brian@askinc.UUCP (brian) (12/11/90)
Earlier I posted a questionnare asking about those of you who have had experience in keeping birds and cats together, and whether or not this is a danger to the birds involved. Some of you asked me to post a summary of the responses, so here goes: Total responding: 7 Total against keeping birds and cats together: 5 Total indicating that cohabitation works: 2 Main Reasons cited AGAINST the idea: 1. The cat cannot be trusted due to it's instincts. Even though some cats display no interest, posters agreed that this trait cannot be trusted. Some gruesome examples were given. 2. If the cat's bite is highly dangerous for a bird; A slight influx of the cat's saliva can be very poisonous, even though the bite/scratch was a playfull one. 3. About 3 posters gave some examples of situations where this arrangement was deadly to the bird(s) involved. Examples of making the situation work: About 2 posters gave no indication that there was danger involved, and described the relationship between the bird and cat. About 2 others also have this relationship, but strongly recommended against it because the arrangement itself required a high amount of dilligence on their part (keeping bird/cat apart, watching cat, etc.) 2 of the remaining 3 posters had cats and birds together resulting in the birds death. The last poster cited the toxic nature of the cat's saliva to the bird, and recommended against the cohabitation. MY DECISION was to not try the idea as we cannot bear to ever be without our parrot Bogey (no matter how much I love cats). Brian (brian@askinc)