Having no dog & maintaining a wild bird feeding area in my backyard for years, the yard had become a hangout for the neighborhood cats. Despite my best efforts to discourage them they would lay in wait for the birds, mark their territory, use it as their battleground at night etc, etc. I have not seen a cat in the yard since I put the chicks outside at the age of five weeks, they're 21 weeks now. Guess the chicks, being larger than what the cats had ever encountered before, really freaked em out. I haven't even seen a cat watching from a safe distance, like the top of the wall, which is where they would always pause to glare at me before disappearing from view. Good riddance! Thank you Girls!