I saw the cat messing with a sparrow in the the garden and have chased her off. The bird doesn't look visibly damaged but is only flying short distances. Could it just be shock?
I am now torn between waiting to see if it recovers or putting it out of it's misery with a big lump hammer. Has anyone ever seen a bird recover after the cat has had it? I'm keeping my eye on it to make sure no other cats get it.
Our (late) B+W cat who was ironically called Magpie was an absolute horror for bringing live birds into the house ... and protesting loudly when we took her out, closed the doors, returned inside, opened the windows, and put out a saucer of water and some cheese or bird seeds.
A sparrow once got itself out despite a huge number of feathers left behind a chest of drawers in our bedroom ...
and a Robin with no visible effects apart from the bird poo on the curtain rail and windowsill ...
Grrr!
Treacle (brown tabby) was once seen bringing a live pheasant, but when I spoke to him he put a front paw over the bird to look at me. He then couldn't work out how to walk on only three legs and carry the pheasant so it got away ... swerved drunkenly upwards narrowly missing the golden retriever ... swerved drinkenly upwards narrowly missing the bus ... and belly flopped over the back fence! It wasn't there later on so I assume that it made it and just had a few tales to tell down at the Pheasant Pub that night ...
Life without Children and Animals must be so uneventful!
Helen
I used to regularly pull them from the jaws of my cat. Then I shut her in the house and she positively growled with anger at me. Then I put the birds in a quiet part of the garden until they recovered.
Birds shut down when they think they are for the chop. It takes them a while to come around to the fact that they are still alive and can fly off again.
About 3 monthes ago, my sister saw a female blackbird in her garden.It had probably been attacked by a cat and was in a bad way. It had no tail and both wings were damaged and missing alot of feathers. It could not fly at all. She put some food out for it, but did not see it again.
Then last week it reappeared in her garden. The tail and one wing were growing back, the other wing had feathers but had mended at an odd angle and was sticking up. However the bird could fly a bit and was collecting worms in her beak to feed her chicks!! My sister was amazed and so pleased.
So with a bit of luck your sparrow will find somewhere safe to hide away until it has recovered.
One morning, after letting the cat and dog out, I went back to bed and left the back door opened.
I started to hear some squeaking noises in the landing, and went to investigate.
The blooming cat caught a little mouse and brought it into the house, and was still alive. Instead of killing it, she continued to play with it until I chased her out of the house, with it in her mouth.
All part of a cat's nature to play with its prey, can't be helped.
She wears a bell around her neck, so at least the birds can hear her coming.
DK
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The advice I was given was to put the bird into a small box (eg. a shoe box with ventilation holes poked in it) without food or water and put it in a dark, quiet place like the bottom of the wardrobe overnight. This gives the bird a chance to recover from shock.
I've done this a good number of times now, and about half the time it's successful and the bird flies off next morning. It's amazing to see, when the poor thing was lying on its back with its feet in the air looking dead the day before. By the next day they're either fine or they're dead; I've never had one still unwell in the morning. At least those that die go peacefully and are not tormented further by the cat.
Here's the cat in "The Nutshell" in Bury St Edmunds.
When I was a lad, they used to brick them into the fireplace along with a lighted candle to burn off the oxygen and leave them. Supposedly to ward off evil spirits.
Post last edited on 04/06/2012 17:08:19
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Topic: Caught cat messing with sparrow
