Cats and pigeons..

[Luvbirdlover]

I have three (soon to be four) homing pigeons.. and we also have a wild caught cat, it has been in a large rabbit cage for a while while we got it tame and now it is time to get it neutered, originally the idea was to rehome the cat but family has decided they want to keep it...
These pigeons are terrified of cats. They have been hunted by the ferals before and flew off, only came back to eat quickly and then gone to the trees.. they don't have a coop but they do have a predator safe roosting spot which they often use.. Can't have them terrified like that..
Family wants this to be a semi-wild cat that just roams and gets fed.. which is not going to work because I feed my birds on the ground.. I could probably convince them to be able to lock it up while they are fed and just maybe at night but I don't know if I can convince them to keep it indoors 24/7 (my ideal world..) I can't even be sure I'll be able to get them to lock it up while my birds are eating..
Is there any way to be able to get the pigeons to not freak out at the sight of the cat? We have a dog which they got used to, but dog is inside often times..
And if anyone knows a way to teach a cat to not want to catch pigeons.. that would be appreciated.
I know I'm asking for almost impossible things because it is their animal instincts for pigeons to be scared and cat to hunt them.. just want to see if there is any ideas before I have to beg for the cat to be indoors..

 

[BirdAddictK]

Hi,
Not all wishes come true. It's a hard truth everyone needs to accept.
Cats and birds: Killer combo, and when I say killer, I don't mean it in a good way.
You just cannot expect your pigeons to not be afraid of the cat. Because, for example, if you were owned by someone who owns tigers and snakes, your owner will try to teach you not to be afraid of them, but you can never lose that fear, can you?
And you can also not expect your cat to not go for the birds, it's just in their natural predatory instincts. Because, you know, cats have this certain kind of bacteria which is soo very fatal to birds. If your cat even scratches the bird a bit, the bird is going to die.
So, you can keep both only if they are forever separated. If your family refuses, you will have to let either the cat or the birds, go.
I'm sorry, I know I'm being very negative, but this is a hard truth.

 

[Kentuckienne]

IMO cats should not be outside, period. Domestic cats…cats that come inside to purr on your lap at night and nap on a sunny porch in the afternoon…tame cats with collars and cute names…kill billions of wild birds every year. That’s billions with a B. The wild bird population in the US alone has dropped by 75% in the last quarter century. Just because the cat isn’t bringing the birds inside to show you doesn’t mean they don’t catch and kill them. And any feral cat has learned to do just that to survive.

 

[Luvbirdlover]

IMO cats should not be outside, period. Domestic cats…cats that come inside to purr on your lap at night and nap on a sunny porch in the afternoon…tame cats with collars and cute names…kill billions of wild birds every year. That’s billions with a B. The wild bird population in the US alone has dropped by 75% in the last quarter century. Just because the cat isn’t bringing the birds inside to show you doesn’t mean they don’t catch and kill them. And any feral cat has learned to do just that to survive.

Hi,
Not all wishes come true. It's a hard truth everyone needs to accept.
Cats and birds: Killer combo, and when I say killer, I don't mean it in a good way.
You just cannot expect your pigeons to not be afraid of the cat. Because, for example, if you were owned by someone who owns tigers and snakes, your owner will try to teach you not to be afraid of them, but you can never lose that fear, can you?
And you can also not expect your cat to not go for the birds, it's just in their natural predatory instincts. Because, you know, cats have this certain kind of bacteria which is soo very fatal to birds. If your cat even scratches the bird a bit, the bird is going to die.
So, you can keep both only if they are forever separated. If your family refuses, you will have to let either the cat or the birds, go.
I'm sorry, I know I'm being very negative, but this is a hard truth.

Thankyou both, exactly what I thought.
I think I have convinced them to keep the cat indoors, so hopefully that solves the problem. If not, one of them has to go.