Anyone know how to keep cats away from a bird outside???

[6_Time_Momma]

Underneath our small pine tree, for some reason, a momma bird is sitting on a baby bird right on the ground. I don't know if they had been in a nest on our roof or whatnot and baby fell out or what. It looks like a dove?

The baby is not a new-new baby.....it has a pretty full body of tufty feathers and is pretty fat looking. Anyway, is there anyway I can "disguise" her or hide her from cats. She has survived for 24 hours out there and if I can give her an advantage, I would like to.

I would just try "hiding" her with something in front, but I would think the cats could smell them, right?

When momma bird was gone yesterday, I took pics of baby, I'll have to post them. I'll have to get some pics of momma too.

 

[Indyman]

Outside of standing guard, I don't think there is anything you can do but let nature take its course.

 

[figmentvi]

I don't think there's anything that you can do to disguise Momma and baby. But, you can tie a bell around your cat's neck. That will at least give Momma bird a heads up that trouble is around.

 

[preshi]

Kepp the cat indoors!!! Bells dont work contrary to popular belief. And it certainly is NOT nature... cats are domesticated animals unless they are feral they do not roam around free on the outside...now if you were talking foxes or something that would be nature but this is not...

You can move the nest into a tree... Touching the nest and the baby will NOT inhibit the mother from coming back (another urban ledgend).Put it in the nearest tree and she'll hear her little baby up there.

I dont mean to flame but I'll see more cat caught birds tonight than any other kind of injury... these things can be prevented.

ok PSA over

 

[FOJMO]

Originally posted by preshi
Kepp the cat indoors!!!

I totally agree. Cats should be kept indoors for their own protection/health and the protection of other animals.

 

[preshi]

From the hospital I volunteer at:

If you love wildlife, keep your cat indoors because:

Every day, cats kill between 4 and 5 million birds in the U. S.

Collar bells don’t work. Birds and other wildlife do not associate bells with being stalked.

Ground-nesting birds are very susceptible to predation by cats.

Despite being well fed, cats will hunt small wild animals.

Most young birds leave the nest before they are able to fly well, spending a day or two on the ground as they learn. These fledglings are frequently caught by cats.

Most of the birds caught by cats, but not killed outright, die of their injuries or infection.

Cats that kill small rodents can eliminate a critical food source for owls and hawks.

If you love your cat, keep it indoors because:

Cars kill millions of cats each year.

Outdoor cats are exposed to serious, and often fatal, infectious diseases such as feline leukemia and rabies.

Parasites such as fleas, ticks and intestinal worms pose a health threat to your cat. Some of these can be transmitted to humans
.
Outdoors, cats can be chased by dogs or other cats, and killed, injured or lost.

Cats are often shot at, poisoned, trapped or tortured by neighbors who are annoyed by cats using their gardens as a litter box or hunting grounds.

Coyotes, great-horned owls and other wild animals are known to regularly kill and eat house cats.

Cats that spend time outdoors require more medical treatment and their life span is much shorter than cats who live indoors.

 

[6_Time_Momma]

I don't have a cat. I am talking about the cats that run around the neighborhood. Sorry if I wasn't clear.

There is no nest at all. I really don't know how they came to be on the ground. I am just assuming there is a nest higher up somewhere and baby fell out?

 

[figmentvi]

I feel silly, I didn't know the bells wouldn't work

I used to live in Coral Gables, Fl and believe it or not they actually had a law that all cats had to wear bells. And trust me they enforced that law too !!! I actually got a warning from an SCPCA official. Come to think of it, they had alot of other weird laws in Coral Gables.

Keeping the cat indoors does sound like a better idea.

 

[preshi]

Hmmm... well check the nearest tree and see if there is a nest. Souds like the baby is a fledge and can pretty much take care of himself... We get more doves than anything else in the hospital... they arent very smart animals.


Dont feel silly figmentvi... most people only know what others tell them... I would have thought bells worked too until I started volunteering and was informed otherwise...

 

[WDWHound]

You can put the bird back in the tree, but there is a good chance it will be on the ground again soon. As was mentioed before, its normal for some baby birds to spend a few days on the ground before learning to fly. Still, it's worth a shot.

 

[SonjaB]

Get a great, big dog.

 

[pnelson]

I know I'm in the minority, but my cats have always been indoor/outdoor and I really wouldn't have it any other way. I do think hunting is a natural instinct for cats.especially female cats. As far as the bird, I do believe in "survival of the fittest". Maybe if that bird couldn't keep it's nest for some reason or can't protect it's young, than its not the strongest or the best of its species.

 

[preshi]

Originally posted by pnelson
I know I'm in the minority, but my cats have always been indoor/outdoor and I really wouldn't have it any other way. I do think hunting is a natural instinct for cats.especially female cats. As far as the bird, I do believe in "survival of the fittest". Maybe if that bird couldn't keep it's nest for some reason or can't protect it's young, than its not the strongest or the best of its species.

Just curious... would you feel the same way if a bobcat were eating one of your domestic cats?

 

[Steve H.]

Originally posted by preshi
Just curious... would you feel the same way if a bobcat were eating one of your domestic cats?

If you live in a neighborhood with bobcats, it might be time to move!

 

[preshi]

Well we have all sorts of things that would love to eat a cat around here, coyotes, foxes, bocats, mountain lions, even hawks... pnelson lives approx. 20 minutes away form the Wild Animal Hospital I work at... we see all kinds of things come in...

 

[pnelson]

I guess I believe that it is a choice I'm making for my animals. I believe that cats are happier when given the option to go outside, even though I realize it might shorten their lives. I guess I equate it to a human making "quality" of life decisions. I do try to minimize their risks by providing vaccinations, I live in a very quiet court, I don't think I have bobcats roaming the neighborhood eek: ). That said, I do realize their lives are riskier by letting them go outside. Just like mine is riskier because I venture out of my house every day. I'm not looking to start a debate-this is my choice and others can make their own choices.

I still don't have any suggestions about the baby bird!!

 

[goofygirl]

I don't have a cat. I am talking about the cats that run around the neighborhood.

Thats what I thought you meant because I have that problem! I have strays that "use" my lawn furniture as if I bought it for them

Go to a garden store and buy a short, inexpensive fence to put around the tree. I know cats can still go around fences and up them, etc but its worth a shot. You can also keep the area around the birds wet with the hose- most cats hate wetness and won't go near a wet area.