funny story. :)

So my landlord was over to check the fire alarms and CO2 detector. Luna was out and investigating the odd man on the ladder. lol. Well in the middle of him changing a lightbulb on my vaulted ceiling, Luna decides she is bored and needs a bath. She hops in the cats water dish and starts splashing and flapping away. My landlord thought she was drowning and he raced down the ladder so save her. Poor guy. It took a minute to explain that birds enjoy their baths too. It was a comical moment to see his face as he slid down the entire ladder on a rescue mission.

Thats cute and funny. I would have loved to see a guy rushing to the little birds rescue.

On a side note, be careful with the cat bowl. Cats saliva, (plus any mammals) is toxic to birds.

Just adding that I re read it and its funnier the second time. Especially imagining the sliding down the entire ladder part.

Hahahaha awww thats really cute. How nice that he tried to save the bird lol!

Nice landlord. I know many landlords that do not allow birds. This guy was willing to save your baby. Know how lucky you really are!

That's funny! At least she didn't ask if he was going pee like my bird did to the plumbers

No, cat saliva is not dangerous to birds who have good immune systems. I just posted about this a few weeks ago after a lengthy discussion with my vet. It's become some kind of internet myth. I probably wouldn't let the cat repeatedly lick the bird, but most of them can process it in their digestive systems if they get licked or they kiss the cat.

Cats saliva contains bacteria, Namely Pasteurella. Pasteurella is infectious to birds. It also survives well in water. Just to be on the safe side I wouldn't allow the bird in the cats bowl of drinking water. Not to argue, or in any way step on any ones toes, just being cautious. I myself wouldn't take the risk considering its fact that cats have pasturella in their saliva and pasturella can cause infection in many species. I just wanted to point out the risk in case she wasn't aware.

It's not a common occurrence for her to bathe in the cat dish. She usually showers with me or hops in the sink with the water running.

BillsBirds, it's actually interesting you bring that up. When I moved in two years ago, I had one cat and a dog. I acquired a second cat within a month of moving in. My landlord has a soft spot for animals so he didn't mind. My dog suddenly passed away in August 2011 and I was left with one large hole in my heart that needed filling. I came across an ad on Craigslist regarding Luna in October. I knew she was my bird right when I saw a picture. I went and met her the next day and brought her home. I never asked for permission from my landlord. He has not seen her or met her until last night. I know he can hear her excited chirps through the wall, but neither of us ever said a thing. Luna is usually nervous and shy around new people. When he walked in she flew right on his shoulder and started cuddling. She never bit or pooped on him. He adored her, thank god. I live in a mother in law suite, so I have a slightly more personal relationship with my landlord then you do in a big complex.

I definitely dont recommend getting an animal without prior permission like I did. I was ready to move out if need be to be with my animals. It all worked out in the end. I am lucky that he loves animals as much as I do. I just have to stay on my A game with poop patrol in respect to him.

What a funny sight that must have been to see him sliding down the ladder! And so sweet too that he was rushing to her rescue!

Well, exposure to the bacteria of any animals that are different from you can be dangerous. But, honestly our mouths are more dangerous to them. As I said I wouldn't let the cat just keep on licking the bird, but no, they won't drop dead from the exposure to a little bit like is commonly thought. If that were true, many of us would have birds dropping dead left and right here by having a cat or dog in our house. Those of us that eat meat all have E. Coli living in our saliva which is very dangerous to birds. And of course in large amounts it's dangerous to us as well. So while I don't recommend letting birds inside your mouth or feeding them food that is in your mouth, most of us don't kill our pet birds by giving them kisses.

Great story! My landlord is a great lady but actually tried to talk me out of it. I went to ask her if I could have a bird and she said she would have to get back to me.

I went online and started searching for rentals because I knew I wanted one so if I had to move so be it. Then she calls back and says I guess so but you don't want it.

I was like why? She said she had birds around as a kid and they are so messy, even with a seed catching thing (the ones that look like a shower cap) on the bottom of the cage it was always everywhere and they were a chore. She told me her best advice was do myself a favor an d get an aquarium because I will never get my money back if I decided in a few months that I didn't want the bird.

I had read parrots for dummies by then and seen how most keep their small birds so I could already guess the situation she was talking about.

I can say my bird is a lot easier to take care of than I thought. I was expecting a bigger mess. She is louder than I thought but I guess I underestimated how loud even a quiet parrot is, but I already know I will never regret it. Everyday we love her more.

Sorry for the landlord rant LOL, Luna sounds like a birdie anyone could love

It's funny I guess what messes some can tolerate and some can't. My mom, who used to really love birds just goes on and on now about what a mess they are, and how can I stand having 3? Well, first of all if they eat pellets there aren't shells from seeds thrown all over. Only Rowdy shoots poop out of the cage. Pete almost never has anything come out of his cage. Merlin shreds paper and toys and sometimes pieces come out, but a broom takes care of that just fine.

Sometimes Rowdy throws food at me for attention. Last night it was a gooey half eaten pellet. Not a big deal to me. Chewed up fruit is worse, but again, it doesn't really faze me at all.

This story is worth a comic strip. Cricket has discovered my cat's water fountain and every time he sees it he jumps in and gets under the waterfall. Every time I take him out quickly too. I am not concerned with kitty's bacteria because it is changes so much and the motor even gets cleaned. That is worse than cleaning the bird cage.

lol! funny story. it's good that he wanted to save her.

Lukask said:

Luna is usually nervous and shy around new people. When he walked in she flew right on his shoulder and started cuddling. She never bit or pooped on him.

Click to expand...

so cute. ;D

I change the cats water all the time. One of my cats is a spoilt brat and will only drink the freshest of fresh water. The things I do for them...

Luna is relatively clean. The only time she really makes a mess is when she tries to drink out of my cup an tips the entire thing over. I limit her raspberry intake also. She likes to fling those all over the wall.

Haha this is really funny, you should post it on Win M&S vouchers for your funny property stories | Property Blog by Rightmove and win something for your funny story

I’m not sure how I came across this thread, but earlier today I posted the following reply to a question on the Eclectus forum:

Dog saliva, in some 60% of dogs, does carry Pasturella like that of cats, but there are other bacteria in a dog's mouth that will cause septicemia in birds. A dog's mouth also carries capnocytophaga, a bacteria found in normally healthy dogs & cats...this bacteria has caused the amputation of hands and feet of a Georgia woman in 2012.

A 2001 study by Vanderbilt University reported : "A Form Of Strep Bacteria Killed After Coming In Contact With Dog Saliva." Now, while this may be true, remember that both Fido & Tabby, before using their tongue as a washcloth for your face, used it as Charmin (North American brand of toilet paper) for themselves.

Although these various bacteria can be deadly to our feathered friends, they normally require a doorway into the body.....cat/dog scratch, cut, bleeding feather follicle, even a bird breaking its own skin with exuberant scratching (it doesn't have to bleed to open the door).

Some bacteria may be slower acting than others, but a bird infected with Pasturella bacteria will require a specific antibiotic injection (no self-medicating broad spectrum antibiotic) within 24 hours.



With all due respect to you and your veterinarian, it may be that your vet misunderstood your question(s) concerning the dangers of cat and dog saliva or possibly you misunderstood his/her explanation(s)/comment(s), but the dangers are real and not internet myth, as you suggest. Possibly you have been misinformed about the transmission methods, but the bacteria danger(s) is not via a bird’s digestive tract and your post only serves to continue the misinformation:

Your post roxynoodle 03-14-2012, 10:51 PM Re: funny story. in the Conure forum

“No, cat saliva is not dangerous to birds who have good immune systems. I just posted about this a few weeks ago after a lengthy discussion with my vet. It's become some kind of internet myth. I probably wouldn't let the cat repeatedly lick the bird, but most of them can process it in their digestive systems if they get licked or they kiss the cat.”


In support of my beliefs in this contention, I offer the following information:

1. May 2012 Newsletter from The Office Of The State Veterinarian, State Of Alaska
See - Life-Threatening Respiratory Pasteurellosis Associated With Palliative Pet Care
http://dec.alaska.gov/eh/docs/vet/OSV Newsletter MAY2012.pdf

2. Dr. Margaret A. Wissman, DVM, DABVP,

See – item #5
Top Ten Bird Killers

3. Government of New South Wales, Australia
See – page #6
http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/as...s-animal-diseases-transmissible-to-humans.pdf

4. Dr. med. vet. Christiane Haupt
See – search for pasteurella
Veterinary Help for Common Swifts

5. Merck Manual For Pet Health; Last full review/revision July 2011 by Teresa L. Lightfoot, DVM, DABVP (Avian)
See – search for pasteurella
Disorders Affecting Multiple Body Systems of Pet Birds: Disorders and Diseases of Birds: The Merck Manual for Pet Health

6. Lafeber Cares; founded by Dr. T. J. Lafeber, DVM (Lafeber Pet Foods)
See – Other Pets And Your Bird
Your Bird?s Health | Lafeber Cares ? Pet Bird Food

7. Proceedings of the 2011 Association of Avian Veterinarians (AAV) Annual Conference & Expo with the Association of Exotic Mammal Veterinarians (AEMV)
See – Trauma and predation, pg 147
http://www.aemv.org/members_only/2011-big book final.pdf



If, after reading my supporting data, you still believe that cat saliva is not dangerous to companion birds, I would request that you refrain from fostering those beliefs on any forums, because I fell that your continuing to do so would be dangerous to the wellbeing of any birds that might be cared for by others who unknowingly think your beliefs, in the matter of cat saliva not being dangerous, are supported by a consensus of the veterinary medical community.

It is not or has not been my intent to create controversy nor hurt anyone's feelings on this topic, rather I believe there is too much misinformation available/offered to unknowing parrot lovers that is potentially deadly to companion birds.