, I can only say that this one - big as weasels go - had no trouble coming through an opening of much less than an inch!

 

[s.diana.s]

I've had weasels not only on my property but in my house! I just love the beautiful, graceful creatures, and found this forum while checking Google to find out if they would eat cat food. My little guest, Herman the Second, has exterminated all the mice, and I'm afraid he will get hungry and leave.

He's only the second one I've seen indoors in six years, but I'm sure they are in my yard. I have a wild area west of the house and a 5-acre wildlife planting nearby. I keep the grass long for fireflies as long as they are active, then mow only to 4" or taller. There are many trees. All of this encourages wildlife. The long grass is home to cottontails, and they are prime food for weasels.

I never see them outdoors, though, because they prefer not to be seen. I would guess you have them in your yard too, and they are only hiding.

Weasels are fierce for their size, though very shy and certainly no threat to humans. I read once that in a battle between a weasel and a cat, the cat would be "destroyed." Cats have more sense than to attack a creature that could out-fight them, so I wouldn't worry too much about that. Nor will the outdoor mouse population ever be depleted! In short, I guess you have weasels and that they are safe. May one come into your house!! Only if you want it there, of course. It's delightful to know you could see a graceful, snow-white ermine with a jet-black tail when you least expect it, or even feel it walking around on top of your blanket!

I just noticed the post saying that cats have been filmed catching weasels. Very sorry to learn that! I just hope people take videos of this precisely because it is so unusual.

 

[Elkhornsun]

Cats cross my property in the daylight hours only once. I have too many wildbirds to let neighbors' free roaming cats kill them for sport.

 

[s.diana.s]

Cats cross my property in the daylight hours only once. I have too many wildbirds to let neighbors' free roaming cats kill them for sport.

What do you do, though? You could get into legal trouble for killing a neighbor's pet, and it would make you terribly unpopular. I hope you call the authorities and let them deal with it! The authorities would probably tell the owners to keep their pet indoors or else! And there's no reason they shouldn't. Cats thrive indoors and are a lot safer.

 

[Avon Avians]

I've had weasels not only on my property but in my house! I just love the beautiful, graceful creatures, and found this forum while checking Google to find out if they would eat cat food. My little guest, Herman the Second, has exterminated all the mice, and I'm afraid he will get hungry and leave.

He's only the second one I've seen indoors in six years, but I'm sure they are in my yard. I have a wild area west of the house and a 5-acre wildlife planting nearby. I keep the grass long for fireflies as long as they are active, then mow only to 4" or taller. There are many trees. All of this encourages wildlife. The long grass is home to cottontails, and they are prime food for weasels.

I never see them outdoors, though, because they prefer not to be seen. I would guess you have them in your yard too, and they are only hiding.

Weasels are fierce for their size, though very shy and certainly no threat to humans. I read once that in a battle between a weasel and a cat, the cat would be "destroyed." Cats have more sense than to attack a creature that could out-fight them, so I wouldn't worry too much about that. Nor will the outdoor mouse population ever be depleted! In short, I guess you have weasels and that they are safe. May one come into your house!! Only if you want it there, of course. It's delightful to know you could see a graceful, snow-white ermine with a jet-black tail when you least expect it, or even feel it walking around on top of your blanket!

The weasel has probably gone off to hunt more mice by now.
They usually hunt for food every few hours in the winter.

They will certainly eat cat food (especially wet) when starving, but as long as the weasel isn't trapped, it will probably prefer to search for more mice and meadow voles outside. Weasels will poop and pee wherever they want, so they are probably better off outside.
(I wouldn't want a weasel in our house. We have a guinea pig and hound dogs with good hunting instincts.)

Is your area really rural? Weasels will certainly enter houses in areas surrounded by suitable habitat.

However, we did hear of a short-tailed weasel walking around in the seafood section of a supermarket!
My dad's coworker actually sent us a picture of the adorable rascal. Apparently, they are attracted to the smell of fish when mice are nowhere to be found.

Our neighbor told us that our other neighbor a few houses down actually saw a weasel. We considered the possibility that it was actually a rat, but rats don't look much like weasels. It might also have been a mink, which we never see near our house, but might move about the margins of the nearby river/reservoir.

I still don't trust the big cats to leave the weasels alone. The black-and-white cat that walks by our yard chases squirrels, and there's a video on YouTube of a cat killing a New Zealand stoat. I'm also worried that the smells of cats and dogs alone might be enough to deter them.

Perhaps planting ground covers and dense grasses would give the weasels a place to hide? Unfortunately, our yard is very small, so it would be almost like an island in the middle of an ocean of roaming cats and sparse cover (although there is a thicket of shrubs a few hundred feet from our house).

 

[Avon Avians]

What do you do, though? You could get into legal trouble for killing a neighbor's pet, and it would make you terribly unpopular. I hope you call the authorities and let them deal with it! The authorities would probably tell the owners to keep their pet indoors or else! And there's no reason they shouldn't. Cats thrive indoors and are a lot safer.

I agree. Why in the world would you get into legal trouble and give your neighbors no reason to respect you when you could use the law to your advantage? If you don't want cats that aren't yours on your property, then tell the neighbors that they need to confine their cats!
I wouldn't even call the authorities unless your neighbors are intentionally ignoring you.

Feral cats are a different issue altogether. They are essentially wild vermin. But I could never find it within me to kill one (personally).
I'm sure that it's legal to capture domestic and feral cats in live traps, though.

I actually find "our" free ranging cats to be endearing. They only occasionally attack birds, despite wandering through our yard daily.
But since they are so bold and attack birds so infrequently, I'm thinking that most of the neighborhood cats are pets that are allowed outdoors. I'm positive that one is a pet, and perhaps we might be able to contact the neighbor about keeping the cat confined.

But I doubt that we would be able to find out about the origins of all the neighborhood cats.
I may eventually be forced to buy a cage trap to find out.

 

[s.diana.s]

The weasel has probably gone off to hunt more mice by now.
They usually hunt for food every few hours in the winter.

They will certainly eat cat food (especially wet) when starving, but as long as the weasel isn't trapped, it will probably prefer to search for more mice and meadow voles outside. Weasels will poop and pee wherever they want, so they are probably better off outside.
(I wouldn't want a weasel in our house. We have a guinea pig and hound dogs with good hunting instincts.)

Is your area really rural? Weasels will certainly enter houses in areas surrounded by suitable habitat.

However, we did hear of a short-tailed weasel walking around in the seafood section of a supermarket!
My dad's coworker actually sent us a picture of the adorable rascal. Apparently, they are attracted to the smell of fish when mice are nowhere to be found.

Our neighbor told us that our other neighbor a few houses down actually saw a weasel. We considered the possibility that it was actually a rat, but rats don't look much like weasels. It might also have been a mink, which we never see near our house, but might move about the margins of the nearby river/reservoir.

I still don't trust the big cats to leave the weasels alone. The black-and-white cat that walks by our yard chases squirrels, and there's a video on YouTube of a cat killing a New Zealand stoat. I'm also worried that the smells of cats and dogs alone might be enough to deter them.

Perhaps planting ground covers and dense grasses would give the weasels a place to hide? Unfortunately, our yard is very small, so it would be almost like an island in the middle of an ocean of roaming cats and sparse cover (although there is a thicket of shrubs a few hundred feet from our house).

Herman II is still hunting in the house! I saw him last night. Just a streak of white crossing the living room this time, but that could only have been Herman.

I've seen the scat, but it isn't nearly as bad as mouse dirt. It's very narrow and quickly dries up to nothing. I can see why you don't want one indoors with your pets! The weasel might kill the guinea pig, and the dog might kill the weasel and get badly scarred in the process.

Yes, I'm rural - I live on a farmstead, so I can keep the grass long and have a lot of space to dedicate to wildlife. Your weasels might be safer if you planted some thick bushes - or ground covers and dense grasses - and. let the grass grow if your city isn't difficult about it. (Fargo is terrible - I read an article about a man who planted wild flowers instead of grass, expensive and well tended, but they made him dig it up and plant grass instead.) Any city would allow an island of that tropical- looking grass, I think. It's planted so often just for decoration.

If your yard is an island of safety, maybe the creatures would be all the more drawn to it.

 

[Elkhornsun]

I tried a animal friendly trap but ended up with a opossum and a skunk that I needed to release. If I took a cat to the humane society they would neuter it and then put it out for adoption where it could continue to hunt wildlife.

In my state there are laws regarding nuisance animals which can be trapped and removed. It applies to wild turkeys, which are also very destructive, and to cats and dogs. It is a lengthy process and can be expensive as the victim of the roaming cat pays for having it removed.

Most of my neighbors with cats allow them to roam freely night and day. They think it is cute when their pet comes back with some small animal in its mouth.

I have planted my shrubs over the years to provide effective cover for the birds that visit and this has helped greatly with respect to the cats. Not all that effective with predators like sharp-shinned hawks that will fly or walk into the bushes to grab a songbird.

 

[Avon Avians]

I tried a animal friendly trap but ended up with a opossum and a skunk that I needed to release. If I took a cat to the humane society they would neuter it and then put it out for adoption where it could continue to hunt wildlife.

In my state there are laws regarding nuisance animals which can be trapped and removed. It applies to wild turkeys, which are also very destructive, and to cats and dogs. It is a lengthy process and can be expensive as the victim of the roaming cat pays for having it removed.

Most of my neighbors with cats allow them to roam freely night and day. They think it is cute when their pet comes back with some small animal in its mouth.

I have planted my shrubs over the years to provide effective cover for the birds that visit and this has helped greatly with respect to the cats. Not all that effective with predators like sharp-shinned hawks that will fly or walk into the bushes to grab a songbird.

There aren't any laws about keeping cats off of the lands of other people, nor restricting neighborhood cats from killing birds, but there is something seriously wrong with cats being allowed to venture into other people's yards and "steal" wildlife from their own properties when they aren't even their own pets.

Fortunately, most neighborhoods will allow people to report "nuisance" cats on their properties, and authorities will make the neighbors keep their cats inside or at least on their land (by catios, enclosures, and fencing).

If people want their cats to bring in dead mice and birds for them, then they should at least be the mice and birds around their properties, not ours. We might want even the mice around (they are valuable for weasels), and that's our own decision to make.

And weasels aren't vermin, so cats shouldn't be encouraged to kill them (even chicken keepers shouldn't kill them, but instead should secure their coops, because weasels rarely attack chickens in broad daylight).

Some people (even our neighbors next door) keep their cats inside, so putting out cats for adoption doesn't mean that they will continue to kill wildlife. Putting them out for adoption is often unnecessary as well, because their original owners might want them back, and might keep them confined if their cats are being trapped every time they leave their land.

If they are confirmed to be feral cats (which are wild animals) then it is up to the land owner whether they will live, die, or at least find somewhere else to live. I could honestly never bring myself to kill cats, or even starlings and house sparrows for that matter.

Sharp-shinned hawks aren't bad unless they have an unnaturally unfair advantage. Shrubs should be thick enough to conceal smaller birds.
Dense, thorny tangles such as blackberries, raspberries, roses, and barberries are great for hiding birds, and grow up quickly (roses and barberries aren't always invasive). Honeysuckles, trumpet creepers, grapes, and Virginia creepers can be grown over these shrubs for even greater protection. The thorns should also deter cats.

 

[Avon Avians]

Herman II is still hunting in the house! I saw him last night. Just a streak of white crossing the living room this time, but that could only have been Herman.

Hopefully, Herman doesn't starve to death and can access the outside if necessary to search for more mice and other small prey.

Short-tailed weasels can starve to death in a single day and can't survive without water for long either.
A bowl of wet cat food and a bowl (or bottle) of water might help Herman survive if he cannot find his escape hole.
Weasels will evidently even eat suet during the winter.

 

[Avon Avians]

I just noticed the post saying that cats have been filmed catching weasels. Very sorry to learn that! I just hope people take videos of this precisely because it is so unusual.

I have actually heard of weasels winning fights with cats. One post (which annoyed me) showed someone's barn cat with a dead weasel, and commended the cat as "brave" because they claimed that their other barn cats prior couldn't defeat them and actually died (I believe they kept chickens, so they wanted to eliminate the weasels). I can't say for certain if they were telling the truth or simply blaming the weasels for an unknown cause of death, but I can see weasels taking down cats similar to how they take down hares and European rabbits.

This weasel (stoat) shows reminiscent predatory behavior as it plays with a cat.

https://i.gifer.com/8xfs.gif

A weasel would probably only attempt this as a counterattack or defense.