Kittens and old bird

[wijody]

View media item 234359
(excuse my daughter's fort in the background!)

Our kittens are being let out of confinement of their one room to start exploring the house and meet our dog.  This morning one wanted to 'meet' our elderly finch - this bird is so neurotic/scared that it seems like it almost dies every time we clean the cage (will lay on the bottom of the cage with wings out panting), so it won't take much stress and I'm afraid it will die.  The only thing I can think of is to hang the cage.  Do you think that would work or will they jump the 4-5 feet from another surface and swing from the cage!?  Any other suggestions besides trying to "TEACH" FOUR kittens not to do it, because between the dog's anxiety about the new roommates and having to try to play peacemaker with the bird, too, I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to handle it all....

 

[fhicat]

will they jump the 4-5 feet from another surface and swing from the cage!? 

This image of 4 kittens doing acrobatic stunts with the cage just made me laugh. 

I don't know about birds and cats, but here's an article that may help:

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/raising-cats-birds-in-the-same-house

And I am going to tag @pinkdagger  because her cats and birds live together, she might have specific advice for you.

 

[pinkdagger]

Cats and birds are something I wouldn't recommend without strict supervision, especially in the case of kittens. In my mind, hanging the cage won't make things much better because it's really not a stretch of the imagination for cats to jump 5 vertical feet, and they love to investigate heights! From the finch's point of view, curious giant faces are leaning in towards it, swatting and sniffing, and even from the height of the cage, it's still possible to get batted around. The rattling movements could be pretty traumatic, and it's unfortunately very easy to give a bird a heart attack.

You can teach them, slowly and patiently, that the finch is not a toy, but the fact of the matter is it's small, squeaky, it moves quickly, and it flaps. Those are all keys for cats that this is a toy, this is something that should be hunted. I always recommend a friend's page on "zoo safety" since she's dealt with a multitude of animal introductions; however, bear in mind that she is the owner of many large parrots, and the smallest bird she has ever owned in the lifetimes of her cats and dogs was a lovebird (and they're probably twice the size of a finch, and they're by nature aggressive and bitey little ones who think they are invincible), and all of her birds are hand-tame and people-friendly, so they'll seek people for safety whereas your finch sounds like a totally different story: http://www.rationalparrot.com/zoosafety.html

If you have a separate bedroom or a blocked off room (like a sun room or something) where the bird can be isolated away from the cats and still have human company, this would be ideal. This way, you can always monitor their behaviour and watch for signs of stress in the finch. If the finch seems to be breathing heavily or rapidly, or is looking for a place to escape to, remove the cats. Obviously if the finch is going to be coming out of its cage, keep the cats locked out/in a separate room.

Our cats are okay with my lovebirds, but it's taken a while to get to this point. Mo has lived with the birds and I for a year now, Kismet for about five months. We had to get a second bedroom just to accommodate the birds and their safety. When I had free time, I would let Mo in to wander around in here. If his tail thumped, if his pupils dilated, if he started to chatter at the birds, or if he got within 2 feet of their cages, he got a hiss and after three hisses, he was tossed out of the bird room. At first I was lenient with him, but as time went by, we went down to one strike. If he wants to explore this room and spend time with me in here (it's my "office" so I can be with the birds frequently), he needs to learn to behave. My cages are on stands and I've caught him twice standing on his hind paws with his nose right up to the cage bars. Nowadays, he'll meander in and lie down beside the crate of bird toys, but he'll still be looking at the birds.

Kismet is more skittish, so usually with one hiss, she's already running out of the room. We want them to see the birds as something uninteresting, unworthy of investigation, and not fun. I would never, ever, ever trust the cats in here alone. We could "condition" them the above way for ten, fifteen, or twenty years and I would still ALWAYS supervise cats and birds in the same room. Heck, even if I had both the cats in closed carriers or crates, the nagging voice in the back of my mind says "nothing is impossible, the birds could escape or the cats could escape" and they would only be granted access to the same room under my watchful eye. I will never trust them. Their instincts are too strong, no matter how consistent you are in teaching them otherwise.

 

[wijody]

After I moved the chair that was closest to the hanging cage, the kittens aren't paying any attention to the bird.  I will continue to watch them.  No matter what I do, with FOUR kittens and as a new cat owner, I am sure at some point, a kitten/cat is going to be alone with the bird. I think the hanging spot is the best option, and at least right now.  I have to attempt to make it work.   But at least for now, the kittens are only out free-roaming the house when I am here - I put them back into their room when we are gone or at night.

I appreciate the advice, I just don't see any other way.  We don't have another place to put the cage that would be any safer, and I can't really get rid of the bird, nor the kittens (I've tried to find homes but being feral rescues, they don't present well to new people (hiss hiss!).