I have 1 budgie, Billy, who is a real sweetie! We have jsut recently bought a cat and we keep them seperated all the time, but I am wondering if there will ever come a time when Billy in his cage can be in the same room as our cat.

 

Is it all together a bad idea? Are there ways to make it work? Our cat is extremely interested in Billy, when we had them together once the cat jumped on top of the cage. Billy is also as interested and will kiss the cats nose if she gets close.

No, if you can, try and keep them as far away from each other as you can. The Cats saliva can kill your budgie that includes their paws and nose which they lick. Also having the cat around the cage is bad because the cage can be easily knocked over by a cat and your bird can be injured or escape and then the cat will get it. so its best to keep the bird in a totally different room from the cat.

Brokendreamz is correct!!

 

Here is our situation and everyone's is different. We have 3 cats, and we got Pretty 9 months ago. The first month he was always locked up at night and during the day when we were not home. Then I started to do supervised visits of the cats looking in the cage etc... Pretty LOVES the cats seriously, I have pictures in the budgie picture section you can search for.

 

At that time Pretty was in a smaller cage on a sturdy stand and 1 with no ledges that is the KEY sturdy and NO ledges. The cats become used to the bird living in the house if you let them interact supervised in the beginning if you never let them see the bird they will always get excited in their predatoral way.

 

When we leave everything is okay, the cats do not bother him at all. Now he is a much bigger cage that the cats can't even do anything with so he is totally safe.

 

Now I may get someone saying but what if.. and you are right. We had a member that forget to completely shut the water door and the dog got to it so anything can happen, and one member had the cage next to the screen door and a dog jumped on it and killed her beloved pet.

 

But I know that when you make it less interesting everyone gets along. Now if you are saying to you ever let Pretty out with the cats the answer is NO. Even flighted I know that my Mollii is too agile and could jump and hurt him. So they are always locked up.

 

Right now Merlin is locked up because we are again at the beginning stage they don't know Merlin to him he is lunch - Pretty is just Pretty they don't see him as lunch when he is in his cage. I let the cats peer in with supervision but Merlin is NOT and idiot like Pretty he dolphin acks at the cats. He is always locked up when I am not home or at night I don't trust the cats yet in the same room with is cage.

 

I hope that helps this is our individual experience, everyone has their own thoughts and views and that is good. You know your cat and what can be expected.

I have a cat that sleeps most of the day anyway, so I let him sleep in the spare room. When the birds are locked in their cages, Rex (my cat) is allowed out of the bedroom, but he sleeps on the couch!! I would never leave him alone with the birds - he does look at them like lunch, but there are ways around managing them both. Rex has a bed in the laundry as well, and his kitty litter is there as well, and he is quite happy to lay on his bed in the sunshine all day! If he meow's to come out, then I will put Bobby away and spend time with Rex.

Riebe you made an excellent point about cats and sleeping - I think that average is like 15-16 hours a day : so when I lock up our cats I don't feel bad because really they don't crave the human attention like dogs or budgies or really any type of parrot.

Oh my three cats are constantly hidden away somewhere snoozing away!! (Laughing out loud).

 

To be honest, my cats just don't bother the birds at all. I have an outdoor aviary and three budgie cages inside, and the cats have access to the rooms that the budgies are in, and they don't even bother looking at the birds anymore. They kinda think that it's all part of the furniture. Mind you I have a cockatoo that terrorises the cats so maybe the cats are just afraid of anything that resemble the cockatoo.

Riebe you made an excellent point about cats and sleeping - I think that average is like 15-16 hours a day :fear: so when I lock up our cats I don't feel bad because really they don't crave the human attention like dogs or budgies or really any type of parrot.

My cat sleeps 22 hrs a day and the other other two hours he paces up and down the aviary fenceline

I have 3 cats & they have run of the house. If you properly train your cats so they know not to mess with the birds, you & the birds should be fine. Coco's cage has a playgym ontop that has the pull out poop tray, Jewels has been know to take long cat naps ontop of cocos cage. If coco is on my shoulder the cats can be out but if hes on his cage/gym then they are put in my bedroom. I've had Coco & cats for 15 years.

Now I would say differently, let the cat see the bird and be int he same room with it at the early stage then you can train the cat not to try and hunt the bird. Not many folks thing this but cats can be tought just like dogs to do trick and walk on leads, but it needs to start as early as you can. I have a cat and no I don't trust her with a bird out of the cage but she is free to spend time where ever she likes, be that in my room which has a caged bird or outside near the avairy.

 

If the cat grows up with the bird and you teach her (him?) that casing is not allowed then for the birds and cat's life all should be fine.

the worlt i know my cat will do is knock the cages over.. he doesnt care for a snack just to watch and sleep with the birds >.< He sleeps in my empty bird cages if i let him in the bird room.

you know a cat will be a cat I will never put it past any cat or trust them. And most birds are introduced when the cat is older too so the habit of seeing lunch on a dinner plate is hard to break. : That is why proceed with caution is best . You know your animals best. Even a dog I don't believe can be fully trusted with a little creature like that especially since the budgie can irritate the you know what out of some of them.

my kitty grew up being told off about going near Buddy so hes below them the birds are boss

Thanks guys for your advice and stories. We have had our cat for just a few weeks now and she is already 15 months old, so I'm not sure if she is too old to learn. Plus I don't know if her previous owners had that cat toy that has bird feather on the end of it? THAT would be bad!

 

I think a spot with out a perch on it would be good, I will have to look around for that, plus I was thinking of securing the back of the cage to the wall with string and a hook maybe?

if you attach the cage to a wall make sure it is not higher then your eye level. Too high gives the bird a sense of dominance over you and too low would make them feel uncomfortable as a predator is coming upon them. That can be a solution.

 

Maxx and Mollii both have mousie and bird toys it really is a matter of the cat loosing interest and they do, trust me.

we have always had cats and budgies and have never, ever had a problem. i think by making sure we always give the animals equal amounts of attention, nobody begins to get jealous of the other, so there is little attention-seeking mischief. As for the cats' interest in the budgies... well, they just seem to consider them as other members of the family, just like the other cats, us, and any other pets we have had over the years and therefore just don't even contemplate having a go. Casper's cage is on a table right next tot the cats food bowls!

 

that said, it is in the nature of cats to chase birds, of course. you need to really know your cat's temperament and personality. I never let Casper out to fly if the cats are in the same room - i am 99% certain they wouldn't do anything, but i don't want to tempt that innnate part of their genetic make-up.

 

I posted this picture on th pictures section, but i thought it might be a good one to put here... the ultimate display of self-control on Benjii's (the cat) part!

he didn't even raise a paw!

i agree, you have to know your cats personality. And I cant stress enough, you have to train them, just like a dog to get along with the cat. All my cats know that the birds are part of the family and they are off limits. The most reaction I get from the cats is when I have new birds in the quaratine cage. (Laughing out loud)

Even a dog I don't believe can be fully trusted with a little creature like that especially since the budgie can irritate the you know what out of some of them.

Are talking about Blinkie here?? : :(Laughing out loud):

nope just dogs in general