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Should we get a cat? How do we keep the birds safe?

finchly

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One time, years ago, i purchased a bag of dog food from the grocery store. When I opened it and reached in to get dog food out, a mouse ran up my arm. I shook it off onto the steps (indoors) and watched it zig zag back and forth while 2 dogs and 2 cats sat still watching it.

Worthless animals.
 

Sylvester

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One time, years ago, i purchased a bag of dog food from the grocery store. When I opened it and reached in to get dog food out, a mouse ran up my arm. I shook it off onto the steps (indoors) and watched it zig zag back and forth while 2 dogs and 2 cats sat still watching it.

Worthless animals.
LOL!

Had the same experience three years ago, only it was a Starling that got into my house through the chimney.My two male cats were huffing and puffing as they chased him through the house, and at least ten minutes behind that bird. I finally got the bird and released him safely to the outdoors. Six cats working together couldn't get one bird.
 

redindiaink

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But then others have also said that cats could kill her birds. You can't have it both ways.
Oh, but I think I can because I wasn't thinking about caged birds indoors, I was thinking of the ones allowed to be wild and free outside.

A cat will attack anything that is substantially smaller than itself, and that moves.
Cats are opportunists that will look for the easy meal. I think it's a myth that they make good mousers, if they were the neighbourhood cats would have dealt with our black rat population years ago. Instead every fall I have to lay out bait.
 

Lady Jane

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If we get a cat, it'll live partly outside and partly inside.

I have never let any of the many cats I have had before to be outdoors. Most vets will tell you this too. It is not a safe environment for any cat. There are many dangers for a cat left to roam outdoors just like there are for the wild birds. One thing you can do for your rodent problem outdoors is not to put out bird food. It draws them to your yard.
 

Sylvester

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Oh, but I think I can because I wasn't thinking about caged birds indoors, I was thinking of the ones allowed to be wild and free outside.



Cats are opportunists that will look for the easy meal. I think it's a myth that they make good mousers, if they were the neighbourhood cats would have dealt with our black rat population years ago. Instead every fall I have to lay out bait.
To you second part; You do realize that it was cats who helped tamper down the black plague because of their skill in catching the rats who carried it?
And I think loading docks, lumber yards, barns, ships, and businesses in harbor cities, would beg to disagree with your assertion that cats make lousy mousers. In fact, I think Ancient Egypt would strongly contradict you over that one. Ever heard of Bast?

To your first part; Outdoor birds are way harder to catch than the small mammal that scurries on the ground. But since the OP was worried about her 'caged pet birds' my initial reply was aimed in that direction.

Be careful that some little kid's dog or cat doesn't eat your "bait".
 
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Sylvester

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I have never let any of the many cats I have had before to be outdoors. Most vets will tell you this too. It is not a safe environment for any cat. There are many dangers for a cat left to roam outdoors just like there are for the wild birds. One thing you can do for your rodent problem outdoors is not to put out bird food. It draws them to your yard.
Good point, LJ. The last cat I let out got killed by a car. What eats away at me is that she didn't even want to go outside, in fact, she was afraid of the outdoors. But I thought it was healthier for her so I put her out. Never again. Some cats have the smarts to survive the outdoors, some don't. But I am never going to risk it again.
 

redindiaink

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You do realize that it was cats who helped tamper down the black plague because of their skill in catching the rats who carried it?
You realize that for large swaths of Europe black rats infested with bubonic plague carrying fleas hadn't migrated to those countries yet?

And this is getting nasty for no reason fast. I'm out.
 

Leanna

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I had a cat named Molly, but she lives with my friend now because she couldn't adjust to being an indoor only cat. We had a lot of land with woods and after the divorce I moved to an apartment. As painful as it is to admit, she's a lot happier with my friend.

But here's my experience:
She never tried to harm my birds but they feared her on instinct. Because my birds were caiques, they responded to that fear with violence. It only took Kate dive bombing at her once for her to stay out of their sight for good.
I think my birds actually deterred her from wanting to come inside. Most nights I had to bribe her to get her to come in. She would never go into the living room where my birds were and would never approach when I had a bird in my hand. I felt bad for having an animal that didn't feel 100% comfortable in my home, even if she seemed perfectly happy in the rest of the house.

TLDR: Because they're natural enemies, your birds will probably never really accept the presence of your cat, even if the cat never shows interest.
 

KatelynDeanne

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I have two cats in the house. Manna, I have had for 7 years. She was around when I had my G2 before he passed, and shes here now. I have Salem, who I adopted as a baby off craigslist and he was a runt. I saved his life. The lady was gonna leave him outside to die and posted an ad saying something like "If you dont come get him, hes staying under the barn alone" I was like OMG and called her. She brought him to me in walmart parking lot in a shoe box. Little ugly thing that grew up to be an absolutely gorgeous 24 lb cat 4 years later. I absolutely think you should get a cat, they do keep rodents and bugs away, but more so are they great companions. Heres the thing, my cats are indoors only. They are not allowed outside, which means they dont have much of a chance to hunt things like birds, squirrels, etc. My cats will catch bugs that come in the house but if I bring home a new animal (snake, my bird, my dog) etc, they seem quite uninterested. Now, if my bird got in the floor, and I wasnt in the room, I couldnt tell you what would happen. But so far, they dont seem to care. When you adopt your cat, you want to go interact with them first, just like you do when you adopt a bird. Make sure they are friendly, etc. Some cats that arent friendly are usually in my experience the rowdy and independent ones who are usuallly knocking stuff off your shelves just to laugh at you or chasing rodents and will pee in your shoe for giggles. My cats are very cuddly and stay by my side and have never done anything wrong in the years I have had them. It just depends on the cat. I would get an adult one if you can, kittens are usually more playful and eager to chase things like birds. I NEVER leave my bird and cats in the same room alone without being supervised. It also helps if your birds can fly. Lucy pretty much stays places that are high up. The only thing that concerns me is you said your cats "kennel" . Ive never heard of putting a cat in a kennel unless traveling. They more than likely wouldnt like it. Unless you know something I dont. LOL. Anyway, thats just my advice :) Im a kitty lover and a birdie lover. I make it work ;)
 

Shezbug

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The only cats who will keep rodents away are the kind of cats that will eagerly kill the rodents, that is not keeping them away that is killing them. If you have a cat who will happily kill rodents, insects or anything else then your birds will also be an animal that your cat will be happy to kill, if your cats enjoy chasing moving things then your bird will be on that list.

My cat was removed from her mother too early and was also kept for the start of her life in a wire cage like the puppy mills keep their dogs :(. When I got her she was terrified of absolutely everything, so she is and always has been an indoor cat and only goes out side on a leash. She is old, has never been good with balance or motor skills and falls off everything, has trouble seeing now, is deathly sick with old age, has only killed mice by playing with them too much and the same goes for lizards that have found their way into the house. She went though a very short time (a few weeks) where she enjoyed pretending to hunt huge moths I would bring into the house for her, she will not and never would play with cat toys or chase strings she looks at you like an idiot for playing with a cat toy and this is how she has been for nearly her whole life with me. Just the other day for the first time in her life she showed some REAL SERIOUS interest in a moving object.......that moving object was my baby birds tail.
Long story short is she has all of a sudden taken an interest in my bird even with all her limitations and this is so out of character for her. You can not ever trust a hunter around prey!! Well you can but it is selfish and stupid to do so knowing what may happen.
Thankfully my cat loves her kennel/crate (we normally keep it outside so she can not be glued to it) so much it has never been a problem putting her in there or keeping her in there for a long time, it is a problem getting her to come out of there though.
Most cats do not really like being put in their carriers so this in itself may be unkind for the cat to have to deal with but I think if you religiously lock the cat/dog away from the bird when the bird is out (same with the bird being in the cage, the cat/dog locked up or supervised when able to get to the outside of the cage- birds have been pulled through the bars) then all should be fine. I say SHOULD be fine not WILL, it is always a gamble having certain pets housed in the same location and is up to the humans to make sure safe guards are in place to protect all the sweet creatures.
 

Amyann4

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Cats and birds are possible, it just takes a lot of effort in order to make your house fit for the situation.

For me personally, I have two separate spaces for my cats and my birds. The birds have a room that they go into if the cats have run of the house. It is a really nice room with space for them to fly and play. They enjoy being in there. And the same goes for the cats. They have their own rooms to go into, with doors that close, if the birds are out. The most important thing if you do this, is to make sure that these spaces are not a punishment. My birds like their room, and the cats like theirs. I also will occasionally allow my cats to enter the room with the birds while being supervised. Some people will disagree with me doing this, because obviously having the cats near the birds could potentially be a risk. But by allowing the cat to see the birds, it lessens their curiosity. My cats hate mystery and they would fight to enter the bird room. It all depends on your personal animal.

That being said, you are not looking for a cat solely as a pet. You are looking for your cat to be a predator. There’s nothing wrong with that, but remember if your cat is going to prey on mice, it will likely prey on your bird too.

Regardless of what any of us say, you know your situation best. Best of luck making your decision!
 

Garet

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Cats attract rats and mice. Never saw any where I lived before the colony of cats was set up. If you want a cat, go for it, but do not put their food outside and keep your cat indoors. Cats deseede better care than that.
 

Sylvester

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That being said, you are not looking for a cat solely as a pet. You are looking for your cat to be a predator. There’s nothing wrong with that, but remember if your cat is going to prey on mice, it will likely prey on your bird too.

Thank You, for not only seeing both sides of the coin, but also for stating the obvious.
 

Sylvester

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You realize that for large swaths of Europe black rats infested with bubonic plague carrying fleas hadn't migrated to those countries yet?

And this is getting nasty for no reason fast. I'm out.
If this lively discussion only accomplished one thing, and that is to keep you from putting poison down where all animals can get to it, I will consider it a victory for all animal kind.

Peace out.
 
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Sylvester

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I have two cats in the house. Manna, I have had for 7 years. She was around when I had my G2 before he passed, and shes here now. I have Salem, who I adopted as a baby off craigslist and he was a runt. I saved his life. The lady was gonna leave him outside to die and posted an ad saying something like "If you dont come get him, hes staying under the barn alone" I was like OMG and called her. She brought him to me in walmart parking lot in a shoe box. Little ugly thing that grew up to be an absolutely gorgeous 24 lb cat 4 years later. I absolutely think you should get a cat, they do keep rodents and bugs away, but more so are they great companions. Heres the thing, my cats are indoors only. They are not allowed outside, which means they dont have much of a chance to hunt things like birds, squirrels, etc. My cats will catch bugs that come in the house but if I bring home a new animal (snake, my bird, my dog) etc, they seem quite uninterested. Now, if my bird got in the floor, and I wasnt in the room, I couldnt tell you what would happen. But so far, they dont seem to care. When you adopt your cat, you want to go interact with them first, just like you do when you adopt a bird. Make sure they are friendly, etc. Some cats that arent friendly are usually in my experience the rowdy and independent ones who are usuallly knocking stuff off your shelves just to laugh at you or chasing rodents and will pee in your shoe for giggles. My cats are very cuddly and stay by my side and have never done anything wrong in the years I have had them. It just depends on the cat. I would get an adult one if you can, kittens are usually more playful and eager to chase things like birds. I NEVER leave my bird and cats in the same room alone without being supervised. It also helps if your birds can fly. Lucy pretty much stays places that are high up. The only thing that concerns me is you said your cats "kennel" . Ive never heard of putting a cat in a kennel unless traveling. They more than likely wouldnt like it. Unless you know something I dont. LOL. Anyway, thats just my advice :) Im a kitty lover and a birdie lover. I make it work ;)

Spot on, Katelyn. I have had dogs, birds, raccoons,horses, foxes, chickens, ducks, and everything else, but I just couldn't imagine my life without some feline being in it. Keeping birds and cats under the same roof takes a bit more awareness and a bit more common sense, but it is absolutely doable.
 

Donna turner

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It would be nice if some of the people recommending getting the cat would give some advice on how they have kept their birds safe and maybe list some potential pitfalls that may occur. After all she asked for advice on that. Alas I can't offer much because what I do is keep my cats outside. They have a barn and a farm
 

finchly

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Be careful that some little kid's dog or cat doesn't eat your "bait".
Day before yesterday I found a dead rat that apparently ate someonee’s bait and died in our yard. Fortunately my dog was on a leash so I pulled her back.

I’ve talked to neighbors about this before; I have a pretty good idea who did it and we already talked to them last year.... can’t emphasize enough that bait needs to one inside an appropriate trap in order to keep pets safe.
 

Sylvester

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It would be nice if some of the people recommending getting the cat would give some advice on how they have kept their birds safe and maybe list some potential pitfalls that may occur. After all she asked for advice on that. Alas I can't offer much because what I do is keep my cats outside. They have a barn and a farm
You keep them separated especially if they are small birds. And you watched your cats reactions to the birds, see which cat is a little too interested and which cat could give a flying fig about the birds. Never let them interact, especially when you are not there.

My U2 is use to cats and because of his large size, my cats give him wide berth. But, he can get a little too bullying with the cats, so I keep them separated so as not to put them in the position to have to defend themselves. My BE2 is not use to cats, very afraid of them, so I basically let him out when they are not around.

Know your cats and know your birds.

I never had any problem when growing up with my indoor/outdoor cats and my two parakeets. But I also no longer take anything for granted.
 

SandraK

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We've been having rodent problems recently - just this summer we had a terrible rat infestation in a wood pile at the back corner of our yard. The neighbors had literally dozens and dozens of poultry and other birds crammed onto a half-acre lot, which allowed for an awful bloom in rat population. It was awful!

Now we're having vole/mole issues in the yard. Earlier in the spring we had a mouse come in and steal the birds' food off of the floor and make a hoard and a nest in the toy-bin.

We're not necessarily looking for a cat to kill all rodents and small birds within a quarter-mile radius. Quite the opposite, actually, I hate seeing animals die unnecessarily. Songbirds and finches especially. But I think having a feline roaming around would definitely inspire any critters to pack up and move out of our yard


So here's the thing! We don't want having a cat to interfere with our ownership of our four birds. They are our priority. We don't want to cause them any unnecessary stress or, God forbid, cause them any harm.
However, it would be nice to have a kitty around. We haven't had one in ages, and we recently just lost our dog over the summer. We'd love to have a furry friend again.

If we get a cat, it'll live partly outside and partly inside. We'll have a large kennel complete with litterbox, bed, and food/water bowls for him/her to stay in at night or whenever it's rainy or cold. We'll be able to let him or her hang out around the living room (where the birds are, but they'll be locked in their cages) during some evenings, totally supervised by at least one person.
As of right now, there are no other cats in the neighborhood, and nobody lets their dogs run lose on a regular basis. (Except for two tiny chihuahuas which sometime patrol the street and bark at people, but they're so small and such total weenies that they would never harass a cat.)
The cat will be neutered/spayed, microchipped, and will have a reflective stretchy collar complete with identification.

Every single door on each of the birdcages will be locked, some of them twice. Two of our cages are big sturdy ones sitting high atop a stand - a cat wouldn't be able to knock it down. The parakeet cages are a tad flimsier but are sitting on top of a table 3-4 feet from the ground.
The cat's kennel would be in the kitchen, away from the view of the birds.

Opinions? Would we be jeopardizing our birds' safety? Does anyone else have stories about having cats and birds, or maybe just some success tips? Is anything unethical about our plan?
Thanks!
:loveshower:
Put out kill traps at night and make sure all your birds cages are secured. I hate to say it, but I agree with other posters, having a cat won't mean you'll get rid of your mice. You'll just endanger your birds.
 

Sylvester

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Put out kill traps at night and make sure all your birds cages are secured. I hate to say it, but I agree with other posters, having a cat won't mean you'll get rid of your mice. You'll just endanger your birds.

Hi Sandra! I know you didn't post this to me but I am going to take the liberty of replying. Because, just like me, the OP doesn't want to see anything die or get killed. I am probably the only person who has ran after cats yelling, "Drop it, drop it!" I think she was hoping that the mere presence of a feline would deter any rodents.
 
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