Mishka's new friend !!!!

[antoinette]

Firstly NO ONE has to right to tell me what I can or can’t do pertaining to having a bird and cat interacting with one another.
You do NOT live under my roof.
WHO ARE YOU TO judge what I am capable and not capable of?.
There are many people all over the world who have pet birds and pet cats in their household who have been living under the same roof for many years. There have been tragic accidents where birds have lost their lives due to the negligence of the guardian, leaving them alone together and UN-supervised
THAT IS PUTTING A BIRD’S LIFE IN DANGER.

What might work with one guardian could be disastrous for another. Keeping two birds together in a cage could also lead to a tragic ending…………. Should I go warn EVERY guardian that they are risking their bird’s lives?.
One could decide to clip a birds wings, another not.
WHO is to say which one is correct !!!!!! They have their different reasons: WHO are we to judge them.

THEY are to decide for THEMSELVES.
Each and every guardian for themselves………

Just as I am able to decide whether Mishka and a cat could live together under supervision.
It is my choice and has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with anyone else.

When people read Mishka’s thread “Mishka has a new friend” they should know whether they have the capabilities of strict supervision, the risks involved etc.

I have posted how closely Mishka and Ringo are monitored, never being on their own together EVER.

I AM SHOWING IT IS POSSIBLE FOR A BIRD AND CAT TO LIVE TOGETHER UNDER STRICT SUPERVISION.

There is another active forum where the “Owner” has dogs, cats, birds, snakes, bearded dragons and spiders all living under the same roof. Obviously some species are locked up, BUT the bird is never in its cage, roaming freely throughout the day, WHILE the guardians are at work !!!!!!!!!

I would never ever place Mishka’s life in danger……………………….

I did not GO INTO this with my eyes closed. I did a lot of research before deciding to get a kitten.
I know of the dangers that come with having a bird and a cat. I know for a fact that getting a kitten whilst still young has its advantages. As Ringo ages the strict supervision WILL still be intact and THAT IS NEVER GOING TO CHANGE.

A cat like a bird CAN be taught what to do and what not to do. For instance, when Ringo first attempted to drink from Mishka’s potty, we were persistent, and told him NO each time he came towards to potty. After a few nights he no longer tries to drink from Mishka’s potty.
In the beginning when covering Mishka cage at night with a blanket, Ringo tried to pull the blanket off many times.
With strict supervision and persistence he no longer touches the blanket.
INSTEAD he now lays next to Mishka’s cage keeping guard over him.

I have had Mishka for just over six years now.

NO ONE AND NO ONE knows Mishka better than what Steven and I do. We know his body language, his temperament and his personality.
I spend three hours with him before work each morning and 3 hours during the evening. I do spend every weekend at home, interacting with Mishka, besides going out to do the occasional shopping and once went to a movie. Ps…. Was also told off because I went to the movies leaving Mishka alone: I was told to give Mishka to a bird sanctuary in America, they would care for him properly and better than what I do !!!!!!!!!!!!! HONESTLY

I am aware that a cat may strike at any time, BUT whenever Mishka is out of his cage there are always two of us supervising, within inches of them both.
They are never left alone NOT EVEN FOR ONE SECOND. If there is an emergency and something comes up Ringo is taken into the bedroom immediately.
During the week at night time Mishka and Ringo interact for one hour together under extremely strict supervision.

You have mentioned I am doing this posting for my status counts and my popularity………………

I have been active on the forum for a number of years, thus my count posts being high.

I have NEVER and would NEVER post for the sake of increasing my counts.
If you go through all my recent posting you will notice I have not participated on the forum as much as I did in the past due to me now having a full time position.

Mishka is already popular worldwide since winning the International Bird Talking Competition in 2011.

 

[tab_xo]

Ok i am just going to jump right in and say-

I have heard of more stories, where a bird was injured by another bird... rather than any other animal..


I hear about macaws attacking other macaws, so they have to only be allowed out at separate times..

I hear about conures fighting, macaws killing smaller birds, amazons attacking other birds, eclectus's killing smaller budgies...



Now....


How can all of you judge, and say that Ant should not allow her bird and cat to interact, when you have more than one bird, and you allow those to interact?



By all these negative comments, i would say 'Ok, well how dare you let 2 birds to interact, haven't you heard the stories??!??! That is dangerous! You are a terrible bird owner'





Oh? Your birds get along?


Well, they might get along when they are younger... But what about when they are older and hormonal?


It is EXACTLY the same thing, Mishka and Ringo are friends when they are younger...


When Ringo is older, Ant will access the situation, and based on her knowledge, because SHE KNOWS THEM BEST, she will see if Ringo has the attack instinct of a cat, or he has learnt to think of Mishka as a friend...




We have no right to tell Ant what to do..


Just like we have no right to tell people to just have one bird, because and accident CAN happen...

How many stories have we all heard where a birds toes have been chewed off by another bird?






We are a very active, positive, friendly family forum, we need to keep it that way!!



Thank you to everyone who has been positive and not encouraging the negative responses from some members !







I have let Fargo interact with my dog, as you may of seen..

I let Fargo interact with 900kg horses....

I let Fargo interact with 100 gram possums and joeys...


Because i know my animals best, i don't take Fargo to the horses who are scared of him.. I don't take him to the dog that will kill him..






Oh, and to say that Ant is only using this thread to get popularity, i seriously don't think Ant needs a forum thread to get her popular, considering she has the best talking bird in the world, and he is used for radio advertising, and we all loved Ant wayyyyy before this thread was made..

It's not like this thread was created and everyone went- oh wow, Ant is soooo cool hehe

 

[aether-drifter]

Just putting it out there, but most cats are not going to "attack" a bird of Mishka's size, especially not if raised with the bird from the time they're a little kitten. Sure, there are still dangers presented by the bacteria in cat saliva, and on cat claws -- if the bird and cat were honest to god friends who played together and stuff, I might consider using those plastic claw covers on the kitty. That's just me, though. Also, I would not let a bird preen a cat or dog because of the saliva issue.

I let my cats and my galah interact, mainly because the extent of the interaction goes like this:

Cat comes over and acts like it wants to play; bird does not approve and tells cat in no uncertain terms (wings-out, crest-up threat display). Cat backs off, loses interest and goes off to play somewhere else. Bird goes back to doing bird things like nothing happened. I know how Sakura reacts when she's legitimately scared; she panics and flies off, and when I retrieve her she's breathing heavily. She's perfectly relaxed with the cats around, she just doesn't like them getting too close. They respect that. And I'm always there to supervise.

Having the cats and the bird used to each other is the best option for me, otherwise I have to lock all five cats up in the bedroom and that's not fair at all. They're part of the family just as much as she is.

Point being, the cats don't see her as prey...just as a playmate, which isn't happening. I would NEVER let my cats anywhere near my cockatiels because I know how it would end. But I don't see any reason why a larger parrot and a cat or dog can't be allowed to interact under close supervision. It might not work with all cats, or all dogs, and all birds. But sometimes, it can. Responsible owners can make that call.

 

[Terry57]

I am so impressed by the way you have handled this, Ant...you are a class act, my dear, and an inspiration to us all!
I enjoy all your posts, and have especially enjoyed this thread And you were amazing in my eyes long before this thread.
Can't wait to see more pics of Mishka and Ringo!

 

[strudel]

How anybody manages risk is their business. They are best placed to assess the risk involved in their circumstances. Nobody can say that they are wrong for not managing risk the way you think they should or you would. Everyone is entitled to express an OPINION that the risk should be managed in a particular way, but your opinion is generally no more valid than anyone else's.

Just one point, dogs and cats aren't ALL "hardwired". There are some natural tendencies, but in dogs they are breed and individual dependent and, in cats, hunting is a learned behaviour.

As tab says, you know who you are dealing with and you decide in the circumstances. Nobody outside the relationships can judge and impose any absolutes. They just don't have sufficient information to do that.

As long as the risks are identified and warnings given, others aren't that daft where they'd think that just because a particular relationship is ok, it will be ok in all circumstances and they should just go for it. I don't think new bird owners are that dim. The fact that they come and ASK on forums shows that they realise they need information before acting. It really boils down to whether you think people are stupid or not or whether you think they are capable of rational behaviour.....

 

[BruceV]

I'm going to go hug a lion, because someone on the internet did it. So it must be safe.

Are we really perceived as THAT stupid by these folks? Come ON!

Oh, and by the way...LOVE the pictures!

 

[antoinette]

This thread has run it's course.

Need updates on Mishka and his new friend Ringo, to follow in other threads