Breaking kittens to get used to birds

[hooky]

just wondering  those of you have have cats how did you get them to not try to kill the pigeons..we have a big mouse problem here and have just purchasd a 12 week old kitten.i would love to be able to get cat to not worry about birds

[westy]

i dont think you will get them tame to pigeons they are to playful.

[hooky]

i just want it so when cat grows it knows not to touch the pigeons!

[Guest]

the cat should get used to the pigeons and keep other cats away from the loft.

my dog loves to catch the mice still waiting on the cat to come back from a toss 30 miles away

[PIGEON_MAN]

IF YOU TRY AND GET THE KITTEN AROUND THE BIRDS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE THEY WILL SOON GET USED TO IT AND YOU WILL HAVE NO PROBLEMS,ONE GUY IN OUR CLUB HAD ABOUT 6 CATS THAT HAD BEEN BOUGHT UP WITH THE BIRDS AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT THEY WOULD EVEN SIT IN THE NEST BOXES ALONGSIDE OF A SITTING BIRD,ISAW THAT WITH MY OWN EYES SO I KNOW IT WAS TRUE.

 

[Guest]

I dont think it is possible, ive got two cats and tried putting one of them as a kitten in with my YBs, but he got too excited when they moved about. He would let them sit next to them but started hissing at them after a while so I have kept him as house cat. You would have been better of getting a Jack Russel as these are the best ratters/mouse catching you can get.

[celtic]

Agree with Sbelbin...a jack russel would have done the job.

[Guest slugmonkey]

Heck I think my jack is worse than a cat they are Killers I dont know how you could keep one around birds mine has killed many birds as well as cats, squirrels, raccoons, possums, other dogs, rats, mice, lizards, snakes, pet chickens, and a goat I think they are worse than Pit Bulls I am glad he's only 12 pounds if he was any bigger I couldnt control him !!!

[frank-123]

MY FATHER USED TO HAVE A CAT SLEEP IN THE NEST BOX

I THINK THE CAT BEING A KITTEN AND YOUNG BIRDS THAT WERE USED TO THE CAT WOULD BE OK

[Guest]

Slugmonkey, a lad in our club used to have a Jack Russell that was bought up with the pigeons and wouldnt let anything near them. He used to sit in the garden with them and let them walk all over him, but any other bird or animal that went in the garden he would chase them out.

[PIGEON_MAN]

SBELBIN THAT WAS EXACLY HOW MY FREINDS CATS WERE WITH THE BIRDS I GUESS IF YOU TRAIN THEM FROM YOUNG YOU CAN GET DIFFERANT ANIMALS TO DO JUST THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT THEY ARE NORMALLY EXSPECTED TO DO.

[Guest]

I wish I had the patience to train my cats to do the same, as they are confined to the house, although they do have a aviary/pen that they can go out in to do there business, which also helps to keep other cats away.

[Guest]

Border Terriers are great with birds and so was my Red Heeler, we threw her in a breeding pen with an old Cock when she was 6 weeks old, he gave her a good wing slapping and she was fantastic with the birds, she would lay on the floor in the Young bird loft and the birds would walk all over her, but we had to lock her up race day as she spent so much time with the young birds, she used to jump on the landing board and trap in with them

[perk]

me and dad had a tom cat brought him up with our birds (long time ago) never went near them after a bucket of water over him.i,ve a jack cross now, different with him he went for a young bird at 12 weeks old good old kick up the a--e stopped him. comes in the loft with me all the time  

[hooky]

Thanks for the replies.i am not sure what to do but we did have a cat years ago and i do not know why but he was good with the birds.we would get up each morn and find half a dozen mice dead at back door..i did when he was a kitten sit with him in front of the loft and every time  he looked like he was very interested in them i would clout him and he would not take any notice.i repeated this for a week or so and he turned out fined. will try with this fell'a and let ya's know

[Guest]

Going back donkeys now to late 1950's. We had a tabby, she didn't go near my dad's pigeons, but she didn't keep the others at bay, and place was polluted with them, probably attracted by her as much as the pigeons, and I still have vivid memories 50 years later, as a pre-teen opening up loft one morning to carnage , and having to bury 12 of my dad's hens. A 13th died the following day from wounds under her wing which I hadn't picked up on the day before ...

 

Was also told story of a friend's Jack Russell, perfect with pigeons, lying under the loft while the birds were walking about etc, until one day one of them fresh out a bath had a good shake. Josey thought it may have soaked the dog's face .... because the bird ended up between the dog's jaws.

 

But I have been told cats are territorial ... probably the tom? ... and keep other cats at bay. I wouldn't begin to know how to train it to be pigeon friendly, and I think there would always be the nagging doubt at the back of my mind, 'what if the cat reverted to nature behind my back?'

 

[MsPigeon]

But I have been told cats are territorial ... probably the tom? ... and keep other cats at bay. I wouldn't begin to know how to train it to be pigeon friendly, and I think there would always be the nagging doubt at the back of my mind, 'what if the cat reverted to nature behind my back?'

 

I have cats and they usually mind there own business. But they do look at the birds and appear as though they may be stalking them from time to time. Like Bruno says, I think there always is the possibility of them reverting to their killing nature. I just always yell and hiss at them if I see them stalking them. And like someone else mentioned I have had to take a cat or two on a 30 mile toss, near some dairy farm or likely place for good home in barn. Thats because they learned to trap and kill.

I have not tried this, but I always heard that if you take kittens in the loft and put them near a sitting cock that will give them a good wing slapping, like Linda did her dog, it is suppose to help train them to leave the pigeons alone. But I think your always taking a chance and just need to keep an eye on your cats and get rid of the ones that don't work out.

Carol