Help! My Cat is Killing Off Sparrows!

ChilliQueen

Hello everyone,

I really need some advice. Our house is several doors away from a garden which houses (is that the right word?!) a thriving sparrow population, however my 1-year old cat Nero has started plucking these sparrows out of thin air, quite literally. I dread that inevitable high pitched "chirp, chirp" sound that is a prelude to him running into the living room with a poor little bird in his mouth.

After he caught the last sparrow a week or two ago, I thought "this is the final straw, he's getting a collar with a bell on", so at least the sparrows have a fighting chance. I've been in two minds about putting the collar on him since, as we had BIG problems when we first introduced him to collars when he was six months old.

Well, this morning WAS the final straw. The inevitable "cheep, cheep" and in he runs with a bird. Thankfully I managed to grab him and release the bird, which looked a bit dazed but soon flew off on its way.

As a result, he now has a beautiful purple collar with a bell on around his neck, but I feel so sorry for him. He's skulking around the place, huffing and puffing and looking generally sad and beaten down about it, just as he did last time we tried putting a collar on him (without the bell that time!). It's just not like him at all, and the sound must probably drive him nuts.

So what do I do? I love the sparrows in the gardens around here, it brings an element of nature considering we're only a mile from the centre of a capital city. But I love my cat, and his crazy (and semi-feral - according to the rescue centre) personality; and I don't want him having to wear a noisy collar if it makes him stressed and upset.

I know there are those who say that cats only catch the birds which are already ill/on their way out, but I swear he sits in next door's lilac tree near their bird feeder and cynically picks them off as they fly up for some food. I just can't cope with any more bird injuries!!

Sorry for the long post, and thank you for any advice!

ChilliQueen

paddypaws101

Can you chat to your neighbour and come up with a plan to move the bird feeder so Nero hasn't got such a vantage point?
I actually don't know how effective cat collars with bells really are when it comes to stopping hunting.

Mankysteve

Welcome to the wonders of cat ownership.

SammiD

Sadly I don't think there is anything you can do

Cats are hunters by nature and some seem to have more of the feral side to them than others. My Mum's cat is defiently semi feral, she will kill birds, mice and anything else she can find! She shoots up trees to try and catch pigeons that are almost as big as her! (although once this did result in here falling out of the tree, breaking her pelvis and her tail and having to have her tail amputated!) But even after all that she still goes after anything that moves!

Its just part and parcel of owning a cat I think, its in the nature and unless you keep Nero indoors 24/7 then I don't think he'll ever stop catching the birds.

lesalanos

apart from pulling his teeth and claws out there is not much more that you can do for now. He will soon learn though that he just has to stay still for a while for the bell to be quiet and he can catch birds again

birduk

He WILL get used to the collar, don't worry. You just have to live with his face for a while. Our cat Marvin was the same when we first got him, but he is fine now.

Funnily enough, they have two bells and never manage to catch birds. Squirrels, bunnies, rats, mice, voles... that's a different story.... But they can't fly off.

ChilliQueen

Thanks everyone for the advice!

Well, the collar didn't last very long. While trying escape from it, he got the elastic bit of it trapped around one of his bottom teeth and started to panic, so I had to unhook it and take it off him. Once it was off he was right as rain again, running around and miaowing as usual!

Since he's been in all day, I have noticed that the sparrows have become a lot braver, last time I looked there were at least 4 of them on the patio and in the borders having a little dust bath. Either the sparrows know that "The Emperor" isn't around and came out to play, or the birds have become a bit more audacious and I may have given Nero more credit than was necessary in catching the last few!!

Anyway, I think I'll talk to my neighbour about getting the bird feeders moved, we can always put a few of them on our washing line which should be virtually cat-proof. Perhaps then Nero will go back to chasing slugs!

Thanks again for your advice guys, much appreciated! :T

Sagz_2

Count your blessings...... I've got 2 cats bringing birds in AND now my lurcher pup is doing it too!

ALIBOBSY

Sadly had a few birds here from our puss too. This time of year alot of the spring "babies" are going it alone and tend not to be as wise about cats etc so cats tend to pick up more during the summer. Our cat has been speding more time out in the evening and even overnight so he tends to get less access to the birds. In the last 2 wks (because of the late hunting we think) we haven't seen him with any birds, but he has bashed a couple of local cats .

Our cat is "done" as well so to speak and still has the urge to hunt and fight.

good luck anyway

ali x

mrcol1000

paddypaws101 wrote: »

Can you chat to your neighbour and come up with a plan to move the bird feeder so Nero hasn't got such a vantage point?
QUOTE]


The old stereotypes of cat owners. Its not my cat that is the problem its you.

SammiD

Well, in reality, its not the cats problem is it?! !The cat is just doing whats in its nature!! You wouldn't try and change a lions habits of hunting would you?!
And the suggestion was to compromise with the neighbour!! Its not as if they were saying tell the neighbour to stop feeding the birds so they aren't attracted to the gardens!!

If the OP was a totally uncaring cat owner she wouldn't have even bothered making this post and asking for suggestions!!