introducing a cat

[razza45]

Hi all,

 

my apartment is infamous for hosting families of mice. I was wondering how dangerous it is to introduce a cat into the apartment with my bird here (I've heard that cat saliva is deadly to birds). Are there any safety tips that you can recommend for making this transition smooth? or do you not recommend a cat at all?

 

Thanks

Nikki

[judygram]

Nikki a lot of the grey members have a cat or cats and if you supervise any time your bird is out of his cage then you should do ok. Yes cat saliva is deadly to birds, they have bacteria in their mouth that birds don't have so a bite is much like a death sentence.

 

Just take it slowly when you introduce them to each other but the main thing is never leave the cat and bird alone when the bird is out.

[casper]

I have two cats and to be honest, the birds and cats are not interested in each other one bit!

But saying that, I never leave them in a room alone together if the birds are out its not worth the risk!

 

Lots of other members also have cats and dont have any problems either.

I suppose its down to the animals and their personalities I suppose they are all different.

[danmcq]

I Thawt I thaw a puddy tat... :-)

 

Don't know, never had a cat around my birds. One note, their claws are dangerous to your birdy also. They bury their poop and have many nasties in those claws.

[razza45]

danmcq, silvester is exactly what came to my mind when i first thought of this, ha

 

thanks guys, i appreciate the input. i'm always running around the house while i have rox out so leaving the two alone was definitely one of my concerns..

 

i just figure that mice are also a health hazard for birds (getting into their drop trays and such), so i'm not sure which one is a greater risk... free roaming mice or cat<br><br>Post edited by: razza45, at: 2009/08/05 21:07

[razza45]

i just hate traps and all that garbage. especially the sticky traps which are the only ones that seem to work.

 

I wonder if there is such thing as a cat-odar dispenser that keeps mice away lol.. like something that just emits the smell

[JillyBeanz]

You can buy those electronic mouse deterrents that plug into your normal plug and emit some sort of harmless electrical noise/field that mice don't like. I can't say that I would go to the bother of getting a cat - if you don't want to kill the mice, why not use a humane trap? I had mice in my garage and this worked a treat - I just walked over 300 yards away from home and let the mouse go. The only problem with these is that you have to watch them all the time - if a mouse is left in them they scare themselves to death!

[SmokiesMom]

Danmcq...that is a visual i could have lived with out lol...but yes I kow it is true. lol

 

Valerie

[razza45]

i like the plug-in idea. maybe i'll try that! thanks jillybeanz.

the human trap could work for the occasional mouse, but if there are families of them i feel like it would become a full time job emptying it lol.

and i know that mice are really good at finding their way back too

 

just like the sound deterrent though, i know mice can sense the presence of a cat because of the smell it gives off, and will therefore stay away from that home because of it.

my roommate had a cat (but he just moved out) that lived here last year, after we couldnt take the mice situation anymore, and within days the cat had killed maybe 3 mice, but all the other ones decided not to come back

 

i'm sure by winter though, the mice will return after the cat's smell has diminished and its too cold to live outdoors.

 

anyway tho, i'm gonna check out the sound plug-in

i wonder how much electricity it takes to fuel it.. prob wont make a difference in my bill

 

thanks!<br><br>Post edited by: razza45, at: 2009/08/06 04:28

[Tycos_mom]

I have two of those electronic mouse deterents I live in a rual area and mice are just part of it. I have never seen a mouse in my house in the two years I've lives here they work great.

[razza45]

cool thanks!

checked out pricing... not bad at all

30$ for 4