Cats and Macaws as Housemates?

[Larry]

Hello,
I am a new member and a lifelong bird lover. I have had several conures and a Senegal in the past. They were my childhood pets. I am now married with two grown children and 4 cats. My wife and I are in love with the macaws that are at our local bird store.

We can afford to buy one, and we have a great home. We spend hours on end with our pets and we own our own business, so our pets can come to work with us whenever we want.

We are also discussing the fact that the bird is expected to outlive us by a quite a few years. We are both 40. So the question is, how do cats react to a huge bird like a BG or Green Wing? It sounds like some of you have cats and macaws. How do the macaws feel about the cats?
We want a bird, but do not want to put one in danger because of our cats.
Thank You, All replies will be appreciated.
Larry Bowers

[Samm]

Hi Larry.....

I have a 5 month old B&G and 2 house cats. Neither one will go near her, in fact when she's down on the floor, they run way around her to make it across the room....
I wouldn't trust them alone in the house with her when I'm not there, however....

[Rue]

I don't have a macaw...but I've had cats and birds for some 20 plus years and we've always been fine (knock on wood)...

...currently we have 2 housecats and 8 birds...all the birds (other than the finches) are out during the birds' supervised playtimes...and we've had no problems with the cats. But we've also actively discouraged the cats from showing 'predator' behaviour towards the birds...

...the cats are also most intrigued by the smaller, 'flitty' finches...they tend to ignore the larger parrots and the larger parrots are also more aggressive towards the cats which help reinforce our 'paws off' policy

...you definately have to watch...no doubt there...but with a bird the size of a macaw I wouldn't worry...in fact, you might have to watch out for the well-being of the cats! Some larger birds will go after them!...

Good luck!!! Have fun finding your new 'housemate'!

[Larry]

Thank You for the info!
I am also wondering how the birds thrive indoors with ac/heat. In the winter our house is heated to 72, and is sometimes as warm as 78. In The Summer it is as low as 72 from the ac, but it stays in the mid 70s pretty consistently. I remember that smaller birds like my conure and my Senegal were able to catch a cold from an open window and were very sensitive to temperature changes. I live in Southern California, and the Summers are very hot, and the winters are mild but not exactly warm.



What is the ideal temp for our house once we get our macaw? How safe is it for the bird to be outdoors with us in the back yard? The back yard question is assuming that the bird is not going to fly away, it's more an issue of going from the cool house to the hot out door temp and vice versa.

Thank You in advance,
Larry Bowers

[dyeman]

I have 5 cats including a Maine Coon, and my cats really don't bother the birds, or the other way around. Sven the Coon, pretty much just ignores them.

Temperature wise, I think it is more a factor of extreme temperature changes rather than the mean temperature itself.

[birdyland]

I have a Scarlet Macaw and a Molluccan Cockatoo.... I have never met a cat that didn't run when they squak or display if they didn't already run on sight! Cats and a LARGE bird should be fine. However, each individual is different and you may have to supervise the bird as much as the cat.... I can tell you of a few times where a bird ended up with a tuft of cat tail hair as the cat passed under a bird stand.

That being said. Cat saliva can be toxic to your birds. The two creatures should not share stands or playthings.

As far as the temperature goes (I live in So Cal too, San Diego) if you are cold, the bird is cold is what I've been told by Dr. Jenkins AVM. I follow that rule and it seems to work. The big guys are not as suseptable to drafts as the little ones, but you should keep birds from drastic temperature changes. Also, even humans don't like to sit in a draft, so it is a good idea to make sure your birds are out of them even if they are the big guys. It's not so much the temperature, but the change of temperature that can have ill effect. With the heating and AC units, just make sure they're not by the vent or in the direct path of the air, I know I don't like air blowing on me it drys out skin and eyes.... it will dry out skin and feathers and eyes on a bird.

As far as being safe outside, that is a heated debate. There are some here that do not clip their birds and have a inside to outside aviary where the bird is never in the open, there are some that clip and take their bird to an outside aviary, and there are those that clip and have their birds in the open (supervised of course). It is a matter of personal opinion and I am one of the latter. I clip my birds and they come outside with me often. Year around on nice days. They are always supervised and I am always vigilent for dangers such as hawks and hazards. Weigh the pros and cons, and decide what is best for your situation, your location, your bird and your comfort levels.

I'm glad you are taking the time to research all it takes to upkeep the responsibility of a large bird. Please feel free to ask more questions, there are many here ready to help.

Where in So. Cal are you if I may ask?? Just curious to know if you are anywhere near San Diego, and if so what Breeder/pet store is your macaw coming from??

[Larry]

We are in the west San Fernando Valley. There is a place in Reseda called Discount Bird supply. They have mostly food and toys, but they also raise birds that they get from breeders at a young age. All of thier employees are very knowledgeable. They also provide bird baby sitting for people who leave home for a few days. They only ever have one large macaw for sale at a time. I would, however like to go to a breeder or another reputable shop to look a little more. The bird at Discount Bird is sold, and a BG is coming in soon.
Let Me know if you reccomend any one or any place.
Thank You in advance.

[Rue]

It would be great to go to a breeder and see if one of their babies is attracted to you...wish I could have done that...

...however, we had our Pi shipped to us, and he's wonderful...couldn't have picked a nicer bird...

...but now is the main hatching time...you have a lot more options than I had (my bird was hatched in January)...

...it's so exciting!

[birdyland]

Originally Posted by Larry

We are in the west San Fernando Valley. There is a place in Reseda called Discount Bird supply. They have mostly food and toys, but they also raise birds that they get from breeders at a young age. All of thier employees are very knowledgeable. They also provide bird baby sitting for people who leave home for a few days. They only ever have one large macaw for sale at a time. I would, however like to go to a breeder or another reputable shop to look a little more. The bird at Discount Bird is sold, and a BG is coming in soon.
Let Me know if you reccomend any one or any place.
Thank You in advance.

Well, there is a large *CLOSED* Aviary that I have heard of called Aves http://www.avesint.com/LA.html in the L.A. area that you might want to check out. Closed aviary means that no visitors are allowed due to health reasons to protect the birds. I've heard of the breeder, but never used them personally, so please check them out fully. There is also a store up there that I have heard of.... Parrots Naturally http://www.parrotsnaturally.com/ . Again, not a place that I've used myself, so please check them out.

You also may want to attend a bird club meeting, or talk to some local bird club members.
http://www.parrotpages.com/clubs/westLosAngeles.htm
http://www.parrotsocietyoflosangeles.com/ (I belive they also adopt out birds)

[kensbuns]

I have a cat and a B&G. I have noticed absolutely no curosity between either of them. If Bogart makes it to the floor Miss Kitty just sits and watches. She knows about the water bottle. Occasionally I will see her sit and watch them but she has never made a charge toward either of them. I keep my Apt 70 degrees all year long.