There are some animals that are instinctively natural predators of other animals. One example of this is cats. They chase mice and other small rodents and they also will chase birds. In the outdoor habitat, the birds can simply fly away and leave the cat wondering what happened to bring the “kill plan” to utter failure. The cat will usually be frustrated in its efforts, although there are some that are quite proficient at bird hunting, and the bird will continue on its flight path.
However, in a house, the bird will not have this same advantage. Homes are not limitless in space and height and even an expert flyer will become flustered and run out of energy after a relatively short time. Another issue is that many people who acquire birds as pets will clip their wings to prevent them from flying away and to assist them in taming the bird so that it will allow them to handle it. While this clipping can be helpful in these ways, it is a death warrant for your feathered friend if you have a cat that comes into contact with it.
There are people who successfully enjoy the company of both birds and cats in the same home. Although it is not usually the safest situation for the bird, due to unforeseen circumstances, it can be done with a lot of planning and precautions taken. Even the most diligent of owners can lose a bird to a cat when something unexpected occurs. For our family, it was a houseguest with a child that didn’t understand the dangers and allowed the cat into the room the bird resided in. This was an awful event for our children to see and it was some time before we were able to try another bird.
However, in time we did get other birds that enjoyed long lives, even with our cat present. For one thing, we chose a different type of bird and a different type of caging. The first bird had been a parakeet that was socialized with people and used to being able to come out of the cage freely in its own room. It lived alone in its cage, no other bird roommates. Our next choice was a breeding pair of doves. These were beautiful birds that had a large home they shared. Although they were friendly with people, they did not crave the human attention that our parakeet had. They were happy with one another’s company and that of their babies.
Cages should be completely locking and not able to be opened by even the craftiest of cats. The bars should be close enough together that the cat can’t get its paws through to swipe at the bird. Even if the bird doesn’t get out of the cage, an over-stressed bird can die easily. Imagine that you had someone constantly trying to get at you. How stressful would that be? Your bird will feel the same way about it.
The cage should be placed high, such as hanging from a hook in the ceiling. Be sure that the hook is secure and strong. Do not place anything underneath the cage or the cat will find ways to climb up close enough to jump and grab onto the bars.
Even a cat that doesn’t seem aggressive generally will have a natural instinct to kill birds. There is no changing that, so your only option is to take precautions that will protect your bird. Your choice of cage and where to place it will make all the difference in the world to your bird. It is a good idea also to be very selective about the breed of bird that you choose. The best bets for homes with cats are birds that do not need a lot of interaction outside of the cage. Buying birds in pairs and getting a large cage will help with this. Cats and birds are natural enemies and that should be a huge consideration when you are deciding if you really want to place the two in the same home.
