Barb, that's a first class heart break! It makes a person afraid to open the door in the morning, for a look around.. Your cats are indoor pets, aren't they? I know that we used to get cherries on our two big trees until we stopped having a dog.. Is this a new pond? Is it a new problem? And is there any method of prevention...? I know that 15 years ago when I was planning my garden, I wanted a pond with goldfish and water lilies. But I was talked out of it with the statement that the raccoons would play fun & games with the goldfish, so I abandoned the idea. I settled for a hollowed-out large stone which is intended to be a Japanese water vessel, complete with a bamboo drinking gourd. Only problem is that then all the varmints know there is a steady water supply for their pleasure, which attracts them to my yard, darnit! So I keep it empty. Nature has fixed it so that the animals keep one step ahead of us. It ain't fair! You definitely have my condolences for your chaos. Penny _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]