Can we gat a cat too?

[MiaCarter]

guhloreea -- I'm sorry to hear about your little bird's foot. Is he/she okay now? Did you have to amputate the foot or were you able to set it?

Part of the problem with multiple cats is that they learn from each other.
So while an older cat may be laid back and never really thought of jumping on the bird cage, he may see another cat messing with the birds and then thinks "Hey, that results in some delightful fluttering action. Let's give it a go...."
So just keep an eye on the older one.

I'm glad to hear that there wasn't any loss of life. A broken leg is no good, but it beats death.

[guhloreea]

Yes, I agree. I have actually started confining the birds in a room on their own while I am away. Ugh the foot did not heal in the right direction and looks a little strange, but the bird is fine. It's upsetting, but it happens. You live and learn, I suppose.

[finchmix22]

I use a 36-40 tall pen that I set less than 10 inches from the side of the flight, so if the cat tries to jump up, they can't get over or grab onto the flight because I have a curtain sheer draped over the front and the back is against a wall.

[MiaCarter]

finchmix22 - That sounds clever! I'd love to see a photo if you have one.

guhloreea = Well, that's good that it healed, even if it's a bit askew.
Most breaks result in the loss of the foot/toe/leg in these little guys, so it's actually quite lucky she kept it.

You're right, though. It is very upsetting when this sort of thing happens. We love our animals and do our best to keep them safe, happy and healthy. It's a difficult pill to swallow when we realize that we've failed at that in some way. But it happens to the best of us. And I've learned that you could keep your pets in a padded room and they would still find a way to get injured, sick, etc.

[passiflorafinch]

I have one cat that has zero prey drive. My old budgie used to fly over to her and nuzzle up with her. My other cat figured out how to open up my previous cage and nab the birds. A finch was missing one day, I thought I was loosing my mind. I lost three finches the next day. Found their NFSS bands (and about three feathers) in his bed. This kitty also chews through cheez-it boxes and turns on the faucet for water, there is no training him, he is what he is. My new cage has latches, and naughty kitty is not allowed in the room. IMO it all depends on the cat.

[finchmix22]

passiflorafinch
That is true. I have four cats and only two try to go after the finches. I also used the forced air can in front of the flight which is motion sensitive and it blasts them with air if they get within a foot of the flight.

[guhloreea]

passiflorafinch
That is true. I have four cats and only two try to go after the finches. I also used the forced air can in front of the flight which is motion sensitive and it blasts them with air if they get within a foot of the flight.

Wow, that is a great idea. How does this work? I suppose its electric, but I'd love to know more.

[MiaCarter]

finchmix22 -- Ditto on being curious about your air system! I could definitely use one of these!

Agreed with the others that some cats are definitely more trustworthy than others, both with birds and small animals.
But I've seen for myself how a trustworthy cat can turn into a tyrant. All it takes is giving in to those instinctual urges once and they realize how delightfully rewarding the "hunt" is. (Plus, they learn from each other, so seeing another hunt-driven cat can ruin that docility.)
For this reason, I'd never fully trust a cat around a bird 100%, even a large bird who could act "scary" and theoretically defend itself.
But I definitely have some whom I trust supervised around the larger birds and when I had fewer cats, I'd let them interact with some of the smaller ones too. (Now, I have a zero cat policy in the bird room and I don't bring the smaller guys out.)

I think it's just important to remember that cats are cats, not a small kid in a furry suit. And as a cat, they have certain tendencies. The same is true of dogs. Underneath all the training, they are dogs, not little humans. That's hard to remember sometimes, especially for people like me who humanize animals.