Question:
I have 2 cats and I don't want them to think my little Quaker parrot (coming to me on Monday) is a snack... how can I discourage them from going after him when I am away?? Is keeping them separate my only option?
Darci is happily owned by Bubbles and Clark the kitties and Quincy the Quaker!
Answer:
How young are they? If they are introduced to the bird at a young age they should be fine. If they're a bit older it might be too late and you would have to keep them away from the bird or elce it wouldnt be safe.
Sincerely, Krystle.

Answer:
Birds a very suceptable to stress and it is one of the main reasons of death in a pet bird. Its hard to say with someone elses cat. What they even seen a bird before except as prey? It is possible to train them, but personally I would keep them away at first until the bird is settled into its new home. When I use to work in a petshop I remember a guy coming in asking for advice because his African Grey he had for only a few months had died. It turned out that morning a stray cat got in and of course tried to get into the birds cage. It died later that day.

Answer:
You can't discourage them from going after them when you are away. Because its not safe to leave him alone in a room with them. Yeah you can train them to leave him/her alone while you have the bird out and are in the room. But I would never leave any of my cats with my smaller birds.
I spray my cats with a water bottle if they try to mess with them. But I keep my cockatiels in their own room because I don't trust the cats. The cats have been around the birds their whole lives but they still get that sneaky look in their eyes.
Rachel
Answer:
thanks for the advice, all. I have only met my new bird twice but I love him so I think for his sake I will keep them seperate!
Darci is happily owned by Bubbles and Clark the kitties and Quincy the Quaker!
Answer:
At the end of the day you can't really blame the cat. Birds are one of their natural prey.

Answer:
I've had parakeets and cats for about a year now, I guess. I do not keep the birds in their own room since that would mean being in a room we hardly ever go in and that's not good for a bird since they like to be in the parts of the house that people frequent the most. Of course my cats eye my birds with hunger, so what I did do was make absolutely sure the bird cages are inaccessible but still in the main room. Their cages are on top of 2 pantry-type cabinets that are almost 5 feet high and there is nothing within 8 feet on all sides that the cats could jump from to get at the birdcages.
If you have to, lild, you can put the birdcage high enough to be at your eye level on a shelf that is only just big enough for the cage alone to fit on and then secure it with spring hooks so it will never fall off no matter what. Make sure there is NOTHING for the cats to climb and jump from within 7 or 8 feet of the cage. Keep all the cage doors locked closed with metal swivel snaps too because even though the cats might not be able to reach the cage, that doesn't mean the bird will never figure out how to open the doors himself! I know this sounds really mean, but a little extra insurance would be to let those cats get bitten by the bird one time. Quakers can bite hard and it will make many cats think twice about messing with them.
Answer:
Sky Eyes Woman wrote: I know this sounds really mean, but a little extra insurance would be to let those cats get bitten by the bird one time. Quakers can bite hard and it will make many cats think twice about messing with them.
it's less mean than letting them have Quaker salad! I was thinking about this too, but I don't know if it would be fair to my cats and I don't want them to hate Quincy.
Darci is happily owned by Bubbles and Clark the kitties and Quincy the Quaker!
Answer:
Sky Eyes Woman wrote: I've had parakeets and cats for about a year now, I guess. I do not keep the birds in their own room since that would mean being in a room we hardly ever go in and that's not good for a bird since they like to be in the parts of the house that people frequent the most. Of course my cats eye my birds with hunger, so what I did do was make absolutely sure the bird cages are inaccessible but still in the main room. Their cages are on top of 2 pantry-type cabinets that are almost 5 feet high and there is nothing within 8 feet on all sides that the cats could jump from to get at the birdcages.
If you have to, lild, you can put the birdcage high enough to be at your eye level on a shelf that is only just big enough for the cage alone to fit on and then secure it with spring hooks so it will never fall off no matter what. Make sure there is NOTHING for the cats to climb and jump from within 7 or 8 feet of the cage. Keep all the cage doors locked closed with metal swivel snaps too because even though the cats might not be able to reach the cage, that doesn't mean the bird will never figure out how to open the doors himself! I know this sounds really mean, but a little extra insurance would be to let those cats get bitten by the bird one time. Quakers can bite hard and it will make many cats think twice about messing with them.
I've had a budgie living with the kitties ever since I got the cats... almost 3 years now. Of course, my bird did come first, so she's been part of the furniture for as long as the cats can remember.... Otis has never cared about the bird. Jasmine, on the other hand, still eyes her like lunch. Jazz has made a couple of jumps at the cage - years ago - but the cage swings , she didn't have anything to hold on to, and how she doesn't try. Of course, I don't make it easy for her to get at Apollo anyhow...
Chrystal
Compliments of ForJazz
Answer:
" I've had parakeets and cats for about a year now, I guess. I do not keep the birds in their own room since that would mean being in a room we hardly ever go in and that's not good for a bird since they like to be in the parts of the house that people frequent the most. "
I didn't mean to keep the bird in their own room at all times. I mean when you are not at home or around to supervise.
I have tried to keep the tiels cages in the living room and dining room (where I have my macaws cage.... who the cats know better to mess with btw because they are scared of him LOL) and the cats would not stop trying to get at them. The spray bottle didn't really work for that. My cats can jump on top of the kitchen cabinets so they have no trouble at all really getting onto anything. The cages are too big to hang and I have tried to keep them up high. So I keep them in their own room so that I know when I leave that they are safe and won't become kitty snacks. They know when I have them out with me that they are not to mess with them but I would never trust them being alone with them while I am gone. Just not a risk I am willing to take. Cats will be cats no matter how much training they get to leave them alone.
Rachel
Answer:
I have a parrotlet (which is slightly smaller than a budgie) and two cats for about 9 months. I started out buy buying him a big wrought iron cage that is up off the ground, spacey and impossible to get into or move if you don't have apposable thumbs. That way I can leave him in his cage a room with two cats roaming when I am gone and be assured I will come back to all three of my pets, alive and well! Secondly, when I let my bird out, which is actually quite often, I locate the cats, and if they are sleeping in a room, i close the door while he's out, and I also let the "outside in the fenced in backyard time, conanside with my bird's out of the cage time. Mostly, if I am in the room, my bird doesn't mind being in his cage, because he still feels like part of the flock. When he climbs to the door though and looks at me chirping, I know he's had enough confinement and wants to run about. If both cats are happily in the open area of the livingroom and kitchen, and don't want to go outside, I bring him into my office and close the door.
One of my cats seems fairly uninterested, the other seems a little too interested, and I would never let them interact, just because I wouldn't want to stress out my little guy, and I wouldn't want to chance missing a lunging cat and be out one bird.
Hope this helps.
Carissa
Answer:
I had an Amazon parrot that didn't take crap from animal nor human. I was watching my sisters cat and he decided that the parrot looked like something he wanted to eat. Well, it only took one paw in the cage and a big bite and the cat avoided that bird. I have to agree with letting the cat know that the bird has a beak and isn't afraid to use it.
I would never really trust them alone, but observe them for a long time together to see how they do.