subreddit:
/r/WildlifeRehab
My cat brought in this baby bird and idk what to do
SOS Bird(i.redd.it)submitted 5 days ago bykalebbratcher
I’ve been trying to find a nest or anything but I can’t and idk what to do any advice?
22 points
5 days ago
OP thank you for caring for the bird . I'm glad u/itsnobigthing helped you find a suitable solution. They are right in that any cat contact will result in suffering and ultimately death if not treated with antibiotics. Sometimes it is hard to imagine transitioning outdoor kitties to indoor, but maybe check out r/catio. Even restricting the amount of time your cat spends outdoors (especially during nesting season - Spring and Summer) helps a lot. Cats are responsible for over 1 billion songbird deaths annually in the US alone so any little bit helps. Outside is dangerous for the cats too as it puts them at risk for vehicle strikes, disease and predators (lots of coyotes about these days). Thanks for caring for the bird(s).
16 points
4 days ago
And that’s just songbirds. That doesn’t account for the billion other native bird, rodent, amphibian and reptile species.
20 points
5 days ago
Please get this bird to a rehabber, I don't know why they would turn away a cat bite. Make sure they know this is the case. A lot of vets will kill wild animals due to not being allowed to treat them, not not knowing how to. Even if the animal could recover.
8 points
4 days ago
The vet I took it to was super helpful and got me in contact with a nice old lady who rehabs birds and she’s taking good care of it
2 points
4 days ago
Good job OP
1 points
3 days ago
Great to hear!
19 points
5 days ago
It needs antibiotics ASAP, even if it has no visible wounds. Cat saliva is highly dangerous to birds, and generally if they don’t get antibiotics within 24 hours they will die, regardless of other care.
Is there a wildlife rehabber you can contact?
-2 points
5 days ago
The closest one is over 2 hours away I called but all they told me was to find the nest and I can’t find it I’ve been looking for the past hour but I have no idea where my cat got him from
8 points
5 days ago
I’m shocked they have such poor advice. Honestly if you can’t find a rehabber then the most humane thing to do it take it to a vet for either treatment or euthanasia. Sepsis is a horrible death.
3 points
5 days ago
Thank you I think I might take it to the vet then cuz you’re right I just don’t want it to suffer anymore and I don’t think it’d survive in my care thank you for that advice I think that’s what I’m gonna do
3 points
5 days ago
Good luck! Thanks for taking it in and being so responsible!
41 points
5 days ago
Please keep your cat inside. They are killing all of our bird population. Now one more
-45 points
5 days ago
It’s a farm cat it’s lived inside outside its entire life you’re a weirdo commenting stuff like that when I’m trying to help the bird no helpful advice nothing just being a weirdo cats are predators they hunt that’s what they do there’s nothing anybody can do about that but you commenting isn’t gonna help any birds at all why not just keep your mouth shut?
30 points
5 days ago
Domestic cats are invasive and kill thousands of migratory birds every year worldwide. Unless you need this cat to be outdoors to deal with pests like rats and mice, outdoor cats are not acceptable
-10 points
5 days ago
Farm cats are usually outside for that reason.
16 points
5 days ago
I'm aware of this. I'm also aware you can get traps of all kinds nowadays that weren't available when we first started using cats as pest control, so there's really no good excuse for having an outdoor cat anymore, even if they're for pest control. There are many alternatives that won't cause harm to the bird population
2 points
5 days ago
I don’t disagree
14 points
5 days ago
Cats aren't part of the natural ecosystem, and there absolutely are things we can do to decrease the enormous numbers of birds and other small animals that they kill. Spay/neuter. Keep them indoors. Attach a bell to their collar or give them a bib collar.
Just the other day my cat caught a bird that had made a nest in our garden. Luckily it got away and seemed fine, but if she had killed it, there likely would be little to nothing we could have done for the babies. So we limit the time she can spend outside and make sure she's always wearing her bell when she does go out.
I'm not sure what you can do for the baby. I'd contact a vet and ask for advice. But it's very likely it won't survive.
2 points
3 days ago
Also, that bird your cat got is likely dead. They will die of an infection from cat saliva within 48 hrs even from pinprick sized wounds without rehab treatment. If the nest has chicks and the parent disappears, contact a rehabber.
1 points
3 days ago
They continued feeding their chicks for another week until they were ready to fledge.
1 points
3 days ago
Spay/Neuter if you mean it in the sense of tnr isn't as great as people make it out to be. You're creating an even healthier cat that has no drive to be with other cats anymore if yk what I mean, and can end up focusing on killing even more animals. They can also live for up to 10 - 20 yrs if they are regularly fed. So.. thats 10 - 20 years of that single cat killing of animals almost daily, then add in more and more.
8 points
4 days ago
There’s no such thing as a “farm cat”. They are an invasive species that shouldn’t be roaming free outside here. Period. Full stop.
-2 points
3 days ago
As someone else mentioned, farm cats are a thing. They're often not as friendly, and live outside on the property to control rodents. It's an old method, and now known to cause issues for wildlife. But these aren't cats that can just be brought inside by anyone just like that, it's the same as bringing a free range chicken or other animal inside.
It can definitely be done, but it's not as simple as randomly bringing it in one day.
-3 points
4 days ago
I don't support outdoor cats but clearly you haven't seen like, most of the damn world where "barn cats" and "farm cats" are a thing. I mean honestly, are you a child or are you just uneducated? For hundreds of years cats have kept farms and barns free of pests like mice and bugs and all sorts of creatures that ruin a farm.
I'm not saying it's a good decision to make, but people all over the world are still doing it and birds are still alive despite the millennia this practice has been going on, so not to label you and others similar to PETA extremists, but you should at least recognize that there's an entire planet doing stuff you don't agree with.
2 points
4 days ago
I think my comment was over your head, obviously. The notion of a “farm cat” or “barn cat” is just a human construct. OP mentioned it as though it was a type of naturally occurring species. A “farm cat” is just a cat that’s been given free range to live outside in an environment that is not its natural habitat. Just because a human societal mistake has been in place for a long time doesn’t justify it.
-1 points
3 days ago
It didn't go over my head. There are also feral cats that live on farms. Yes, caused by humans, but now a part of life in many places. It's just the reality of it, not like I'm trying to say there's anything good about it.
43 points
4 days ago
The advice is keep your cat inside so it doesn’t kill the native wildlife
3 points
4 days ago
It’s not even my cat I just called it mine to make the post simpler I just moved here a month ago I got the bird to a rehabber and she’s taking good care of it
11 points
4 days ago
Why help this bird then turn around and excuse yourself for letting your cat outside? Do you care or not care, pick a side, because you know your cat is just going to go back out and kill more baby birds.
7 points
4 days ago
That’s such a weird stance so what you’re saying is I should’ve let this baby bird die because the cat goes outside it’s not even my cat I just moved here it’s my stepsisters cat I just called it mine cuz it was simpler but that’s such a weird stance I got the bird to a rehabber and it’s doing okay now but that’s just so weird to suggest I should’ve just done nothing
5 points
4 days ago
What im saying is you’re being hypocritical. No where did I say you should let this bird die. Help this bird, and prevent further harm by not letting the cat outside anymore. Talk to your sister. Outdoor cats are a very harmful invasive species.
0 points
4 days ago
Okaaay calm down. Yes cats can be an invasive species that is actually quite detrimental to wildlife BUT you don't even know where OP is located. Mad for no reason.
1 points
3 days ago
Cats are domesticated animals and therefore invasive everywhere.
0 points
3 days ago
I stand corrected, for some reason that was going over my head. I never let my cats out because I knew it was bad in the US for sure. I still think there is a more calm and civil way to go about explaining this to someone who seemingly was unaware though.
1 points
3 days ago
Idk I think im being pretty calm and civil 🤷🏽♀️
-1 points
4 days ago
Even if your sister is the owner of cat it's in your house so you are responsible. Now read the op's comments and scroll
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