Cats and Birds get along?

[Tim224DT]

Hello, I also have a Choc. Point Siamese cat. My B&G Macaw loves to play with the cat and the cat loves to play with him. When i put the bird on the perch the cat jumps in the perch with the bird and play for hours. The bird will move his tail feather down to let the cat play with it and chase it around. They do this for hours and hours. Have anyones bird ever done this with there cat??

Tim

[Shirley]

Our cat completely ignores our finches and canary and Bourke's and is terrified of our parrots. Our avian vet has 5 Siamese cats, and they all ignore Merlin, her Moluccan cockatoo... they aren't afraid nor are they interested.

Our cat is 8 yrs old.

:)

[Tim224DT]

My cat (Leonardo or Leo) is going to be 3 soon. Him and the bird play like that all the time. Its very funny to watch.

[SadennaAndFlock]

becareful a bite or a scratch from a cat can be dangerous cats have a bacteria in their mouth than can cause illness and sometimes death to a bird..so keep in mind cats clean themselves with their tongue so that saliva gets everywhere on them. I have 5 indoor only cats and luckily they don't pay no mind to my birds but I wuold never let them play with one another..cats are predators..birds are prey it only takes one time for an accident to happen..same goes for dogs..cats and dogs are not good playmates for birds.

[Jean]

Hi Tim, :wavey: I located a very good article I had, it explains the dangers that can occur from interaction between birds and other household pets.

:book2: We are all here to share the best information we can to help one another.

Other Pets in the Home - Birds should never be left unsupervised outside of the cage, never ever. If other pets, including other birds, share the same house and are unsupervised, it's an accident waiting to happen. Even if a pet dog or cat has acted completely trustworthy around the bird, it should not be trusted 100%. Many birds have died as a result of another housepet either "playing" too exuberantly with a bird, or from the pet biting or stepping on the bird. Birds may also injure each other. Toes are often the most commonly injured body part but bleeding may be serious, and can be even fatal. Larger birds may kill smaller birds and it can happen in an instant. Any animal bite should be considered extremely serious, possibly life-threatening. The bacteria found in the saliva and the mouth of a mammal can cause fatal septicemia (infection in the bloodstream) of a bird in very short order. Cat bites should be considered the most dangerous, as the Pasteurella bacteria commonly found in the feline mouth, are extremely hazardous to birds. Even a simple puncture by a tooth can result in a fatal infection. Scratches from claws are also extremely dangerous, as the risk of infection is very real.

I hope you enjoyed reading it.

[Tim224DT]

Well thanks for that article, they have been doing this for about 3 years now. My cat has no claws at all and he is a inside only cat. Well im going to have to keep an eye on them now i guess.


Tim

[Majj]

My cat ignors the fids But the fids are jealous if I pat the cat or dog they try to run and give them a bite on the nose ..the fur babies run and stay clear ...BUT I would never leave the fids and furbies in the same room un attended ...not worth the risk IMO...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v373/Maj/Flippingpiccyoftheboys.gif

[Shirley]

Regarding the saliva, if a cat licks a bird's feathers and then the bird preens those feathers, the saliva can infect the bird and severe illness/death can follow. It's a situation that doesn't heal by itself, but requires immediate avian vet treatment. It is unlikely probably in your case... but if it did happen it could be tragic. So, it's not like anyone is being harsh or judgmental, but we've all heard the horror stories, and sometimes 2nd-hand, which is really close to home. Batting its tail won't matter, but licking it can matter. ;)

[Jean]

You are welcome Tim. The more we know the better we can provide a safe and healthy environment for our lovely birds. I am glad you made this post so you and others that are not aware of these dangers can learn.

I also suggest you take a peak in our special links area near the bottom of the index page. There is a world of information there. Please, never hesitate to ask any questions, we are always eager to help answer any if we are unsure we will try to look it up for you.

Good Luck, with your beautiful bird.

[Tim224DT]

Thank you all for your advice