Button's is snacking on neighbours pets

caterpillarpie

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A friend of my little brothers was at our house today when she saw buttons and picked him up and gave him a cuddle when she casually mentioned that he had EATEN all of her pet birds, pulled their heads off through the bars of their avairy.
She wasn't too upset because her Mum had bought her some new birds, but I don't want it to happen again, they might not be so forgiving the second time!

Buttons cannot be an inside cat, we live in a quiet neighbourhood where everybody has large gardens, I also refuse to have his claws removed, not just because I disagree with it but because he is an outside cat and needs some protection! Even though he's usually on the chasing end...

Any tips for keeping him away? He always has plenty of dry food out and has wet food once a day, so I'm positive he's not hungry!
 

tarasgirl06

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I would of course recommend keeping Buttons indoors-only, for his own safety; and btw, declawing is like whacking off a person's fingers at the first joint -- it is NOT just the claw that is taken, and many cats experience infection, lifelong fear/hostility issues including inappropriate bathroom habits and biting, or worse. People who love cats would NEVER declaw a cat for any reason! So I'm sure glad you are not thinking about this.

If he cannot stay inside, cat-fencing your yard would keep him inside (instructions on the internet) or building a large enclosure for him, with shelter as well as secured outdoor access, would be good.

It's too bad the person didn't care about the birds' lives who were killed! They sure shouldn't have more birds if that's their attitude -- they are living beings! not objects.

Anyway, I sure hope that Buttons will have a safe, happy, secure life -- that's what's most important...!
 

strange_wings

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Definately consider building him an outdoor enclosure.
Do you already have a pre-existing fence that could be made into a cat proof fence? One that is secure on the bottom to keep other animals from digging under.

I'm not sure if the neighbors could demand any reimbursement for the birds if your cat keeps getting them, better safe than sorry though.
 

goldenkitty45

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You have a few choices:

1. Rehome him to a big farm.

2. Train him to leash/harness and keep him inside for part of the day/nite - take him out under supervision.

3. Build him an outdoor cat enclosures where he cannot get to anyone's birds, etc.
 

epona

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I would build an enclosure for him or put up cat-proof fencing so that he cannot get out of your garden. As a cat owner it is your responsibility to keep your cat from harming other people's pets!
 

yayi

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Tell your friend to securely put steel mesh all around her aviary's bars. They will prevent body parts of the birds from sticking out or any cat's claws from being able to hook anything inside it. My neighbor has exotic birds and she had quite a few incidents like your friend's. All stopped after she secured the aviary.
 

barblynnp

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I agree with the other posters about keeping him inside or building an outdoor enclosure.

I think it is highly unlikely that your cat killed those birds if they were in a cage. It would have been very difficult for your cat to rip off their heads through the bars of the cage. Cats are natural predators and will chase and kill small animals that are free, but not caged.

I'm not sure on the age of you little neighbor, but my guess is that the "new" birds in her cage are the same ones.

They may have told you this as a way to say that they are unhappy with your cat being in their yard and stalking their pet birds. The only wat to keep him out of their yard is to keep him in, or confined to your yard.

Good luck!
 

epona

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Originally Posted by yayi

Tell your friend to securely put steel mesh all around her aviary's bars. They will prevent body parts of the birds from sticking out or any cat's claws from being able to hook anything inside it. My neighbor has exotic birds and she had quite a few incidents like your friend's. All stopped after she secured the aviary.


I do agree with that in addition to my previous advice - mesh on an aviary shouldn't be large enough for the birds to get their head through, it is extremely dangerous even without a cat on the prowl. There's a high risk of a bird breaking its neck if it can get it through the bars. If the birds are hookbills that use their beaks to climb the bars (parakeets/parrots etc) your neighbour should be sure to get zinc-free mesh or wash the mesh with spirit vinegar at least twice a year or when the whitish bloom starts to accumulate on the metal to prevent zinc poisoning.

I do think you should make sure your cat can't get to them though!
 
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caterpillarpie

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they bought a new cage, which is suspended from the roof so he cant get to them, before they were on a table... which is a bit silly, but at least they fixed that problem! I suppose now he'll be content with eating the wild birds in the garden...

BUT I did find this online...
www.liberators.co.au/index.asp

verrryyyy clever idea.
 

emmylou

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Yes it is. Plenty of people have indoor/outdoor cats.

Cats will hunt birds and mice... they're animals and that's their nature. Giving the cat a collar with a bell on it should help some; although it may not be 100 percent in keeping the cat from making any kills, it'll reduce them.

I also wonder about the story that the cat managed to catch and kill multiple birds through the bars of a cage... I could see a freak success happening once, but I don't think it could happen several times. Though I guess if the cage was on an outdoor table it would have been easier (that's a strange choice, since other outdoor predators might have gotten to them). It's good that they suspended it.
 

katz4life

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We know you said that you are not keeping your cat indoors although that is the safest place. But there are other ways of having Buttons outside but knowing that he is still safe & that hes not snacking on birds...

You can either do an enclosure of some sort or if that isn't possible you can tie a rope from one area to another & let Buttons out on a leash/harness. Its not good to just let Buttons roam free...and plus if you do the enclosure/leash thing then you'll always know where your cat is and that he is safe...


Good Luck! Update us on what you decided for Buttons!
 

ddcats

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If you cannot keep Buttons inside, which is really the safest way for cats, you could get him a wild bird feeder!

It will keep your cat in your yard and he will have a 'new toy' to play with.
 

yosemite

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Originally Posted by ddcats

If you cannot keep Buttons inside, which is really the safest way for cats, you could get him a wild bird feeder!

It will keep your cat in your yard and he will have a 'new toy' to play with.
How perfect! Then he can kill the wild birds that come to the feeder. Not a particularly good suggestion IMO.

If he really needs to be outside then why not do as the others have suggested and build him an outdoor enclosure?
 
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