Alright... on the 3rd of September, I'm getting in the car with my stuff and my pets (dog, bird, 3 bettas), and travelling from Florida to Colorado. I need some major advice for travelling with a bird and keeping her properly fed and hydrated, and non-stressed on this trip. I've bought her a small carrier with a protective sleeve to prevent drafts, and I'll be collapsing her cage down and putting it back in the box so it fits in the car. Also, she refuses to eat fruit, so I can't keep her hydrated using that, because I don't have enough time to get her t eat it. We'll be stopping and sleeping halfway through the journey.

 

When I get there, my cat will be waiting for us. And she knows what birds are, because she kinda played with my little cousin's canary till it stopped moving about a year and a half ago... >O_o;< (mostly because she left the cage and the door to her room open...) I have a hanging stand to use for now, and I could anchor it to the wall if I need to, but are there any methods I could use to deter my cat? I do plan on getting a bigger cage when I can, but until then (Laughing out loud)... >^^;<

I don't know if there is anyway you can have the cat and bird in the same room. No matter what you do, the cat will jump the moment you leave the room. Depending how good your cat is, a spray bottle of water, and squirt her and yell no! After a while you might be able to have the cat in the room whilst your there, but it is not something I think you could ever leave unsupervised. A scratch from the cat could kill your bird, as could the fright it gets from the cat.

I don't have cats, so I'm not sure about that, but I'd be leery of leaving them in the same room unsupervised too.

 

As far as water - try to quickly teach your bird to drink from a water bottle. Barring that, put in carrots, broccoli, spinach, any veggie your bird will eat. They all have a high water content. Other than that, every time you stop for a break, use bottled water and put a small amount in their water dish, or use a small syringe to dropper some in their beaks. Maybe you could get one or two medicine syringes from your vet. Best of luck, and please let me know how things went once you get there. I'm very interested in how your bird does on that long of a trip, and what you found works best.

I'm afraid fresh fruits and veggies are out of the question till I can get her to Colorado and work on getting her to accept them, which will take some time... >X.x;<

 

Yeah, the bird will not be in the same room with my cat unsupervised... I was thinking of having her in the bedroom, as it's the only room in our apartment we can close the cat out of... and then when we start renting a house in a few months, we can put her in the office. I could put a TV or radio in there (the bedroom) for when I'm at work, so she has something to watch/listen to... and at night we close the cat out anyway because she gets annoying and wakes us up lmao...

Safest bet is to keep the cat away from the bird. No matter how trained the cat is to leave the bird alone, instincts can kick in when you least expect it, and bye bye birdie.

Keep the cat away from the bird! Sorry I'm so direct about that, but Peati was attacked by a cat when he was a baby. The cat (that wouldn't hurt a fly, according to the owner) knocked over his cage and batted it around for a few minutes until someone finally realized what was happening. The cat never managed to grab Peati, but he was so traumatized that he would throw himself around his cage anytime there was any movement in the room. It took him about 3 non-cat weeks to recover.

 

As for traveling, it might be a good idea to get her used to the carrier and car. Take her for short drives around the neighborhood. When its time to take the trip, cover her carrier so she's not too scared. Mine like to listen to the radio in the car to calm them down, so putting it on softly might help too. Remember to talk to her occasionally, let her know its okay, etc. A water bottle (like one for a hamster or gerbil) would be good so she can get water the whole way there. I would start training her now to accept one. Also (this may sound silly) if you can, buckle the carrier in. If that is not possible, put her in a secure spot on the floor. I hope your move goes well!

I have 3 cats, and have never had a problem. You just need to train them, the cats & the birds. Use a calm voice when you first introduce them. Let them sit next to each other (bird in the cage obviously) and keep telling birdie "its okay, pretty kitty" etc. Reasure the cat that the bird is okay to be there. If kitty gets too close, use a strong, stern voice "no, bad kitty" etc. Make kitty stay with the bird for a few minutes every hour. They will both learn that each other is okay. If you have a persistant cat (my youngest kitty was like this) that still thinks birdie is dinner, use a spray bottle with water in it. When kitty gets too close, give it a squirt. Some "cat" people may not like me saying that, but it works. If they get wet enough times, they learn! My first kitty (RIP) would try to put his paw thru coco's cage, one bite from him stoped that!

so there ya go, its not hard having birdies & kitties in the house, just be consistent in your training of them. just make sure the cage is sturdy and cant fall over etc.

be safe on your trip. I have no advice on the food/water situation. i guess just a rabbit type water bottle, it will make drips on the bottom, stock up on the paper towels (Laughing out loud)

keep us posted

Good luck on your move. Be careful of the temp in the car. Vehicles can heat up REALLY fast in the sun, so if you stop somewhere for food and you can't take your bird in with you please remember that. Also, if you are running the air conditioning, be sure it isn't blowing directly on your bird.

 

How is the birdie doing??? I haven't seen an update on it's foot and trying to get it to a vet. Oh, and did you name it yet?

Buzbee, some cats do NOT learn. Ours certainly hasn't. Cats are bred to hunt birds as prey, so its safer for all concerned to keep the bird awy.