Cats?

Hey everyone,
I'm new and trying to figure out which bird to get. When I was younger I had a peach faced lovebird named Blij (pronounced Bly - a Dutch word) and he was the best pet I could have ever hoped for. At the time we also had a smaller dog who was afraid of him and a Persian cat the acted as chauffeur on a daily basis.

I'm thinking of getting a new bird soon, but I now have two cats with my boyfriend and we've been considering larger birds like the eclectus, Hahns macaw and GCC because at least one of my cats would want to play and we worry she'll accidentally hurt a lovebird. We want something quiet and laid back, especially since my boyfriend has never had a bird before, but the sound of a lovebird is not as much of a problem as some of the louder calls from a bigger bird. What are your experiences with cats and lovebirds? Also, since I was young when I got my lovebird, I didn't really try to teach him any tricks. Can they do any? We want something we can cuddle and play with, but also just have around when we're home relaxing or on the computer.

I don't trust my cats w/my bird @ any time. They are outside kitties & this is not a problem except in winter. A year ago we became complacent & allowed the cats & Merlin in the same room together. Everything went well for a few days until our male Chris reached up from behind the couch & scatched Merlin on the leg. Cat scratches are dangerous, his leg was hot w/a potential infection & I was scared to death. The scratch was just a small one (less than 1/8") but it had the potential to kill him. I have learned my lesson & now the cats are crated when in the house & we don't even leave Merlin alone w/them in the crate. The silly idiot has a death wish, he will fly down to the crate to "talk" to his kitties. lol

Parrots and cats are not necessarily mutually exclusive, but caution and vigilence are required. Our RFM has enough attitude that she's got our cat completley intimidated which helps out our other birds. However, I'd never leave our birdies out of their cages unattended with our cat around. A split second is all it would take for disaster to strike.

I always put our cat in the RR with his food and water and litter with toys and such while I have my love bird out.... No matter how much you trust your cats.. It's in their nature to treat a bird as prey. SO as HRH DI said.... Just don't leave them unattended with your birds.

Everyone here brought up some excellent points. I say get what you want and just do not leave the bird unattended.

I do not have cats but I have dogs. One one my dogs is even interested in the bird. I keep an old Altoids tin filled with a couple of pennies. If my dog approaches within 5ft of the cages, I just slightly rattle the can. It doesnt bother the bird but the dog does not like it. She has learned not to get near the bird or cross my comfort zone. I still do not leave the bird attended. If I have to leave the room, the bird either comes with me or goes back in the cage. You just can never be too careful.

BTW, keep in mind that a Hahns macaw is only 13 inches in length and most of it is tail so it is still a perfect size for a cat to get. Just get what you like and be cautious. Try to work with your cats as well. Do not let them around a the cages. Not only do you have a bird to train but you have to work on getting all the animals to coexist with one another.

Please let us know what you decide.

The potentional of injury or death from the most well behaved cat or dog is always a worry. For cat's in particular they are hunters. The bite from a cat can have a disastrous outcome as the cats saliva carries heaps of bacteria.

I used to have cats, I never let the cats anywhere near my birds. And our dogs are outside dogs & have grown up with the birds so don't really bother with them. BUT i must warn you if a bird was to flutter or fly around it's would be fair came to a cat that wasn't used to having a bird in the house so caution is required at all times.

Like it was said above, cats' saliva is toxic to birds. All it take is one bite. I don't trust my cats with birds at all. I rescued both from outside. One was a baby starving to death one was very ill. I love my cats very much, but I don't take that sort of risk. Separate rooms was the answer for me.

Also, maybe you could consider an acrylic cage.... NOT air tight BUT.... the link below has some very wonderful cages that are spacious for you babies and you will not have to worry about cats getting in. This link is just one example of the type of cage i'm speaking of.
Hybrid Bird Cages : 30"H x 30"L x 18"D H2 parrotlet cage, finch aviaries, Parakeet cages

I'm totally okay with my cat with my bird. I have a blue fronted amazon and the cat is a maine coon. The cat was interested in the bird when I first got it, but then the bird nipped her once and that was it, the cat keeps pretty much away. If I have the bird on the floor the cat will come over and sniff, but leaves the bird alone.
its good to have a can opener on your face when there' a cat in the house....lol

Happy and useful note i also dropped into the health folder :

I have read a lot of bird forums and talked to some breeders in my area. No one knows about this, i have no clue why :

Colloidal silver, sprayed on a cat scratch, or any kind of injury will kill bacteria.

If a cat had a bird in its' mouth, initially you could probably get it to drop the bird with no bite. If there is a bite, do the same thing : spray colloidal silver everywhere. Colloidal silver is an incredible antibiotic for external or internal use. Is completely mild even for eyes, people, cat, bird eyes. I guess people also use polysporin and styptic on birds' scratches ? But the first thing to do is colloidal. In fact the first bit of bleeding after will drain out the bacteria.

You can buy it but expensive, can make it very very cheap with pure 99% silver wire, and some electrical little things. Can forward links how to make, we make it all the time.

The healthier the cat the less of the ordinary bacterias there are, too.

Sometimes we get a cat scratch for some reason, normally the scratch raises, but if colloidal silver sprayed on it heals almost right away no reaction.

If a bird attacks bites or lands on a cat, same thing, birds' feces carry bacteria that need to be dealt with for the kitty's sake.

We are thinking of getting a parrot and appreciate the forum ! But so surprised no one ever mentions colloidal silver. Don't take my word... google...

Liz,

Although colloidal silver may be used on light wounds, a deep puncture wound can kill a bird very quickly. You really don't know what organs may be damaged within a bird's body without a proper consultation with a avian vet. Some of us are not willing to take the risk. Once you have a pet bird killed by one of your cat or dog you would understand....

Please be careful about Colloidal silver. It is quite dangerous.

Colloidal Silver: Risk Without Benefit

our budgie had to be euthanized from a cat scratch. i would personally not let them play together. no matter the size of the bird. and the bigger bird can harm the cat...

same house is ok, but not in same room while bird is out. so when its out of cage time, cat should be out. but if you want to risk it, well its not fun having to watch something so innocent suffer great pain. we have 4 cats and 4 birds and 2 chinchillas. when chins and birds get out if cage time, cats are locked out of the room. simple. rather not watch someone lose a pet the same way we did, and ours was an accident. dont think it cant happen to you. our kitten was hiding under the couch and i didnt know. i had checked but didnt see her. so the budgie flew out of my hands as i tried to clip his wings better for taming and she ran out and grabbed him out of the air. the vets could not save him. just a warning.