by Pigeon Patrol | Mar 11, 2016 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Spikes
Dear Porky,
My two cats, George, age 7, and Elaine, age 2, mostly get along great.
I adopted Elaine a year ago to keep George company.
But every once in a while, for reasons that are not at all obvious to me, they will start hissing at each other, sometimes swatting, and then stalk away in a huff.
They haven’t hurt each other yet, but it worries me. What should I do?
Sally
Dear Sally,
Just maybe they’re getting cranky because you ignore them while you watch endless reruns on the TV.
Just sayin’.
No seriously, cats have occasional disagreements.
They can be, you know, “catty.”
Their behavior may include hissing, spitting, swatting or chasing. If cats occasionally hiss and swat and don’t cause injury, or if they take turns doing the chasing, not to worry.
Play aggression is not a cause for alarm.
But major altercations can become serious and should not be tolerated.
Howling, yowling, flattened ears, dilated pupils, raised hackles, arched back and puffy hair are indications that a battle is on the horizon; so, you need to intervene before they get to that stage.
Staring at each other with a twitching tail is an early warning sign.
Cat-to-cat aggression is one of the major behavior problems experienced by cat owners.
If cats have unresolved issues with one another, they may injure each other, spray your house to mark territory, become lethargic, hide, refuse to eat and subsequently lose weight, experience stress and fear and even become sick.
It doesn’t sound like you have a serious problem yet, but there are steps you can take to minimize the chances that it will become serious.
Basically, you can create an environment that promotes harmony between George and Elaine rather than one in which they have to compete for resources.
Provide more than one litter box in more than one location, and let them decide for themselves which to use.
Providing a food dish for each cat or feeding stations at multiple locations can help reduce competition for food.
Multi-level cat trees or shelves make use of vertical space within the home and give cats optional places to hang out.
The more opportunity for cats to have their own spots, the better.
And it goes without saying that your cats should be neutered.
They have enough things to argue with each other about without adding sex to the mix.
If George and Elaine begin what appears to be a serious fight, interrupt them.
Make an obnoxious loud noise by shaking a jar of pennies, snapping your fingers, or clapping your hands.
If that doesn’t work, blast them with a stream of water or throw a blanket over them.
Once they stop fighting, separate them and reintroduce them gradually, even if they have lived together for some time.
Make sure they are settled before putting them together again.
Never ever try to separate fighting cats with your hands! It could result in injury to your hands, face or other parts of your body.
If you are bitten by a cat seek medical attention right away as cat bites are unusually infectious.
The Oswego County Humane Society provides spay/neuter services and assistance, fostering and adoption of animals in urgent need, humane education programs, and information and referrals to animal lovers throughout Oswego County.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Mar 10, 2016 | Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes
A pigeon which caused a flap at the Sainsbury’s supermarket in Bishop’s Stortford town centre by taking up residence for several days has left.
Shopper Mick Sleeman was surprised to see the bird in the rafters of the Jackson Square store and droppings on the floor by the delicatessen counter on Monday evening (Oct 19).
“I saw seven or eight Sainsbury’s workers and they were all looking up,” he said. “I looked up and saw what I think is a wood pigeon on one of the rafters. I spoke to someone there and they said it had been there for about three days. There were a lot of droppings on the floor in front of the deli counter.”
On Tuesday, the branch duty manager referred the Herts & Essex Observer to the Sainsbury’s press office, but said: “We have got a pigeon. [It’s] not taken up residence. At the moment our pest control team are dealing with the issue.”
A Sainsbury’s media spokeswoman said the same day: “We are taking the appropriate action to safely remove the pigeon.”
Today (Wednesday), another spokeswoman said: “The pigeon was safely caught and released within 24 hours, and it’s now business as usual at Bishop’s Stortford.”
On the Observer’s Facebook page, Chris Murdoch posted: “There were pigeons in there this time last year. I told Sainsbury’s about it but they didn’t seem particularly bothered.”
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Mar 9, 2016 | Bird Netting, Pigeon Spikes, UltraSonic Bird Control
A PIGEON infestation at Cunupia High School has forced teachers to seek refuge in the school’s library.
Additionally, the school is also faced with another problem of stray dogs living on the compound and sleeping in classrooms.
Teachers who reported for duty yesterday decided to suspend classes and operate from the library as most of the classrooms were covered with pigeon droppings while in some areas, the birds were living under desks in classrooms.
Sources at the school told Newsday that the stray dog population increased during the recent August vacation with several puppies playing in the yard. Students have in the past complained about being bitten by ticks and fleas. Shortly after 9 am, teachers took a decision not to operate under these conditions and informed school principal Noreen Rajkumar about their decision.
The teachers also informed the TT Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) and the PTA about their decision to abandon classes. TTUTA has promised to send a representative today to assess the situation. After taking roll call, the teachers left their respective classes and headed for the library. Teachers also claimed that equipment purchased for use by students are missing.
Equipment include power saws, compressors and other pieces of equipment valued thousands of dollars. Teachers pointed out that even the timetable for students for the various forms were not provided until Tuesday and when students checked the timetables given to them, it clashed with other classes and now the timetables have to be redone. They added that parents of students attending classes have been seeking transfers because of the numerous problems. They are calling on the new Minister of Education (Arima MP Anthony Garcia is tipped for this post) to intervene.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Mar 8, 2016 | Animal Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Spikes
Restrictions in other cities have caused an increase in the trapping of wild birds in Pittsburgh so they can be sold for pigeon shoots in eastern and central Pennsylvania.
To counter this, Pittsburgh City Council advanced a bill Wednesday that would ban the trapping of wild birds in the city.
Councilwoman Darlene Harris, who introduced the legislation last week, said during the council’s Standing Committee meeting that her office has fielded an increasing number of complaints about pigeons being trapped in the city for shoots at gun clubs in eastern and central Pennsylvania.
“These pigeons are sold to gun clubs, held in inhumane conditions, thrown in the air and shot for sport,” she said.
The ordinance is headed for final approval Tuesday, though likely with some amended language to avoid impeding the city Animal Care and Control Bureau’s ability to trap pigeons if necessary.
Rebecca Reid, a wildlife advocate with Humane Options Pittsburgh, which promotes non-lethal means of dealing with urban wildlife, called the shoots “quite a horrifying spectacle.” She said the trapped birds, sold by “pigeon brokers,” are often crammed into cages and “stockpiled” for days at a time before shoots while exposed to the elements.
Trappers get about $5 per pigeon and have been spotted Downtown and in the Strip District in large vans with cages on top, she said. The shoots themselves can kill thousands of birds depending on how long they last.
Mary Kennedy Withrow, shelter director and director of government affairs for the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society, said bans on trapping pigeons in New York and Philadelphia have pushed the practice to Pittsburgh.
Attempts to ban pigeon shoots at the state level have failed for more than two decades, said Heidi Prescott, senior vice president of campaigns for the Humane Society of the United States.
“There is an underground trade in pigeons for live pigeon shoots and there have been an increase in complaints of pigeon trapping in both Pittsburgh and New York,” she said. “This ordinance will certainly help stem the flow of pigeons for the shoots.”
Ms. Prescott has been lobbying against pigeon shoots in Harrisburg since 1993 and last year succeeded in getting a bill through the Senate only to have it languish in the house, where Rep. Mike Turzai, R-Marshall, then House majority leader and now speaker of the House, blocked it from coming to a vote. It has been introduced again this year.
Most states have either banned pigeon shoots outright or through the interpretation of animal cruelty laws, she noted.
The chief opponent of a pigeon-shoot ban has been the National Rifle Association, which called it “misguided” last year.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Mar 5, 2016 | Bird Netting, Pigeon Spikes
Avian experts object to proposal for pigeon birth control, say a study needs to be done first.
Taking a cue from the Spanish town of Badia del Valles which is feeding its burgeoning population of pigeons with birth control pills, the Shiv Sena wants BMC to bring down the city’s pigeon numbers in a similar fashion.
According to reports, the Catalan town of will use three automatic dispensers to scatter the required dosage to the pigeon population every morning. Each pigeon will be fed 10 gm of Ovistop, a product made of corn seeds covered in Nicarbazin, which acts as a contraceptive for the birds.
If Sena corporator Abhishek Ghosalkar has his way, pigeons in Mumbai may be put on birth control too. The birds are often regarded as ‘flying vermin’. In his notice of motion, Ghosalkar has claimed the pigeon population is posing a serious health hazard. A pair of pigeons can produce as many as 48 offspring each year.
In April 2014, Mumbai Mirror had reported on how pigeons have rapidly multiplied in the city, and their droppings are leading to respiratory problems in citizens.
The report mentioned how a Mulund homemaker spent Rs 15,000 to cover her apartment windows with netting to block pigeons that had become a health hazard, dropping a huge quantity of ‘infection-spreading’ excrement on windowsills, but even that did not solve the problem. A well-fed pigeon on an average dispenses up to 11.5 kg of droppings a year, the report had said.
Though there have been no studies conducted on Mumbai’s pigeons, the bird, once restricted to a few city areas, have now become almost omnipresent. Ghosalkar has also said in his proposal that many citizens have complained to him.
Incidences of respiratory problems among people, especially those living near the kabootarkhanas, have registered an increase. In fact, there was a move by locals in Ghatkophar a couple of years ago to relocate the kabootarkhana, but it was opposed by bird lovers and even local politicians.
Even before the proposal comes up for debate in the civic body, it has started receiving objections. Sunish Subramanian, secretary, Plants and Animal Welfare Society (Mumbai) said there is no scientific study to prove pigeons in the city are causing respiratory problems in citisens. “Such proposals will send out wrong signals in society,” he added.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Mar 4, 2016 | Bird Netting, Pigeon Spikes, UltraSonic Bird Control
Pune railway has forbidden citizens from feeding pigeons at the kabutarkhana, as its excreta is harming the heritage building
It would not be hyperbolic to term them a killer flock — heritage conservationists and experts across the nation have documented how pigeon excreta has destroyed precious art and the challenge they face in the clean-up process. Closer home, the birds have unleashed havoc among passengers as well as staff at Pune Railway Station, provoking the authorities to put up a warning sign near the popular kabutarkhana and Mahatma Gandhi statue, barring citizens from feeding the pigeons, as it leads to an insurmountable task for the authorities to clean up the excreta.
“The pigeon population around the railway station’s premises has multiplied in recent times, thanks to people flocking here to dole out morsels of food. Their presence is affecting the heritage structure of the railway station. Its roof, the rooms inside and the passages have become very unclean. A few days ago, they had also invaded the VIP lounge and dormitories, leading to a rush of complaints from passengers,” said Sunil Kamthan, station manager at Pune Railway Station. He went on to say that the premises have to be mopped at least six times daily because of this invasion, and that even after, a strong stench lingers along the corridors. “We spent more than a lakh cleaning the roof and shelves of the building,” added Kamthan.
Since simply propping up a warning sign is not known to dissuade people from doing as they please, officers at the station have taken it upon themselves to walk up to the erring citizen to urge them to halt the act. “We have not imposed any fine for feeding the birds yet, but if this persists despite the warning, we will be forced to mandate punitive action,” said Kamthan.
Paresh Jagtap, a passenger, has welcomed the railway’s move, although he finds the flight of pigeons a pleasant sight on the premises. “The warning is legit, but they should continue in their efforts to keep the station premises clean,” said Jagtap. Vivek Bunthambe, a member of the cleaning staff at the railway station, said, “We have cleaned the entire building several times in one year, particularly the upper roof, and yet there is excreta all over the building. The passengers complain about the foul odour that the pigeons leave behind.”
Pigeon excreta is known to stain the surface of abuilding, gradually setting in the process of corrosion. “We generally water jet an unclean surface before restoration. The water is laced with lemon or cinnamon, but even this does not work on pigeon droppings and we have to use caustic chemicals for such spots. Besides this, the bacteria from the droppings attract termites, especially on limestone. And when such termites establish a colony, rats are attracted to feed on them, which establishes a cycle,” said V M Sharma, a civil engineer and contractor who has worked on the restoration of various Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) projects, as well as the restoration of the Red Fort, in New Delhi.
Mumbai-based conservation architect, Abha Narain Lambah, who has worked on the Victoria Memorial, Kolkata and the Tata Palace, Mumbai, where the Deutsche Bank is housed, called attention to the strong acids in the excreta that affect oft stones such as limestone and marble. “It corrodes the surface, discolouring it; at times, even small pits appear on the surface,” said Lambah.
Tejas Garge, an archaeologist from Central Archeological Survey of India, said the phosphorous in the pigeon excreta is known to damage monuments, and hence, too many pigeons around heritage structures can be harmful. “When pigeon excreta lodges inside intricate designs, they are ruined forever. The only thing that remains is stone. It affects the plastering, damaging the structure, as in the case of the Ajanta and Ellora caves. After a rigorous study on the damages, bird proof nets have been put up at these places,” said Garge.
Pigeon excreta corrodes the surface, discolouring it. In some cases, small pits are known to appear on the surface
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
