Devastated.

[Zookeepr]

I am new to this site.../ I woke to something absolutely horrible this morning and I am just beside myself with anguish. I had rescued a cat in the past month and he somehow got through the cage and killed my female cockatiel. I am simply devastated. My male cockatiel, the females’ partner is a complete wreck... of course. I don’t know what to do! The cat is now outside.. and will not be allowed back into my home. I have 2 other cats .. though they have never done anything to my birds and have been together for the past 2 years. Nonetheless, I did move the cage so that no cat can ever reach the cage at all .. ever again. I am so upset with myself as it was my job to protect them.

 

[CrazyBirdChick]

I'm so sorry for your loss

 

[Hankmacaw]

It was, of course, your responsibility to protect them. You can take this tragedy as a lesson that predators and prey don't mix and predators should never have access to prey.

Love your little girl, even in death. Remember all of the good times and remember that she is now flying high and free without pain.

 

[iamwhoiam]

So sorry for your loss.

 

[sunnysmom]

I am very sorry for your loss.

 

[Sarahmoluccan]

I'm so sorry for your loss

 

[calibird]

So sorry for your loss

 

[Zookeepr]

Do I get a new mate at some point?? I am so sad for my lonely bird. What a tragedy... all my fault.

 

[finchly]

Do I get a new mate at some point?? I am so sad for my lonely bird. What a tragedy... all my fault.

Yes but not yet. Your bird needs to grieve and so do you.

 

[Zookeepr]

How can I help him? I feel so bad for him, I want to do something but don’t know how to help...

 

[Dartman]

Just love him and talk to him, you'll go through this together. When Nerd Birds brother Ferd died a few years after having them very suddenly he was upset, calling and grieving and so was I. We grieved together and slowly became best buds for the next 30 years. When he and you are ready you can get him another mate but he will probably always be very fond of you after you help him get through this.

 

[zoo mom]

I am so sorry for your loss.

 

[Modell]

Please do not throw the cat out! Doing so will do absolutely nothing to bring back your poor birdie! If you really decide you no longer want the cat, look for a good home for it instead of sentencing it to a potentially agonizing death! It's not the cat's fault it's a cat. My dogs would not hesitate to kill my birds and while I would be absolutely devastated if it happened, I would never throw my dogs out! I make sure my dogs cant touch my birds. I have three terrier mixes and terriers are bred to hunt. Two out of three of my terriers, one in particular, can hop up onto counters and high spaces. Theyre very cat like! The cat could be shot, posioned, beaten, run over or eaten! It could even be captured to be used as bait or snake food! You, as a pet owner, have a responsibility to the cat, regardless of what it did. You took the cat in, you decided to take responsibility for it. I dont want to be harsh, but as an animal lover and owner I am absolutely horrified that you would throw the cat to the unknown. Please find a new home for the cat if you must, do not simply kick it out. In the long run, letting a cat roam outside kills more birds and other animals. Feral cats decimate wild populations and are driving species to the brink of extinction. If you can't do it for the cat's sake, do it for the environment's.
Now that that's off my chest, I truly am sorry for your loss. My birdies mean the world to me so I can't even imagine the pain you're going through.

 

[expressmailtome]

I am sorry for your loss.

 

[HolliDaze]

It was, of course, your responsibility to protect them. You can take this tragedy as a lesson that predators and prey don't mix and predators should never have access to prey.

Love your little girl, even in death. Remember all of the good times and remember that she is now flying high and free without pain.

I had a cockatiel who was killed by a ferret that had escaped its cage. I was devastated. I cried for 3 days straight, to the point that my I woke up with my (at the time) boy friend with my crying (I was in another room). He came out and I sobbed "she's gone" (this was the day after she died, he found her body with me, so he knew about her death) and he thought I was talking about my mother (out of state, she had just gotten into an accident) because I was crying so hard. She finally got a home for her feathers I gathered during her first molt, I bought a nice urn for her.
It is very easy to beat yourself up, but this forum is great about helping you cope. There is no lying, your actions (you having the cat in the same place as the bird, and me leaving the ferret room door open) lead to your baby's demise, but no one here blames you, and I doubt your bird would if we could ask. No one here thinks less of you, you simply learned a very tough lesson, a very, very tough lesson. It is one of the hardest lessons you can learn. Your little friend now soars in peace. Good luck with her hubbie.

I hope I didn't say anything offensive in my above paragraph, sometimes I struggle determining what will upset someone. However, don't let the cat suffer in any way because it killed your baby. though it may be hard to even look at him now, he only did what he did because of instinct. He wasn't aware your bird was a pet, that he was hurting someone you love and care about, he was doing what cats do, hunt. In his head, he was getting food. It's okay if you can't keep the cat (I couldn't keep the ferret), just make sure he finds someplace safe to live.

 

[CeciliaZ]

 

[Tiel Feathers]

I'm so sorry for you and your sweet male tiels loss. Give your little guy lots of love. It must have been very traumatic for him to witness that.

 

[DQTimnehs]

I'm so sorry for you and the male tiel!
I agree that you should not abandon the cat for being a cat. Keep the cats and birds separate and rehome the cat if you feel you have to.

 

[blewin]

It is extremely difficult mixing birds with cats or dogs, and I feel for you. After losing a dog to old age, we find ourselves having to train a puppy that Buddy is not a toy. We've also had to retrain Buddy to tolerate hands even under stress. Even with Artie (our older dog) we had several close calls before we could get rules established that both Buddy and Artie understood.

My suggestion would be to find the rescue cat a new home. She is clearly a hunter (not all cats are), and assuming that she was at some point feral, this was a behavior that served her well. She won't unlearn it, and now that she knows there's a bird around, she's not got to forget that, either. Unfortunately, there's just no way for you to have a housing situation that's fair or safe for the cat or your 'tiel.

That being said, kicking it out of the house is not a solution, you've just basically endangered every wild bird in the area.

 

[Kristina M]

I am so very sorry for this horrific accident, and your pain, & grief.
That is what happened...an accident. You would never intentionally put any of your animals at risk.
Please know that you are not alone. Many others have accidentally been responsible for their pets death, including me.
Be kind to yourself. Judge yourself the way you would if a beloved friend shared with you the same news.

Love and warm healing wishes from Kristina and Goose.