Baby bird chased by a cat. Should I leave it here or take it?

I'm on my college campus. We have cats everywhere I just saved a baby bird from a cat but I'm unsure if I should pick it up or leave it under this tree. The cat is watching lol waiting for lunch. But I've never cared for a baby bird... what should I do?

I picked it up and put it in the tree but it's too young to perch so it may fall back out. When I picked it up it screamed and all the adults around went bananas calling to it and flying around me. Hopefully it will be okay and the adults will still care for it.

The whole "touch it and the parents wont feed it" thing is a myth. That said.... hopefully the adults are aggressive enough to keep the cat away.

Bottom line, it is doubtful this bird will survive the night no matter what you do.

Like it or not the wild birds are primarily designed to be one of Mother Nature's food sources.

And this one is destined to be lunch or dinner.

How sad. I really wanted to scoop it up and take it home, but honestly I don't know how to hand feed it and he still had a few weeks left of needing it at least. Also I was worried about possible diseases. It's the beginning of the school year for me and college is expensive I just don't have the money for a vet right now. I'd feel terrible if Pumpkin got sick because of this baby.

That is a real ethical and practical dilemma, particularly if you have a parrot.

Many cities have wildlife rescue operations that can triage a bird and make an educated decision whether intervention may save it from doom.

Not to get political, but "outside" pet and feral cats are voracious killers of birds. The trap/neuter/release protocol is controversial. Combined with wilderness deprivation and climate change, the life of birds, particularly migratory species, is tough.

Scott said:

That is a real ethical and practical dilemma, particularly if you have a parrot.

Many cities have wildlife rescue operations that can triage a bird and make an educated decision whether intervention may save it from doom.

Not to get political, but "outside" pet and feral cats are voracious killers of birds. The trap/neuter/release protocol is controversial. Combined with wilderness deprivation and climate change, the life of birds, particularly migratory species, is tough.

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Aka the "food chain. "

C'est la vie

Scott said:

That is a real ethical and practical dilemma,

Click to expand...

That is interesting you bring up ethics in this decision.

To me, the ethical decision is to leave the bird where it is, whether a cat gets the bird or not. Its mother nature, as bird man said, birds are prey and food for many other animals.

But i can also see how to others, their ethics would say to try and protect the bird.

Ethics is always a very interesting topic to me, because they are not the same for everyone, but that doesn't make anyone wrong either.

jasper19 said:

Scott said:

That is a real ethical and practical dilemma,

Click to expand...

That is interesting you bring up ethics in this decision.

To me, the ethical decision is to leave the bird where it is, whether a cat gets the bird or not. Its mother nature, as bird man said, birds are prey and food for many other animals.

But i can also see how to others, their ethics would say to try and protect the bird.

Ethics is always a very interesting topic to me, because they are not the same for everyone, but that doesn't make anyone wrong either.

Click to expand...

I think your last sentence says it all! There are clearly multiple opinions expressed in this thread, and I do understand the role of mother nature. The distinction is humankind has, for better and worse, distorted the equilibrium and shares responsibility for the consequence. This is as true with the explosion of free-range cats as the near-devastation of birds in Guam. (Brown Tree snake invasion)

I think if a bobcat or some other wild cat is chasing a bird, I leave it all to mother nature. If it's a domestic cat I'll try and put him back in the nest and chase off the cat. Domestic cats are the cause of too many birds going extinct. Of course there is also the question of the bird and is it an invasive species itself or one who is struggling to keep it's place.

Cats carry micobacter under there nails. If it was scratched it will require antibiotics. Otherwise it needs to go back in the nest. If you can't find the nest call your local animal shelter. There are two non-profits that accept baby birds where I live. Chances are there is one that is close to you. Accipiters and buteos are notoriously difficult to raise. I wouldn't try it by yourself. The "professional" release rate is only 17%. Don't put the first nail in it's coffin by trying to raise it yourself; although I do admire your compassion. My two puddies are indoor only. I've learned that all domesticated animals should be indoor only. Having domesticated cats outdoors is bad for the cat and bad for the environment. Sad to say but our species has a huge amount of collateral damage. If you post a picture of it I can identify it for you. Best of luck.

jasper19 said:

Scott said:

That is a real ethical and practical dilemma,

Click to expand...

That is interesting you bring up ethics in this decision.

To me, the ethical decision is to leave the bird where it is, whether a cat gets the bird or not. Its mother nature, as bird man said, birds are prey and food for many other animals.

But i can also see how to others, their ethics would say to try and protect the bird.

Ethics is always a very interesting topic to me, because they are not the same for everyone, but that doesn't make anyone wrong either.

Click to expand...

Cats aren't mother nature, there man made. A domesticated animal working in the wild. All birds in North America are supremely adapted to the hunting techniques of North American cats while the progenitors of domestic cats are non native. There is no ethical dilemma. Leaving a wild bird to a domesticated cat is like leaving a toddler unattended with a gun. Unnatural and unfair. I apologize if this is harsh. I spent my youth at the Bird Rescue Center and was the local animal shelter manager for 14 years. I have some very definitive opinions on how animals should be treated. I DO like the objectiveness of your opinion though. If everyone was as objective as you the world would be a better place.

I wish I had seen this earlier!! As a wildlife rehabber, I would have been able to help. You did the right thing and I hope the little guy makes it.

Also as a wildlife rehabber, I am very much against outdoor pets. We get an insane amount of cat and dog attacks come in and not a lot of them make it. At the same time, I do understand why people have outdoor pets (pest control, enrichment, convenience).