Conference misery::feline_v1

    Wire the cage door shut and secure the cage so that even if it's
    knocked over there won't be any access.
    
    Edd

    when I was in jr. high, I had hamsters and cats that were very
    interested in the hamsters as toys or meals. We put the cage (a
    birdcage) on a blank wall, about 5 1/5 feet up, at least 8 ft away
    from any furniture. One of the cats would sit on the end of my bed
    and watch that cage for hours, but she wasnt able to get it open.
    Having it fastened to the wall made it difficult to dislodge. You
    could try this!
    
    Eryn Utz
    
     

    Only 1 of my cats ever thought of getting the birds and
    jumped on to of the cage. Even tho she couldn't get the
    door open, my thought was that the birds could die of fear-
    i.e. a heart attack. The only thing I could do was move them
    into a room where this cat was not allowed.   
    
    Even now this cat tries to sneak into the room. I think it
    is her nature - even tho none of the others show the
    slightest into in the birds (two finch).
    
    Also, this cage was about 6 feet off the floor on a blank wall
    but the cat could jump from the floor on it anyway. I don't
    think there is any surefire way of keeping her away from them.
    (However, I will continue to read this note as maybe someone
    will come up with something I haven't tried and it will
    be successful - and I will be ever so grateful).
    
    Pat
     

    
    
    Even if the door is wired shut, the bird can still be injured in
    the fall. My dove is still recovering from having her cage knocked
    off a 5 1/2 foot bookcase by one of the cats. She looks like she'll
    be okay, but for a couple of days I wasn't so sure...
    

    RE: .5
    
    HOW????
    
    

    I also put this note in the bird's file.  This is one of the responses
    I got.  Is this true?  It sounds like quackery to me.
    
    Holly
    
                <<< UPNRTH::USERA:[NOTES$LIBRARY]BIRDS.NOTE;1 >>>
                              -< ^o^ Birds! ^o^ >-
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Note 341.14     Near Tragedy----how to prevent it in the future?        14 of 15
DIEHRD::MAHLER "Happy American = Full Tank of Gas!"   6 lines   3-FEB-1988 12:21
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    	Also, rub lemon juice on the bird cage stand or hang lemon peels
    	off the cage or in the area.  Cats hate citrus.
    
    
    

    I don't know, Holly, Tiger like Grapefruit!!!
    
    Of course, I've been told he thinks he's human, anyway!!!
    
    cin
    

    Don't know if cats hate citrus but I have heard that.  I
    also know that fleas supposedly don't like citrus either.
    There's a holistic method of flea treatment that involves
    spraying the cat with some sort of cirtus-based spray.
    One of the guys in the office here was doing it.
    
    Donna

    Does the cage sit on a table? If so, wire the door shut and put
    some weight under the false bottom of the cage.
    
    Edd

Okay, dogs and cats can become friends because the dog (the larger) is not
nearly that aggressive a hunter and will not look upon the resident cat(s)
as possible dinner when well fed.

HOWEVER, cats are not nearly as "tame" or domesticated as dogs, are very
aggressive hunters by nature, and a primary source of food for a cat
in the wild is a bird or rodent like creature.  You're fighting a lot
of mother nature here and I'd be very careful.

The only reliable solution is to keep them separate, especially when you
are not around.  The cat might be conditioned to avoid chasing the bird
when you are present by heavy application of aversion therapy (large
squirt gun or squirt bottle filled with COLD water - watching and getting
the cat every time it gets near the cage), but when you leave that bird
is probably too much of a temptation.

    Being Greek nearly everything that I cook is saturated in lemon
    and my cats don't seem to mind at all.
    
    Deb

    Hi Holly,
    
    Oh No !!!!!!!
    
    I'll just have to tell you my story.
    
    At the time I had Keish (Sammy) and Lightning (cat) and Daffy
    (parakeet).
    
    
    Daffy (short for Daffodil) was in a cage w/stand that was located
    nowhere near any furniture.  It was also in a corner for backing.
    
    We had had Daffy for about two years without major incidents and
    Lightning had been with us almost the whole time.  Keisha had joined
    us about 6 months previous to the incident.
    
    I had gone next door to visit and when I came home I found the cage
    on the floor and the door open.  I immediately figured that we would
    find the feathers to tell us what transpired.
    
    Not the case.....  As near as I can figure,  Keisha hit the cage
    by accident and knocked it over (she is an overweight Sammy).  The
    cage door opened and Daffy escaped.  She had a tendency to fly around
    in terror whenever she was loose and bang into walls (dumb bird).
    When I found her, she was not hurt but she definitely was dead.
    There wasn't a mark on her from either cat or dog.  I figured that
    she died either from a heart attack or from banging into the wall
    once too often.
    
    I never did tell my daughter (owner of Daffy) the whole story. 
    I just told her I found her in the cage dead (rotten Mother for
    Lying but it saved Lightning).  My daughter would have strangled
    Lightning if she thought she had anything to do with Daffy's death.
    
    Oh well, enough of this.  I just wanted to tell you that I will
    never have a bird again as long as I have cats and/or dogs.  It's
    not worth the aggravation.  
    
    Bye now,
    
    Sandi
    
    

    I remember quite a few years ago when I had a beautiful singing canary,
    Tweetie, and a pair of parakeets, Davey & Beth.  I also had two
    cats, Tuffy & Monkey, as well as my old dog, Skippy.  All got along
    with no mishaps for all of their lives.  I don't know of any secret
    ways to do this but it just seemed like they knew all were members
    of the family. The cats paid little or no attention to the birds in 
    their respective cages which hung from those hangers you screwed into
    the wall.  Mine were hung in our sunniest room (diningroom) near the 
    windows.
    
    I also had at different times hamsters, a guinea pig, and a chinchilla.
    Everyone got along fine with the cats/dogs I also had during those
    times.  All lived their life spans, except those who died of diseases
    like cancer, etc. or in case of 2 cats killed by stray dogs.  
        
    Today I have 3 cats at home (indoor cats only), 1 "weekend" dog, and no
    caged birds or rodents.  Even if I wanted to have a caged bird/rodent,
    I don't think I would do so now.  Although I believe my older cat
    would not bother anything, I do have two younger cats that I feel
    would definitely give me grief if I brought a caged animal into
    the apt.; especially my "D.P. Gremlin".  He's always plotting on
    what new and exciting game he can start with the other two cats,
    Buffy and Holly, to get them going.  He especially likes to tease Buffy
    who likes to be left alone and mind his own business most of the
    time.
    
    Good luck and I hope someone comes up with a good solution to your
    problem!
    
    Pat
    

    
    
    I sympathise with your problem.
    
    I've seen various methods tried and the best I managed with my canary,
    Flighty, was having a cage suspended from the ceiling (quite a high
    ceilinged house as well). Unfortunately the cats couldn't suss this
    ...... but the bird did.  It was one of those bamboo/balsa wood
    cages and Flighty decided while we were out to escape and to do 
    his favorite trick off having a bath in the cat's water bowl.  
    Normally when he was out of the cage the cat's were locked out
    of the room, not so while we were out ... we thought he was safe!
    
    All we found were two little canary feet gripping the water bowl
    and a little pink tail feather.
    
    Jo
    Reading, UK.
    
    Tigger and the other cats used to let Houdini the hamster ride on
    their backs tho!!!