Rescuing a pigeon from my cat - any advice, anyone?

[shaun.lawson]

I've just pulled my cat, Faber, off a poor, helpless bird (a pigeon I think), and am a bit lost as to what to do. I've locked Faber indoors - but the bird can't fly, can't even move very quickly, and is currently hiding behind the bushes looking traumatised out of his mind.

 

Does anyone have any advice as to what I can do? Please, no jokes people: this is serious! I'm wary of trying to pick the bird up, as it's terrified, will probably try and bite or scratch me, and I know they carry vermin. Equally though, I can't just leave it to be catfood for when I eventually let Faber out - and maybe it's suffering more by just sitting there and apparently waiting to die?

 

Any ideas, folks?

[K1874M]

Oven @ 200 degrees for about 40 mins.... rapped in foil of course.

 

Washed down with a Super T.

 

On a serious note.. your cats just using his position in the food chain to have some fun. Just leave the flying rat I say.

[Lt.Speirs]

if it`s still there after 5 hours put it out it`s misery usually if it cant fly is because its wing is broken, don't`t leave it for another cat

[neobis]

I've just pulled my cat, Faber, off a poor, helpless bird (a pigeon I think), and am a bit lost as to what to do. I've locked Faber indoors - but the bird can't fly, can't even move very quickly, and is currently hiding behind the bushes looking traumatised out of his mind.

 

Does anyone have any advice as to what I can do? Please, no jokes people: this is serious! I'm wary of trying to pick the bird up, as it's terrified, will probably try and bite or scratch me, and I know they carry vermin. Equally though, I can't just leave it to be catfood for when I eventually let Faber out - and maybe it's suffering more by just sitting there and apparently waiting to die?

 

Any ideas, folks?

 

I would put it in your shed (if you have one) then in the morning open up your shed and hopefully it will fly out.

 

Birds will often 'play' dead.

[neobis]

On a serious note.. your cats just using his position in the food chain to have some fun. Just leave the flying rat I say.

 

The food chain would indicate it will eat it. Cats will not. They will kill it for no real reason, certainly not for eating it.

[Del1812]

A pigeon?

 

Throw your cat back onto it.

 

Hate the flying disease bags.

[K1874M]

The food chain would indicate it will eat it. Cats will not. They will kill it for no real reason, certainly not for eating it.

 

I know... I said he was using his power to have some fun possibly a wee ego boost,

 

quite intelligent.

 

Sean if its out cold you could shave its head or paint its face..... when it wakes up it'll get a right shock.

[neobis]

I know... I said he was using his power to have some fun possibly a wee ego boost,

 

quite intelligent.

 

Sean if its out cold you could shave its head or paint its face..... when it wakes up it'll get a right shock.

 

Yeah I know but food chain it is not.

 

(Food chain IMO is feeding relationships between animals (etc), a cat is killing a bird for no real reason, certainly not food)

 

I would say that I am a cat owner however there is one poster on here that seems to love following my personal information ............. (I'm sure he knows who he is )

[K1874M]

Ok I didnt want to have to say it.

The cat done it cos he thought he heard the pigeon call him a p u s s y....

[neobis]

Ok I didnt want to have to say it.

The cat done it cos he thought he heard the pigeon call him a p u s s y....

 

 

... it was predictable.

[Cal_]

As a penny pinchin student i'd tie string around it making it into a DIY cat toy to entertain your cat.

[K1874M]

Could make a nice original golf club cover.

[Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC]

I like to view my cat as a predator so let your moggy rip that flying rat to shreds.

 

Cheers. P.S. A flying rat? Sounds like a Hobo.

[Rick Grimes]

seriously? leave it overnight. if its still there tomoro then its fair game for your cat's natural tendencies. launch it across the wall if you don't want the mess in your garden.

 

console yourself with the thought that from your cat's point of view its been a bloody good day.

[Beverley]

seriously? leave it overnight. if its still there tomoro then its fair game for your cat's natural tendencies. launch it across the wall if you don't want the mess in your garden.

 

console yourself with the thought that from your cat's point of view its been a bloody good day.

 

you are such a cat person;)

[Rick Grimes]

you are such a cat person;)

 

 

that's what the little *******s rubbing around my ankles count on. you want 2 cats?

[Beverley]

that's what the little *******s rubbing around my ankles count on. you want 2 cats?

 

my purrferct little kitty now lives with my siblings, which means i get all the benefits of not feeding her, playing with her when i go to visit, not having to empty litter trays....

 

 

 

thanks for the offer, but sadly i will decline your kind offer sir

[shaun.lawson]

The bird (not a pigeon, as it turned out) is now in a box in my room. Faber has been turfed out for the night, with his food and water. Bear in mind that I'm a student, so it's been pretty darn tricky to organise: first locking Faber in my room, then getting the boxed up bird into my corridor, then letting Faber outside, then getting the bird in - but I think I've managed it, and the bird shall accompany me to the vet tomorrow - unless he flies away in the morning.

 

Faber, meanwhile, is looking most sorry for himself. Life's a bitch, isn't it?

[Rick Grimes]

good grief. no wonder he's ****ed off. you totally ruined his conquest. how is he supposed to face the neighbourhood cats now?

 

explain to the bird that life is hard, offer it a crash helmet and then leave it outside. in my most liberal, lefty wishy washy way.... stop dicking about with nature and let it take its course. your compassion is admirable but completely misplaced.

[Rick Grimes]

to add, i just explained the situation to Bruce & Chewie and they look very cross about the entire situation. the fact they always look like that is by the by.

[shaun.lawson]

good grief. no wonder he's ****ed off. you totally ruined his conquest. how is he supposed to face the neighbourhood cats now?

 

explain to the bird that life is hard, offer it a crash helmet and then leave it outside. in my most liberal, lefty wishy washy way.... stop dicking about with nature and let it take its course. your compassion is admirable but completely misplaced.

 

Oh, he'll be fine! This is a cat who ran away from his original owners because they were feeding him special dietary food, has spent the last few years conniving his way around student after student at the complex where I'm based, and because I love him, has a room, food and shelter at all times - not to mention the food he gets from others here too. He is what you might call, um, 'big boned': think Garfield, basically.

 

It's only because of me that he's been allowed to stay here: the college wanted him off the property because of the danger of other students having pet allergies and so on, so I promised to take him with me when I leave. Believe me, he has it very easy - and one bird that he's missed out on ain't exactly going to turn the world upside down!

[Rick Grimes]

if you're OK with denying him a notch on the tree outside then so be it. my advice would be tho, next time you hear him having his way.... go the pub

[shaun.lawson]

if you're OK with denying him a notch on the tree outside then so be it. my advice would be tho, next time you hear him having his way.... go the pub

 

Hehehe! In all seriousness, it was only because I arrived back (from a night at the pub) and literally caught him in the act that this situation happened. If he'd chanced on the bird five minutes later, I wouldn't have known a thing about it! He now knows that timing is everything in life.

[Beverley]

i can't decide if this thread is hilarious or slightly pervy to be honest

[shaun.lawson]

i can't decide if this thread is hilarious or slightly pervy to be honest

 

[Boof]

On reading the first post when shaun said "Please, no jokes people. This is serious" I knew I was going to enjoy this thread

 

One of the finer things about JKB.

 

By the by, my Eddie had half a baby rabbit on the kitchen floor yesterday morning - he wasn't a happy kitty when I dealt with the whole scenario.

[Rawrrrrrrr]

The bird (not a pigeon, as it turned out) is now in a box in my room. Faber has been turfed out for the night, with his food and water. Bear in mind that I'm a student, so it's been pretty darn tricky to organise: first locking Faber in my room, then getting the boxed up bird into my corridor, then letting Faber outside, then getting the bird in - but I think I've managed it, and the bird shall accompany me to the vet tomorrow - unless he flies away in the morning.

 

Faber, meanwhile, is looking most sorry for himself. Life's a bitch, isn't it?

 

 

What difference does it make that your a student?

 

And do you not think its a bit much tbh, the animal hierachy would have chosen the birds fate and if it died it was because it was not strong enough for the world

 

It has to be a fairly stupid bird to get caught given they have a big advantage over cats in that it can just fly away

[Stewart MacD]

Pigeons are not grateful. I remember picking up one with a damaged wing near the work pub and taking it in. The sod wouldn't even sip from the saucer of beer we offered it. Shat on my hand. Mangy creatures.

Glad to be a cat person. People are like pigeons.

[neave]

Pigeons are not grateful. I remember picking up one with a damaged wing near the work pub and taking it in. The sod wouldn't even sip from the saucer of beer we offered it. Shat on my hand. Mangy creatures.

Glad to be a cat person. People are like pigeons.

[lyonjambo]

The food chain would indicate it will eat it. Cats will not. They will kill it for no real reason, certainly not for eating it.

 

hmm my cat brings me the lovely bird presents, but she does eat them, all that is left in the morning is the beak and a few feathers!

This morning after nearly a year of no presents she brought me a mouse, I think it is because I have moved home for good.

[shaun.lawson]

Pigeons are not grateful. I remember picking up one with a damaged wing near the work pub and taking it in. The sod wouldn't even sip from the saucer of beer we offered it. Shat on my hand. Mangy creatures.

Glad to be a cat person. People are like pigeons.

 

Nah - only some people are like pigeons. People like, er, Prancer in other words...

 

And to the man in question: I mentioned I was a student because I only have one room! If I had a bigger place, it would've been a lot easier to shut my cat away somewhere else, basically. But you really are quite something: do you have anything positive to say about anything? (That's to Prancer, of course: not you harrykim!)

[blairdin]

Pigeons are not grateful. I remember picking up one with a damaged wing near the work pub and taking it in. The sod wouldn't even sip from the saucer of beer we offered it. Shat on my hand. Mangy creatures.

Glad to be a cat person. People are like pigeons.

 

If the pigeon is anything like Roman (see below), he'll prefer wine to beer.

 

Roman's biggest disappointment is that wine corks are all rubber now. He used to love turning cork corks into sawdust and am sure he got half jaked in the process...

 

Anyways, Roman would never be daft enough to get caught by a cat. Any bird that is - well, survival of the fittest, life's a bitch. As a bird lover even I think Shaun's done his moggy a disservice...

[shaun.lawson]

If the pigeon is anything like Roman (see below), he'll prefer wine to beer.

 

Roman's biggest disappointment is that wine corks are all rubber now. He used to love turning cork corks into sawdust and am sure he got half jaked in the process...

 

Anyways, Roman would never be daft enough to get caught by a cat. Any bird that is - well, survival of the fittest, life's a bitch. As a bird lover even I think Shaun's done his moggy a disservice...

 

Ach, perhaps. It was just the situation I found myself in, basically. Once I'd pulled my cat off him, it was in for a penny, in for a pound - the poor thing looked so helpless, and I'd have felt terrible just leaving him to his fate (which, by way of reminder, wouldn't have been a clean, quick death: cats hunt not to kill immediately, but to torture: it's evil!).

 

Anyway, said bird is now at the vet's, and the job is done. If I'm ever in the same scenario again, I'll probably just let my cat do what he has to do - but I'm happy the bird was OK, and I guess it just got lucky basically...

[Craigieboy]

Again, this story proves my repeated thoughts that cats are pure & utter evil.

 

This makes me so angry.

 

.

[Doctor FinnBarr]

Don,t like cats too much, wicked, evil smug creatures! Ever since the new folks moved in 2 doors away with their 4 cats our back garden has been carpeted with feathers! Don,t like them or their owners but thats a different story (dirty ****bag junk dealers).

[Rawrrrrrrr]

Nah - only some people are like pigeons. People like, er, Prancer in other words...

 

And to the man in question: I mentioned I was a student because I only have one room! If I had a bigger place, it would've been a lot easier to shut my cat away somewhere else, basically. But you really are quite something: do you have anything positive to say about anything? (That's to Prancer, of course: not you harrykim!)

 

did you text your pal to tell him about your exciting friday night?

[Mark_Mywords]

To save the bird, kill the cat.

 

Hate cats with a passion. **** everywhere around the garden, ruin plants, and worse of all, pish everywhere to leave their scent around the place.

 

Sorry if I'm coming across as a cat hater (which I am). There are so many cats in my area that I would not class them as pets; they are very rarely in their owners home.

[scott herbertson]

My cat died (well, ok I held it down while the vet killed it) a couple of months ago aged 17 after 16 and a half years massacring 80% of South London's mice, rats, pigeons, birds, moths and anything else that moved in a reign of terror which Robespierre and Hannibal Lector would have been proud of. She also left two of my friends with scars for life and many other with minor injuries.

 

My wife once came downstairs holding our then 6 month year old girl only to go sliding along the corridor, cartoon fashion, juggling the baby, having stepped on the carcasse of a dead rat whose entrails then expolded onto the floor creating an ice rink scenario - nice.

 

Anyway, back to the point. My first recommendation would be if your cat brings anything in in its mouth, don't approach it - go to the bathroom and run a bath. Then get the cat and chuck it in the bath:

 

result - escaped creature

 

Secondly if the animal is maimed then give it 30 minutes or so - if no recovery phone the RSPCA. They can do things like small splints for birds wings. My cat once got a wood pigeon and the RSPCA were able to repair its wing.

 

Thirdly, mice, voles, shrewsetc wil usually fgo back to their old nest after you release them. Your cat, if it is good at its job will have mre fun re-catching them if you release them in the garden. I tried taking some of my cats victims in the car half a mile away. Get some strange looks coming out otf the car with rodents in empty margarine cartons.

 

 

My cat's record for an evening, incidentally, was

 

One robin

One wren

two moths

one vole

my hand (4 scratches as I tried to release the robin, 3 or four when I tried the bath technique to help the vole)

 

(this may be an underestimate as these were only the prey brought back into the house)

[Rab]

I would put it in your shed (if you have one)

 

With the cat

[Brian Whittaker's Tache]

I can send this round

 

 

She'll sort out the pigeon and the cat problem

[inspector]

I find it difficult to fathom some of the replies. If the bird is in pain(which is a nap) why haven't you contacted the SSPCA. If nothing else,at least they will be able to dispose of the bird humanely. Their 'phone number is 0131-339-0222

[felix]

In the days before internet forums, we just used to separate the cat & bird; pick up injured bird (who would often be faking injury because they're not dumb & realise if you lay still; cats leave you alone) then release bird into wild, where recovery often ensued.

 

Honestly, what a nanny state we've become.

[Ivan Drago]

get it pumped

[neave]

get it pumped

For the second time in this thread:

 

I love KB.

[marsha_takis]

A pigeon?

 

Throw your cat back onto it.

 

Hate the flying disease bags.

 

the man talks sense

[Denny Crane]

Nah - only some people are like pigeons. People like, er, Prancer in other words...

 

And to the man in question: I mentioned I was a student because I only have one room! If I had a bigger place, it would've been a lot easier to shut my cat away somewhere else, basically. But you really are quite something: do you have anything positive to say about anything? (That's to Prancer, of course: not you harrykim!)

 

You could introduce your cat to Prancer. Sounds like Faber has completed the required training!

 

Back to the original incident, I know how you feel. When I was a boy I stumbled on my cat knocking the crap out of a bird whose screeching was excruciating to say the least. It managed to escape but if it survived the night I don't really know.

[shaun.lawson]

I find it difficult to fathom some of the replies. If the bird is in pain(which is a nap) why haven't you contacted the SSPCA. If nothing else,at least they will be able to dispose of the bird humanely. Their 'phone number is 0131-339-0222

 

Cheers - but if you've read the thread, have you not seen my update? The bird's fine: I left it with the vet yesterday morning!

[shaun.lawson]

did you text your pal to tell him about your exciting friday night?

 

Thankyou for yet another scintillatingly constructive contribution to this messageboard. I wouldn't mind, but unlike some, you're neither a good nor funny troller: all washed up with nowhere to go seems the size of it where you're concerned.

 

Oh - how's that refugee 'killing' coming on, by the way?

[shaun.lawson]

My cat died (well, ok I held it down while the vet killed it) a couple of months ago aged 17 after 16 and a half years massacring 80% of South London's mice, rats, pigeons, birds, moths and anything else that moved in a reign of terror which Robespierre and Hannibal Lector would have been proud of. She also left two of my friends with scars for life and many other with minor injuries.

 

My wife once came downstairs holding our then 6 month year old girl only to go sliding along the corridor, cartoon fashion, juggling the baby, having stepped on the carcasse of a dead rat whose entrails then expolded onto the floor creating an ice rink scenario - nice.

 

Anyway, back to the point. My first recommendation would be if your cat brings anything in in its mouth, don't approach it - go to the bathroom and run a bath. Then get the cat and chuck it in the bath:

 

result - escaped creature

 

Secondly if the animal is maimed then give it 30 minutes or so - if no recovery phone the RSPCA. They can do things like small splints for birds wings. My cat once got a wood pigeon and the RSPCA were able to repair its wing.

 

Thirdly, mice, voles, shrewsetc wil usually fgo back to their old nest after you release them. Your cat, if it is good at its job will have mre fun re-catching them if you release them in the garden. I tried taking some of my cats victims in the car half a mile away. Get some strange looks coming out otf the car with rodents in empty margarine cartons.

 

 

My cat's record for an evening, incidentally, was

 

One robin

One wren

two moths

one vole

my hand (4 scratches as I tried to release the robin, 3 or four when I tried the bath technique to help the vole)

 

(this may be an underestimate as these were only the prey brought back into the house)

 

All great advice Scott: cheers for that! I'm a total hypocrite though: I've no problem at all with Faber dealing with mice or rats - but flying vermin's a different matter. It's weird: I guess it goes back to what we think when just kids. Birds, foxes = cute and worth protecting; mice and rats = anything but!

 

I'm definitely in the doghouse with Faber now: he's been shunning me all day! For the record, I still think he's great - but what's shocked me is the level of sadism and depravity involved in what cats do. Those who've argued I shouldn't interfere with nature's natural order* miss the point that cats generally don't hunt for food: they hunt for fun, and torture their victims until they die of shock and exhaustion. I've joked to friends that my fluffy feline friend metamorphoses into Jack the Ripper when dealing with mice; but his wanton attempts to traumatise the bird last night were even worse, and quite fascinating in many ways.

 

* Of course, if there's some dreadful earthquake or natural disaster somewhere in the world over the next couple of days, you'll all know who to blame!