The second time, we both came home to work and saw her actually grab this tiny little bird, we managed to get the bird off her straight away and it looked fine, no blood, no major missing feathers. I took the bird across the street to a large park and thought it was scared but fine. Mr T gave it a bit of water and it drank and then blood started to come out of it's mouth and it rolled over and died right in front of us. It was one of the saddest things I have ever seen.
So my question to you fellow cat people is what should I do? I already lock Button up at night and she has two bells on her collar. Do I lock her up permanently? Is there some sort of cheap enclosure I can attach to our private rental cat door so she can go outside without killing more birds?
11 comments:
"So Mr T and I screamed" - hahaha!
There are some fantastic cat enclosures you can get made out of wire with all different levels for sitting on and hidey holes for sleeping in. They come in various sizes.
oh that is sad - I have worried about this with our cat zinc but fortunately she is not much of a hunter - she got a mouse the other night and I screamed but it just escaped and ran back to its hole
my dad says a friend of his has a cat run where the cats could go outside but in a cage thing - apparently it worked well but Zinc loves to go exploring so I feel too cruel. Another friend has a cat which never goes outside their yard but it has been with them since a kitten (unlike zinc who was used to going out before we got her)
Not much help here but hope you sort out something
I think you really need to get a cat run, bells don't do anything to warn urban birds about cats, they are just immune to that kind of noise. Classic aviaries in Preston do some really excellent runs:
http://www.classicpetenclosures.com
Aww that is sad. Poor little birdy!
I don't know about cat enclosures though, I think it's a bit cruel. I know you don't want her killing birds, and I always hated seeing my cats do it - heartbreaking. But having a cat cooped up when they are used to the outdoors is unfair really, and the awful truth is cats do catch birds in nature. So you might be kind to the birds but not so to your baby!
PS. CUTE pic!!!
I think a cat enclosure is your best option. I've seen some advertised through the vet and the RSPCA that are pretty big and have perches at different heights and things so she won't be deprived, and she should get used to it. Nacho has never been outside so it's a bit easier for us, hopefully you can work something out!
Ours only go outside under supervision and are mostly inside cats. Even then, our Berry would love to catch and kill lizards if we let her.
I have also seen cat enclosures. A friend had one made out of "cat wire" which was actually a heavy large nylon style mesh. She had attached it to her wall/eaves and the top of her courtyard fence and blocked access under the bottom of her fence. It let her cats use the courtyard freely and not be near the busy main road that she lived on. I have seen a similar product from a company called Catmax.
Good luck!
Thanks for all of your comments, it gives me a lot to think about.
I'm not much help, but I am sorry :( It's so sad when they bring something home. My 2 have always gone outside during the daytime and thankfully we've only had 2 instances where they've actually got something and brought it back for me. These days they're too old and lazy. Charlotte sits at the window and makes bird noises, decides it's all just too hard and promptly goes to sleep in the sun.
I hope you work something out for Buttons!
Cats will hunt, some more succesfully than others! Sahara is a deadly hunter and takes down things that are far larger than she should be able to. Now Sahara and Gizmo are inside all the time with a cat enclosure - we had Catmax come and build one using our front atrium and down the side of the house. Pricey, but awesome. She still munches on any lizard or bug that is unlucky enough to cross her path.
As for bells, cat bibs, whatever... nothing really will stop a cat from hunting if they have a mind to.
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