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Post by docque on Jan 9, 2019 10:16:06 GMT -5
Not sure if this is happening to anyone else but Widget's best friend is our cat. If the cat walks in the room Widget is twisting his head in all directions. If the cat gets near the cage Widget will grab at the tail or better yet the ears.
Lately Widget has been jumping on the cat. He sits on top of his cage and leaps off and drops on the cat's back. The problem is that he holds on like he is riding a bull. It is very difficult for me to get him off. He loves it if the cat freaks out and starts running. I on the other hand am scared to death of this because really the bird is food to the cat.
As my Wife states, the cat was there first so banning him from the room would be wrong. Should I stop this behavior?
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Post by cnyguy on Jan 9, 2019 21:16:24 GMT -5
This really sounds like an accident waiting to happen. I'd definitely recommend keeping the cat and bird apart.
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Post by siobhan on Jan 14, 2019 12:35:31 GMT -5
I agree. Don't let them be in the same room together. No matter how sweet your cat is, sooner or later she's going to get mad and smack him and that could be the end of him. Or she might realize he's prey and that will be the end of him.
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Post by Jan and Shah on Jan 16, 2019 13:55:04 GMT -5
I have 2 cats. The birds are kept in a separate room. When I attend to them I am always fighting to keep the cats out of the room but they do get in because they are faster than me. They are fixated by the birds. Shah tempts them over to his cage so he can bite them. This is an extremely dangerous situation even though they cant get to him so I remove the cats as soon as they enter the room. Cats are hunters - birds are prey. It only takes a split second for things to go horribly wrong.
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Post by docque on Feb 5, 2019 11:48:17 GMT -5
I see all the replies but it seems like one of the animals will suffer. If I keep the cat away from the bird one of them will be excluded from the family which defeats the purpose of having them as pets.
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Post by biteybird on Feb 6, 2019 5:40:31 GMT -5
Hi! I guess you need to weigh up the pros and cons - if one of the pets is socially excluded is this worse than the prospect of having a dead pet? Can it be classed as a pet suffering if you just tweak the social arrangements a little? I'm sorry if this sounds blunt, but you would not have posted this question if you were totally comfortable with the current situation. Lots of people have quakers and cats and it's entirely possible to make the arrangement work - it just takes a bit of planning, motivation and willingness to spend the time catering for each pet's needs. You can still give the bird and the cat the interaction they need, you just shouldn't let them both roam free in the same vicinity at the same time. Maybe you could let Widget out in a room separate from where the cat is, with the door closed and spend time with him that way, therefore he will lose his obsession with the cat. It's just an idea. The rest of the time he can still be in his cage in the main room where the family is, so therefore will be able to see everything that's going on. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.  |
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Post by siobhan on Feb 6, 2019 12:28:09 GMT -5
I have a separate room for my birds, and I realize that's not always possible for everyone, but that's what works for us. Our dog is a good boy, but too fascinated with the birds for anyone's comfort, so he can't be where they are. I spend time with them in their room every day and Jack knows he's not allowed in that room, which has a screen door to allow the birds to see us and us to see them but still keeps Jack out of it. He sometimes stands at that door at watches me with the birds and whimpers because he wants to come it, but it's been working for several years now.
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Post by Jan and Shah on Feb 9, 2019 14:33:52 GMT -5
Cats sleep a good part of the day. Fortunately, afternoon naps are in my bedroom so I quietly close the door and then get the birds out to play. My cats (they are only young) spend at least 3 hours in the afternoon sleeping. If I get the birds out at other times, I herd the cats into the bedroom and close the door. They have a cat stand in the bedroom and spend the time on neighbourhood watch or birdwatching the wild birds. The fact is that it only takes a split second for things to go wrong when you let cats and birds roam at the same time. No matter how well you think you know your animals, you really don't. But, ultimately, the decision is yours. We can only advise you on what we have heard or experienced.
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Post by waterloggedfun on Feb 21, 2019 14:37:24 GMT -5
Unfortunately, there is no perfect answer here that solves this problem without any downsides. For the safety of both cat & bird, I wouldn't encourage this "play".
Keeping the animals in different rooms is the fastest, easiest, safest option. However, I understand your concern for the cat not being allowed in the room he's used to.
Another option would be to keep the bird in the cage while the cat roams the room, and let the bird out when the cat is napping away from the cage and under your supervision.
Yet another option, is to engage the bird in something more entertaining than the cat. This can usually be accomplished with food. stick his favorite seeds in some of his toys, use foraging toys, etc. If this isn't enticing for your bird, he might be getting more food than he really needs and that can be adjusted. This option takes a bit of effort to set up but once you figure out how to make something else more appealing, problem solved - mostly.
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