Wild Bird Help?!

[RandomChicky13]

I have no idea were to post this so sorry if this is the wrong place

Well yesterday night my cat brought a "dead" bird into the house and proceeded to play with it in my parents room. After I realised it was alive I managed to catch it because my silly cat would not just finish the poor thing off she had to torture it so now it is out on the deck in a shoe box with some grass with a blanket over top and a chair propped up against it so the box doesn't fly away. First if it does make it threw the night It might have a broken wing which then I will have to keep it (I have rescued birds before) so any sugestions on what to feed it? It has the tiniest beak I have ever seen and I have no idea what it eats ( It looks like some sort of pipit or sparrow) I have raised a starling baby before and I just fed it soaked cat food and Grasshopers. But this bird probably eats other things Any advice would be helpful! And of course I will post pics tomorrow (if it is still alive)

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

Different birds eat different things. We need pics. for I.D.

 

[TheFeatheredTempest]

You could look on the internet and see if there are any wildlife rehabbers in your area. Good luck!

 

[RandomChicky13]

I already tried that... the closest one is 4 hours away and no offence to the bird but I don't think it is worth it.... I will try to get some pics this morning and find the birdcage that is laying around here somewhere I will update in the morning.

 

[jjthink]

The bird will in all likelihood need antibiotics for perhaps 5 days to survive. This is because cat saliva has a type of bacteria that is very powerful and if the bird was exposed through a bite or a scratch it's in deep doo doo. This is an urgent matter.
There may be more local rehabbers (see if the place you called knows any licensed individuals in your area that can help - they may do what they do right out of their homes) but in any case, call any wildlife rehab place and see if they can instruct you re: what antibiotic, how to obtain etc. (maybe a local vet - and certainly an avian vet should know what to do).
JJ

 

[jaimslee4u]

Can you feed it the hand feeding formula's for baby birds? If you can get it to eat a hand feeding formula may help to give it some extra vitamins.

 

[RandomChicky13]

Thanks for all the help! It was still alive this morning but wasn't looking so good so my mom moved it into one of our cat crates and gave it suet and water. It tried to escape twice one time it landed on my dogs head

My mom left to go work and I am home sick so I went to go check on it but it wasn't in the crate anymore so either it got out and the cat got it again (I doubt it) or it flew away! Im sad that I didn't get to see it this morning but happy that it was able to fly. I am sure there will be more casualties in the future so im sure you will here from me again.

 

[jjthink]

I'm sorry, but without the antibiotic that bird will likely die a slow difficult death.

I adore and have cats but don't like cats harming birds. During nesting season the baby birds are especially vulnerable. As your cat seems to be a skilled hunter try to at least keep it in as much as possible during nesting season. (not easy, I know, but worse is watching a baby bird [or any bird, as far as I'm concerned] be tormented to death and then just left behind, a toy that ran out of batteries, not even a food source).

Sorry to be the bearer of unpleasant news....

JJ

 

[RandomChicky13]

When I first grabbed it there were no bite marks or scratches or even blood and I don't think we give birds enough credit they are pretty strong when you think about it. Sorry but I am not going to go blow money on antibiotics for a little bird that may not live anyways. My theory is just give it food, water, shelter and let nature take it's course if it dies it dies at least it got a few more hours to live. It's better than it becoming a chew toy.

 

[jjthink]

I took the time to share medical fact with you for your use, or not, truly however you saw fit, as you posted and it seemed you wanted to help the bird. No one is telling you to spend money on anything you don't want to. A local rehabber may have been out there who could have taken the bird and you wouldn't have to spend a cent that you didn't think the bird was worthy of (as noted, often the bigger rehab places will have lists of individuals who are licensed to help - for years there was someone just a few blocks from me - they lived in a regular house and so most folks were unaware yet they were wonderfully equipped to help with such situations - there are thousands of these folks out there and they don't charge anything).

It's convenient to assume the best, as reality can (and all too often does!!) stink, but we can be more effective in the world if we are armed with good information. If you would like to verify about the toxicity of cat saliva, rather than 1) assume without benefit of fact that birds are strong and no worries, or rather than 2) take my word for it (and why should you, without additional info), by all means call some wildlife rehab places and see what they tell you. Maybe you can use the info you gather to help alert others that this happens to. Do I hope no skin was broken? I hope fervently, though often you will not be able to see, and it is not often that the bird (or mouse, or whatever a cat gets ahold of) is that lucky. And I too would not want the bird to be a chew toy so I am glad you retrieved it from the cat but sadly, it's death may be a more prolonged affair. It's just reality and I felt obligated to provide you with those facts; others reading may find themselves in a similar situation and the information may come in handy. You are to be commended for trying to spare the bird further cat torment and with an extreme amount of luck maybe it will be okay.

http://www.exoticpetvet.net/avian/topten.html :The bacteria found in the saliva and the mouth of a mammal can cause fatal septicemia (infection in the bloodstream) of a bird in very short order. Cat bites should be considered the most dangerous, as the Pasteurella bacteria commonly found in the feline mouth, are extremely hazardous to birds. Even a simple puncture by a tooth can result in a fatal infection. Scratches from claws are also extremely dangerous, as the risk of infection is very real.

http://birdcageportal.com/beware-of--hazards-: Leaving your bird vulnerable to other pets is an accident waiting to happen. Never leave your bird unsupervised. Even seemingly trustworthy pets should not be trusted 100%. Note: dog and cat saliva is life-threatening if it enters a bird's bloodstream. Cat saliva is especially lethal to birds due to a Pasturella bacteria in the feline mouth.

http://www.cockatielcottage.net/cats.html: One of the many bacteria that is carried in the saliva of cats is called Pasteurella. Although Pasteurella is harmless to cats, dogs and humans, it's lethal for birds. Birds can die within 24 hours after being bitten by a cat because the bacteria multiplies rapidly, spreading throughout a bird's entire system. Birds that are attacked by cats need to be tested for pasteurella and treated with the appropriate antibiotics that same day or they will die. Sometimes there are no visible wounds on a bird after being attacked or pawed by a cat or dog. The bird may have tiny puncture wounds and scratches on the body, caused by sharp teeth or claws, that are hidden by feathers, as well as broken bones