Is it possible for a cat and a bird to live in the same house? I have a bird in a cage, but I'm afraid if I get a cat that he will somehow manage to harm or kill the bird with his paws through the cage! What do you suggest?

It is very possible for a bird and cat to coexist together. If you are planning on getting a small bird, you will have a cage with narrow bars and your cat will not be able to harm the bird. However, if the bird you're getting is a big one and will have a cage with broad gaps between the bars, you could either keep the bird out of reach or keep it in a room that your cat is not allowed in. I've noticed that a lot of parrots take it upon themselves to make teach any cat that comes by a lesson. My ringneck, for example, will attack my cat if he comes anywhere near he's cage, and my cat keeps far away. I certainly don't suggest that you leave a bird to defend itself, though.

We've got an African Grey parrot and 5 cats. He has schooled all of them in the ways of not bothering him. One of the cats, unfortunately for him, has a scar up the back of his rear leg from walking around on the top of the cage too freely. We didn't mean for this to happen, or see it, but the wound looked like a puncture followed by a long scrape---not from another cat, but perfectly from a beak. We think Pip might have slipped, and the bird grabbed him as a warning, but the kitten panicked and dragged his leg out, leaving a long wound. Nothing really deep, but he has never gotten on the top of the cage since. Another cat routinely sleeps on top of the cage, but for some reason the parrot seems rather fond of her, so he moves to the bottom of the cage and leaves her alone.

On a side note, the parrot used to have quite a crush on a cat I used to have. Every night they'd sit and stare at each other, he'd regurgitate for her (which birds do for young or mates) and she'd eat it. Kind of nasty, but sweet in its sentiment.

I have a Parrot and a cat. When I first got the Parrot the cat used to sit on the table staring at him like he was about to pounce, so I kept moving him off the table and telling him no. This lasted for a couple of weeeks but the cat completely ignores the parrot now.

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Rosie and Teya's mummy