African Greys and Cats

[elise]

Hey everyone,

 

I'm new here. I don't have an African Grey; in fact, the only psittacines I've ever owned were budgies when I was younger. However, I'm an animal science student taking a class about psittacines and raptors, and I've really fallen in love with parrots. I have wanted an Eclectus for a while, but reading more about different parrot species, I've decided I'd really like a Grey.

 

However, what I'm really concerned about is having parrots and cats. Once I get an apartment that allows pets, one (possibly two) of my cats from home will be coming to live with me. As parrot owners, do you just surrender yourself that you will never be a cat owner, do you isolate them each to different parts of the house, or do you do something else? I'd imagine dogs aren't really a concern (at least I'm sure they wouldn't be for me, as the breed I want to keep eventually is very intelligent and gentle), but my cat did kill one of my parakeets once when he escaped from his cage when I wasn't home, so... I'm quite concerned. I can't imagine life without having at least one cat around, so should I just give up on ever having a parrot?

 

Thanks in advance for any advice and shared experiences.

[Dave007]

""""""As parrot owners, do you just surrender yourself that you will never be a cat owner, do you isolate them each to different parts of the house, or do you do something else? I'd imagine dogs aren't really a concern (at least I'm sure they wouldn't be for me,"""

 

No one usually surrenders. The love of a cat or dog is the same as the love for a bird. Many people who own birds have other species of animals in their houses--dogs, cats and some others too. As a matter of fact, most do.

Each type of animal has to be under supervision when they're all together. It's a fact of life. What you should also realize is that the same applies to 2 parrots. There's no guarantees that 2 parrots will like each other. Many times, people do isolate one type of animal from another especially if one animal has a propensity for going after another type of animal. BUT, concerning isolation--who will really lose most of the space in a house? Keep a cat or a dog isolated from a bird and the cat or dog has the rest of the house to live in. The same can't be said about a bird so you really shouldn't feel bad about keeping your cat or dog away from the bird/birds.

Eclectus are a pretty quiet roosting bird. They would rather relax in one place all day. In a way, that also applies to greys. They go from one spot to another only when they have to.

 

"""""I'd imagine dogs aren't really a concern"""

 

That's not necessarily true. Some dogs don't like other animals around the house. Some don't care. It really depends upon that particular animal. It's an individual--personality situation.

 

""""I can't imagine life without having at least one cat around, so should I just give up on ever having a parrot?"""""

 

Let me put it this way, if you had come here and you were asking about adding a second parrot to your house, you would be getting a very similar response.

 

You need to be on guard, watchful and never take anything for granted.

 

One other thing....as opposed to a budgie, greys,

Eclectus, amazons, cockatoos, all types of macaws need a certain amont of freedom from their cage daily which is all the more reason to isolate other pets. Good luck in whatever you decide.

Dave

[elise]

Thanks for the response. Your point about it not really being any different than having two birds is a good one that I hadn't thought about before. I know Greys are extremely intelligent and need quite a bit of time outside the cage, which is why I'm so concerned about this. Speaking of which, how much time, generally, do Greys need/like outside the cage?

[Dave007]

2 to 4 hours a day. Some people let their birds out more than that but not everyone has the ideal solution available. It can be a straight time or it can be broken up. The parrot will eventually get used to your schedule. Just make sure that the cage is large in case the parrot has to stay in the cage all day long. They amuse themselves in a spacious cage with different toys you put in and that'll prevent boredom.

 

""" how much time, generally, do Greys need/like outside the cage? """"

 

Well, if you were to ask your parrot the same question he/she would definitely tell you that they don't wanna stay in the cage until bedtime. The same applies to most other medium/large species of parrots. You're the one that sets the rules though.

Dave<br><br>Post edited by: MrSpock, at: 2007/10/02 00:33

[elise]

Wow, I actually was expecting the answer to be longer than 2-4 hours a day... good to know. Thanks again!

[Dave007]

The more hours the better. It's up to what you can do. What I said was the minimum amount of time. If you can do more hours, that's great.

 

Dave

[judygram]

The thing is to spend as much time with them as possible and have them out of the cage as much as you can, but try to keep it consistent, you don't want to get them used to 5 to 6 hours for a while then cut them back to 2 to 3. They do get used to the routine and if you cannot keep up 5 to 6 hours then don't start it.

 

I have a cat in the house also, and it is not a problem, you just have to supervise them, but they can co-exist in the same house.

[Hannah_Rae]

I have 3 cats and 3 dogs and am getting my baby grey in January. I am not concerned about the cats because two of them are absolute chickens and the other is as gentle as can be. I talked to my breeder and she told me that one of her greys is best friends with her big tom cat. The cat tried to bat the bird, and the bird bit that cat once, and the cat never troubled the bird again. Ha!

 

The key is supervision, and not taking anything for granted. Just like children, if you leave them unsupervised, eventually something will happen.

[loviechick]

I know that at one time I had thought about bringing a kitten home from the humane society, almost did last week. But when it comes down to it, I'm not worried per se about them not getting along as I can just close the bird room door, but I just really am a bird person to heart and I think I will honestly only own birds for now at least!

 

You know your cats better than anyone on here, if you think they will be over curious or territorial etc then just use your best judgement!

[judygram]

Cats and birds can and do co-exist in the same house, you just have to use your common sense about keeping them out of each other's harm. I have always been a cat person but now I am more of a bird lover.

[kiwibarb12]

I have had cats and dogs with a grey - and I was more worried about the dogs than the cats . The cats ignored the bird - I think they were actually afraid of him, and didn't want to show it.

the dogs I thought were a bit more unpredictable. anyway, it depends on the temperament of the cats and the bird.

[Laurie]

Hi, Elise -

I have Klaus (my grey), plus two dogs, a cat, and a hamster. The hamster doesn't come out much (doesn't want to, actually) but when he is out, I protect him from Klaus!

My dogs and cat are all pretty mellow creatures, but I still keep a good eye out and never leave Klaus unsupervised outside of the cage, because you never know.