Can my domestic cat safely eat a typical petstore canary/little bird?

PLEASE dont do that. its so cruel. Get toys for her to play with. and feed her wet cat food! please dont give her a bird. Just get her stuff she can play with like toy mouses, scratching post catnip etc.

Yes and no, if the cat does eat the pet-store bird I would take it to a vet, but the most you should expect is a hairball consisting of feathers and maybe some bone.

I have 6 cats as well as a cockatiel and finches and the cats though it was lunch when we got them, we took time to introduce the cats to birds and made sure their is no way the cats can jump at the finch cage. This took 6 months for the cats to get used to having birds inside.

Since your cat has been inside probably all her life and you want to bring in a little of the outdoors you can al-was get cat grass which can be grown inside and is safe for cats to eat also i know its not the real thing but pet-smart or nature has cat tree houses which mimics a real tree for a cat, this might be another good idea I have 2 and my cats love it because of the the different perches as well as cats enjoy being up high.

Just make sure if you get a small bird like that to have a good cage, have it in a good location so the cat cannot make a lunch of it, as well as keep the bird out of a window direct sunlight into a bird cage is not that good for the animal.

Also its great hearing that you care about the safety of your cat since their is a highway near your place.

I wish you all the best of luck

I would be more concerned about the safety of the bird. Is the bird going to be safe while the cat is eating it? Is the bird going to be safe when the cat grabs it by the neck or wing. I shared an apartment with a young lady once. She kept buying parakeets & keeping them in a cage, hanging from the ceiling. The siamese cat got them all. Birds & mice are below cats in the food chain. Why don't you get an Amazon Parrot? A full grown one. It would at least stand a chance to put the cat in it's place. If you are intent on providing a live diet for you kitty, you may want to purchase less expensive mice. I personally like my cat food in a bag. My kitties spend a lot of time watching beetle's, catching & eating them. Big black flies don't stand a chance. Cats eat more bugs than anything else. They will also chase wasps & bumble bees. Ants get their undivided attention. You probably don't need to buy any other living creature at the pet store. Most homes will have enough bugs to keep one cat occupied.

Cats are capable of eating birds without issue, however that is a little cruel to the bird, not to mention, messy.

What you might consider is creating your own cat tree's, or cat playground. Makes tunnels and little boxes and such that the cat can crawl around in. You might even be able to create something like that outside, yet have it securely 'penned' so the cat can not escape. Chicken wire works really well as a wall, just make sure to roof it as well, cats can climb.

http://www.catfancy.net/

The cat won't be hurt by the bird, but IMO that is cruel to purposely allow your cat to play hunter inside the house. Bad enough they do it outside, but I don't think its the right thing to do.

Do you care that the bird may be injured or suffer and you have blood and pieces of bird around. And no guarantee your cat will even kill the bird, let alone eat it too - it may just torture it. Is that fair?

You can build/buy a cat enclosure for your cat to sit in the back yard and chase bugs, etc in the enclosure.

I would personally not adopt a bird just for that.

There are always zoonotic risks. Cats that have eaten poisoned birds have been reported to leave the liver, which makes sense.

I would if I were you, invest in a cat fencing solution (Google it) - get one installed, and then kitty can be outside and chase birdies to her heart's content. She won't be able to get to the freeway if it's properly installed, and yyou never have to worry.

Best of both worlds. Keeping it natural.

Cats are natural predators eating mice, birds, small snakes and bugs all the them it should not hurt the cat at all. You might wind up with a bloody mess to clean up, also if you cat only eats part of it and hides the rest it might stink up the house. Also maggots will grow on dead flesh.

First, that bird will poop all over your house.

Second, cats will eat feathers, but not all of them. Most of them will be all over your house. Which hopefully you will clean up.

Third, your cat will hack up feathers, just like it does furballs.

Fourth, it's not very nice to the bird.

Just get your cat a toy. Seriously.

There is always a risk but outdoor cats do it all the time and probably a small amount choke.

BUT I wouldn't give it a bird...or that option at all.

Gross to clean up...so sick...lol

thats just cruel to the bird :/