permaculture

[Marimike6@cs.com]

Lisa,

There's probably no rule that says your cats, rats and frogs are going to be 
anything like mine, but this has been my experience:

At first the yard cats brought home a lot of squirrels. Then the squirrels 
became more crafty. Then the cats brought home a lot of birds. Then the birds 
became more crafty. Now we have a yard full of birds at the feeder and cats 
watching them who hardly ever manage to get one. I think the squirrels left 
to 
bother the neighbors.

We used to have a lot of moles. When the cats were lean and hungry they just 
about exterminated them all. But now the cats have let the moles come back-- 
and I can't put out bait because the cats love the bait, and then they need a 
course of vitamin K to keep from bleeding out.

We have always had lots and lots of little chameleon frogs. They must not 
taste good because I've never seen a cat harm one of them. So now we have a 
stable ecology of cats, birds, moles and frogs. Only the squirrels are 
missing-- 
and if I lock the cats indoors it only takes them a day or two to come back 
and 
displace the birds at the feeder.

I hope this helps, but suspect it doesn't. One final tip: feed the cats 
enough to keep them from going next door and trying to get adopted by another 
household. But don't feed them so much they just lay around letting your mice 
play 
in the driveway.

Michael