4 questions

Crystal · Post by **Crystal** » Mon May 01, 2006 12:16 am

I live in a loft (no separate rooms except the bathroom) and have 3 cats. The cats *love* the birds and would surely make a meal of them if they had the chance.

However, I designed my enclosures with the cats in mind, and after years in this living situation, I have never had a problem beyond the cats occasionally trying to stalk the birds from outside the cage (which basically just sends the birds flying to a different spot in their enclosure). The birds have become very tollerant of the cats and don't really seem to mind when a cat decides it would be fun to scale the side of the aviary wall or leap on to the very top of the 7' tall aviary from a table 3' off the ground and 3' away from the enclosure.

They are very acrobatic, and if they want to find their way on top of something, they will.

So! My suggestion to you if you are going to have a smaller enclosure (as opposed to a walk-in aviary) --and if you find that suspending the cage does not deter the cats-- is to consider building/buying a box-style cage which has all solid walls except for a sturdy wire front.

Placing the feed and water dishes towards the back of the cage will allow the birds to eat and drink even if the cats are peering in at them through the front of the cage.

The solid/heavy design also makes the cage difficult to 'knock over' so long as it is on a sturdy surface. Cats can lie on top of it without problems, etc.

Just a thought!

And welcome to the forum. :)

may · Post by **may** » Mon May 01, 2006 9:09 pm

Crystal, that idea is fantastic. Also, I secure the enclose to a wall to keep it from getting knocked about. And it might wind up being a lot cheaper than that 36x18x18 cage. Thank you!

Post by **Hilary** » Thu May 18, 2006 8:32 pm

May - Did you ever hear back from the shelter? I notice the 3 are still on Petfinder. Why do they make it so hard?

Hilary

sunfish46 · Post by **sunfish46** » Sat Jun 10, 2006 8:10 pm

hi may

i've had several cats along with my finches i have always suspended my cages on a hook in the ceiling usually in a corner of a room that has activity,sunlight plants under and around them use a molly bolt to secure the hook and another trick--just spray the cat with a little water from a spray bottle every time it makes an attempt to get up to the cage. my older cats dont even attempt now pay little attention to the cage. my babie kitten still shows interest but i just have to lift the spray bottle up and she scoots no words mentioned no voices raised. it doesn't take very long to teach the kittys that your birds are not there's. good luck

sunfish

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4 questions

cats vs. birds