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AlanahBanana

Moving in
Joined
7/18/18
Messages
5
Real Name
Alanah
Hello everyone! My name is Alanah and I recently got 2 lovebirds (grey headed) that I was told were a boy and girl but wasn’t sure which one as which. They also told me they only got them last December so they weren’t that old. Anyway everything was going great until my bloody cat decided to attack one of the poor babies. I have a shed/outdoor house type thing that I use for some of my animals (rabbits, rats, hamster, and birds), during the day I open the window for some airflow (no animals are out of the cage unless I am present and the window is closed) but I hadn’t realised my cat had snuck in previously as was hiding behind the couch. As I was cleaning the cages I turned to find my cat with one of the birds in it’s mouth. My parents convinced me that he/she would be ok so I stupidly left it and didn’t take it to the vets. He/she died yesterday evening and I buried it under the massive lavender bush I have in the garden. I blame myself profusely, but I want to know what I can do for him/her. I’ve done some research but only so much can come from words on a page, experience is the best knowledge. If anyone could help me I would really really appreciate it. I have severe anxiety and depression so I do not leave my home much and I spend a lot of time with my animals as they help when I’m down. I was hoping to get cockatiels and a larger parrot species (maybe a cockatoo) in the future but due to this maybe I should get another one now for my birdie. He/she isn’t alone now but (hopefully) once I start getting back into education I won’t have nearly the amount of free time I have now. Sorry for rambling on. Thank you!!!
 

iamwhoiam

Ripping up the road
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Welcome to AA. So very sorry for your loss. Just spend time with the remaining lovebird. He may be mourning the loss of his/her friend so give him time to grieve. Don't just jump into getting another lovebird and if and when you do make sure to get the new one checked out by a vet and also quarantine him/her from the one you have now for at least 30-45 days.
Make sure that the area that you keep your bird in is safe from other animals. Check and double check. Perhaps you can make sure the cat is locked in a room when you go into the "shed" to take care of your bird.
Even if a bird doesn't show external injuries when attacked by a cat or dog or another animal there could be internal injuries and be aware, too, that their saliva contains bacteria that can be very harmful to a bird.
 

SquawksNibbles

Rollerblading along the road
Joined
11/4/17
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3,257
Real Name
Kiera
Welcome and so sorry for your loss. You and your other bird need each other during this time. Also, accidents happen, unfortunately, but it’s important that we make changes to prevent these same accidents in the future.

Why did your parents not really want to go the vet? Money reasons? If it does have to do with vet bills, then you can try to setup an emergency vet fund in case something else happens (hopefully not).

So sorry again for your loss. :sadhug2:
 

cassiesdad

Ripping up the road
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Welcome to the Avenue.

I am very sorry for your loss.
 

sunnysmom

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Welcome to the forum. I'm so sorry for your loss. Saliva from a cat can carry a bacteria that is toxic to birds. So anytime a cat attacks a bird, a vet is the safest course. I'm not saying this to try to make you feel bad, accidents happen to all of us, but just to give you knowledge for the future. Birds need to greave just like people do. So I would give both of you a bit of time. If you do decide to get another bird, another lovie may be best, although there's never a guaranty that two birds will like each other.
 

AlanahBanana

Moving in
Joined
7/18/18
Messages
5
Real Name
Alanah
Welcome to AA. So very sorry for your loss. Just spend time with the remaining lovebird. He may be mourning the loss of his/her friend so give him time to grieve. Don't just jump into getting another lovebird and if and when you do make sure to get the new one checked out by a vet and also quarantine him/her from the one you have now for at least 30-45 days.
Make sure that the area that you keep your bird in is safe from other animals. Check and double check. Perhaps you can make sure the cat is locked in a room when you go into the "shed" to take care of your bird.
Even if a bird doesn't show external injuries when attacked by a cat or dog or another animal there could be internal injuries and be aware, too, that their saliva contains bacteria that can be very harmful to a bird.
I've taken him/her out of the animal room and into my room so that I'm spending as much time with him as possible. I thought about it and I think I'll keep him on his own for a while at least until I've gained more experience and done more research on it. I didn't know about the saliva so next time I will definitely take him to the vet, but before that I'll take every precaution to keep my other animals and my bird separate. Thank you for your advice
 

AlanahBanana

Moving in
Joined
7/18/18
Messages
5
Real Name
Alanah
Welcome and so sorry for your loss. You and your other bird need each other during this time. Also, accidents happen, unfortunately, but it’s important that we make changes to prevent these same accidents in the future.

Why did your parents not really want to go the vet? Money reasons? If it does have to do with vet bills, then you can try to setup an emergency vet fund in case something else happens (hopefully not).

So sorry again for your loss. :sadhug2:
The cage is high up on one of my dressers so that none of my other animals can get to it. I know cats are good at climbing but mine are clumsy and lose interest quickly haha. I think money is a factor, we have quite a lot of animals (my fault haha) and obviously previous vet bills are expensive. But I don't want to have an animal that suffers because I don't have enough money. Im working on getting an income soon so hopefully I'll have money for these things. Thank you for your advice
 

AlanahBanana

Moving in
Joined
7/18/18
Messages
5
Real Name
Alanah
Welcome to the forum. I'm so sorry for your loss. Saliva from a cat can carry a bacteria that is toxic to birds. So anytime a cat attacks a bird, a vet is the safest course. I'm not saying this to try to make you feel bad, accidents happen to all of us, but just to give you knowledge for the future. Birds need to greave just like people do. So I would give both of you a bit of time. If you do decide to get another bird, another lovie may be best, although there's never a guaranty that two birds will like each other.
So even if a cat licks a bird it could get sick? I'll do my own research of course but I'm curious. I think for now I'll keep him/her with me and give as much love and attention, as well as space, that I can. The fact that there are so many factors that contribute to the birds not being able to be with each other made me decide that I'll keep him on his own and hopefully he'll get better. Thank you for your advice
 
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