Would a bell on my cat's collar help stop his bird killing when he's outside?
We have a cat who was always determined to get out, so we now let him out every few days, and he never goes far away, he mostly hangs out with the neighbor kid's cat from up the street. Anyway, a couple weeks ago, my nephew came over and said when he got out of his car, my cat had just grabbed a pidgeon and he let it go when the car door startled him. Then over the weekend, my teenage son told me he watched our cat 'stalk' a pidgeon and actually catch and kill it, just for fun. He even walked away before it was totally dead. Now, I'm no fan of pidgeons, I consider them winged vermin. But I don't want people to see my cat savagely killing birds when he's outside either, plus I'm worried about diseases the birds may carry. Does it really help to put a bell on their collar? Because he does wear one. And I know, I know, don't let him out. But with 2 dogs, it's hard to always police the doors when sneaky cats can be hiding just waiting to make a break for it, and this cat is one of the most intelligent cats I've ever had, so he's pretty sneaky.
Cappo3592009-04-05T21:42:25Z
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A bell will do the trick. My cats are indoor cats, but our neighbor has two outdoor cats who love to stalk the finches at our bird feeders. The neighbor cats both have bells on their collars and the birds bail out as soon as the cat jumps the fence.; but one of the cats lost his collar for about a week before it was replaced; he got 3 birds that I know of in that time.
Put a bell on your cat. The birds will thank you.
EDIT: you should get a break-away collar to prevent unintentional hangings. Any pet store will have a big selection. Don't listen to anyone who says not to collar your outdoor cat; break-away collar, bell, ID tag...all outdoor cats should be equipped. Get them "chipped" by your vet as well.
Not really, because the birds would not associate the sound with an approaching cat. The only way to keep him from killing wildlife is to keep it inside or build an outdoor enclosure You can try getting a doggy door that uses special collars, and only opens for the animal that is wearing the collar. This could also help keep the cat away from the outdoors.. If you do get a collar, buy a safety release collar. It's got a special snap that will release if the cat gets stuck. They come in various styles and colors, even reflective so your cat can be seen at night. They vary in price from $5-$9. But a collar will not stop a cat from preying on birds nor will it scare the birds off in time. But personally, I would not keep a cat outdoors because of all the risks such as snakes, cars, disease, dogs, other cats, poisoning, etc.
Nope. My mother insisted I put a belled collar on my cat when I lived with them the summer after my last year of college because he kept sneaking up on one of their cats. It took him almost no time to learn to stalk without making a sound even with the collar. If the other cat couldn't hear him I don't think a pigeon would have a chance.
Apart from keeping him inside, I think the birds will be out of luck. Maybe if you can make a perch for them that will allow them to rest and be safely above him. I'm not sure. Pigeons tend to be dumber and nastier than the pretty birds. We have some outside and if my cats see them it's tough to keep them from dashing out and I'm quite sure they could catch the dumb things. I have seen half eaten ones, so I think our feral colony takes them out too. I shudder to think about how nasty and diseased pigeons can be.
If you have a fenced in yard you could add to the top of it to keep him in. Either add a 12-18 inches horizontally or diagonally (angled in) that should prevent him from getting out if the fence is high enough that he can't simply jump it (as opposed to jumping and climbing). Of course if there's prey in the yard he'll kill it but at least some critters will learn to stay out of the yard.
Other than that he will probably keep killing pigeons and move on to something else if anything else available. Sometimes that's cute little baby bunnies. He may even start bringing his dead or half-dead prizes home. (I've had cats who did that way back when I had outdoor cats, lots of dead baby bunnies to bury) He probably doesn't even realize that the pigeon is another living thing. It's a cool toy until it stops moving. And he probably doesn't even think it's food. Food comes in bowls and without feathers, but instinct says kill/maim anyway. The only way to keep a cat from killing is to not give him access to prey. Sorry. They're incredibly resourceful.
No,it doesn't help.The best thing you can do is to keep the cat indoors.If you want him to go outside,put up a dog kennel with a top on it and put some branches and toys in there for him. Put a bird feeder close by so he can watch the birds but not kill them.I know about sneaky cats,though,as I have two of them,calico sisters who sneak out every chance they get and they are supposed to be *strictly* indoor cats! I have been putting them in the bathroom whenever I let my dogs out,as this is when they sneak out.
Yes a bell will help the neighborhood birds know when he is coming. I would get a safety collar it is a type of collar that has a snap in it that breaks apart if the cat becomes tangled on anything. This will keep him from becoming injured or strangled.