Boogie and Ash =ʌ˽ʌ=

[aussie_wings]

Oof, we're going to be adopting another cat after July 5th if everything goes well. He is a short-haired gray kitty that showed up in mom's yard not too long ago. She doesn't want to keep him and asked me if I did (before we got Mr. Grem...) and I said yes. I don't know what I'm going to do with 2 cats and 3 birds... Well, the girls (2 budgies) are set on the patio, and Gremlin should be fine once I get him in my office room, where I will be working from home much of the time. I can shut the door so the cats won't go in there. Rex (my bf, also a nonfeathered) wants him in the living room, and that might be okay sometimes as long as he is there to supervise and ensure the cats don't bother. At least one of the cats likes to be outside, much of the time, so hopefully it won't be too bad. His cat, the one we've had at the house here, Boogie, is starting to get used to the bird, somewhat, but will hopefully begin to see him as part of the environment and ignore him entirely. She's well fed and ultimately pretty lazy, so maybe that will help, although most cats are and are still sneaky enough to do stealth hunting.
We'll have to keep an eye on the cat we're adopting, Ash to make sure he's going to behave himself...

 

[HeatherG]

Sounds like a lot of cats in your growing bird and cat household. And things have been changing a lot lately. You’ve added new animal family members. Will the cats ever be in the same room with your small birds when there’s no supervision? This makes me worry for your birds’ safety.

I HAVE lived with a smaller bird and cats but my Quaker was in my bedroom and the door was always closed unless I was home. And one cat was hugely obese and the other was afraid of everything.

But I still think cats are sneaky and small birds are fluttery and tasty-looking. Maybe you could take a bit more time to accustom to your new bird before more cats come. ?

 

[clark_conure]

I don't like the idea of cats and birds together and not even lukewarm to dogs and birds, but...... I know it sometimes works out....my opinion.

What I find disturbing is your boyfriend isn't feathered....talk about lack of taste, girl....get a feathered boyfriend. What are you gonna do, get married and wash clothes your whole life? Feathered boyfriends are better for the environment. Think ahead; and get a feathered boyfriend.

 

[Cottonoid]

Yeah, but can a feathered boyfriend ride a one wheel with style?

@aussie_wings You have great pet names Ash sounds like a real cutie already.

Here are my thoughts. I would err on the side of caution and assume the prospective cat has a decent prey drive having been outside, even if it was formerly a pet... I wouldn't be comfortable having them in the same room. I've had one cat that ignored a cockatiel it lived with, but my others, even when over 20 years old, had to be kept completely separate - not even in the same room, even with supervision. For every video you see or person that tells you a story about cats and birds, there are tons more stories of tragic accidents. I also don't want to have to wipe down surfaces all the time to prevent my bird from being exposed to cat saliva, so 100% separate living spaces with two doors between mammal/bird is the only thing that worked for us. And then my biggest personal reason to keep them isolated from each other - even if my kitty is a total couch potato, my bird still sees him as a predator, and it's not fair to my birdy boy's emotional health to have that daily stress. Until this year, I've had cats for the past 37 years, so I understand the bond and never thought I'd be without one.

For now I get beak grinding instead of purring and luckily I've found it just as soothing, without the occasional bonus fur in my mouth lol

 

[clark_conure]

I think cottonoid is dancing over the fact the bf should have feathers..... I mean seriously.....can a feathered bf ride a one wheel with style... OF COURSE they can fly!

 

[aussie_wings]

Yeah, I feel like if it were entirely up to me, he would have been in the office room from the start... We've managed to keep Boogie away for the most part, keeping him in the bedroom with us with the door shut while we sleep and she is out in the rest of the house. He's right next to the couch where my boyfriend is usually when he is inside, and I supervise when he's doing other things.
I was definitely thinking that about Ash. He's been outside, so I'm sure he's had to be adept hunter. I'll have to make sure the office room is ready for him by then. We have a little while, as we come back from our vacation on July 5th and Ash gets neutered that day. We were hoping he could be dropped off at the house after, but I'm not sure if we'll be home by the time he's ready, so we might have to wait for him to heal at my mom's house if the timing is off. By the way, I named him Ash because he's gray and my boyfriend and I like The Evil Dead movies. I have to remember to get that Halloween blood-splatter collar for him.
I, too, have heard many people say that their cats don't bother their birds, but every cat is hunter...and any bird can be their prey... I think even lazy cats can become un-lazy when their instincts motivate them for whatever reason. I think that lazy cats might just be lazy because they're well taken care of and having more to do.

 

[HeatherG]

This sounds like a lot of careful coordination…one mistake and your bird(s) could be toast. Please think some more. A feral outdoor cat is a hunter.

I’m reacting this way because my neighbor let her adult son care for her cockatiel that I raised when she went to the hospital. It was only supposed to be a few days, but a little girl opened the bird cage. There was not much left of this amazing cockatiel after seconds with the cat. We were both so sad.