Should I let her do this?

[sowilu]

I was wonderring if I should let Kiddles do this. She never did it but know that I brought Yoltzin and Coaxoch she is wanted to just stare at them. My mom saw her there yesterday while Maxy and Nimbus were out and on the perche on top of the cage and Kiddles was underneath them just staring at Yoltzin and Coaxoch. She knows that Maxy and Nimbus are a no-no and she is always supervised when the birds are out.

[Valo's Moirana]

no, that would be my answer... parrots are prey anymals, and just the pure presence of a predetor could lead to shock which can potentially be deadly... also, you know - your kitty might not harm them 1000times, but one time s/he might change her mind, and then it's too late...

i wouldn't let her do this....

[Monica]

I don't let any of my cats ontop of any of the cages, even if they might have a top. Right at this moment only 1 bird doesn't care about the cats, and 3 birds have gotten accustomed to being around the cats... all the rest of the birds aren't used to the cats.

[jriley]

Oh wow, I would definitely say no. It's cute to look at, but scary! Cat saliva has all kinds of nasty bacteria in it, so one little nip could be dangerous. I agree with the above posts, too, in that it is very intimidating to the birds. Finally, there is the issue of fleas and flea control. We used to allow our cat to lay on top of the hermit crab tank (it had a screen cover). Turned out he had a few fleas and they took over the tank and killed the poor crabs (it never occurred to me that fleas would go after crabs). We do use Frontline on all the cats and you might use some product, too, and I would worry about the toxicity of those products as my birds have always been known to try to filch hair off the cats and dogs if they got close enough.

With our cats, I try to make it clear that they are not allowed within three feet of any cage. If they approach any of the bird cages, they immediately get a squirt with the water bottle. All three of our cats are very predatory and are always chasing birds and squirrels and moles outside (sometimes successfully, I'm sorry to say) and I wanted to make it absolutely clear to them that they weren't even allowed to look at the birds in the house. Even our dogs know that they aren't allowed around the cages and aren't allowed on the couch with us when a bird is out. I'm just too paranoid that a cat or dog will get startled and nip if I allow them to have contact with each other.

Julie Riley

[tielmama]

I say no also. That has to be stressful for the birds. Specially the ones at eye level. I would let the cat lay in the room while you are there, but no other time. The cat might be able to get the top off of the bottom of the cage that is hanging. Too risky.

[catschair]

My cats and birds are all used to each other, but I would just worry a bit about the mechanics of it all. Years ago, I had a cat that used to sleep on the fish tank (she could see out the window and the light was warm). Sure enough one day, something went awry, and she ended up in the fish tank. Amazingly everyone survived, but since then I have been a lot more cautious with things that might not be the most stable seating with kitties who sometimes jump around.

[raddaughter]

As much as I love cats, I don't own one because they are predetors. We had one cat, Crush (rightfully named) who was an outdoor cat. We couldn't keep him inside because of allergies. Well, he was a hunter at heart and brought home little presents for me (including a live baby rabit).

Knowing this, I would think that it would really scare the birds to be that close to a predetor. Imagine it this way: If you were in an enclosure that even though it looked secure, you didn't know that, and there was a huge (animal you were terrified of, like a shark). You would probably be freaking out. Same with your birds. Although a cage may look safe, birds don't know that. Being so close to an animal that could kill them could lead to fatal shock... I wouldn't if I were you.

[2horse]

bad idea, apart from toxic saliva, the presence of the cat can trigger plucking or other abnormal behavior in the birds even if they are safe.

[Sashagirl]

I would definately say no.I am owned by 18 FIDS 5 Chihuahuas and 1 Cat.
I don't allow the dogs nor the cat to interact with the FIDS.The same thing your cat does mine likes to do it too.My husband thinks it's cute but I had a fit when I saw it.

I use my kitchen for quarantine and that is also where my dogs stay except for 1 of them who is 14 years old.Well I was bringing one of my Eclectus out of quarantine when she jumped off the cage and onto the floor.Well one of the Chihuahua's went after her grabbed her and wouldn't let her go.I had to actually hit him in order for him to let go.I was right there in the kitchen when this happened and I will never forget this.I checked Paris Rose over and luckily she wasn't injured.You know to all of you reading this it could of been fatal.

[BobbieSD]

I would be worried if the bird got scratched. Some can bleed to death very quicklyl.