Can't I feed my garden birds because I have Dave the cat?

Not so dear customer - here's what to do to have a reasonably peaceful truce between moggy and birdlife!

It's true that cats are responsible for some bird demises - but feeding your birds and providing them with beneficial habitat far outweighs these risks as long as you take a few sensible precautions

1: Impose a cat curfew on Dave. Keeping your cat inside early morning is a brilliant way to minimise his hunting of your wildlife. Birds are at their most hungry (and so least vigilant) early in the morning so keeping your cat inside until the birds have had their first feed at dawn will be hugely beneficial.

2: Avoid feeding birds on the floor. Placing your food higher will help keep the birds out of reach of Dave and Co.

3: Make sure your cat is well fed before he goes out. You know what happens when you go to the supermarket on an empty stomach - - Your cat needs a morning snack - but not of the birdy type.

4: Consider a bell on Dave's collar- This simple addition cuts out predation by 30%