3 Steps To Raise Your Parrots and Cats

Have you ever seen one of those videos showing parrots and cats annoying each other, and had been wondering why those cats aren’t attacking the birds?. And to make it short, those parrots and cats have been introduced and bonded to each other properly with the help of their owners.

So, Can Parrots And Cats Get Along And How

You can make parrots and cats get along after introducing them properly to each other. This means that owners should induce establishing a healthy bond between them, and using food and treats is the best way to make the pet think about each other as feeding partners, not potential prey.

And as you know, those cats are natural predators, and birds, including parrots, are their natural prey. So when the cat is hungry, the instinct may hit, and cause your cat to attack your parrot, not only if hungry but also to play and stalk the parrot for fun.

And if your cat didn’t kill your parrot, or the charge was only to play and have fun, it also can cause death. Your parrot will have anxiety and fear from the cat. Even if he was safe in his cage. In this kind of relationship, parrots will face serious risks of developing behavioral and mental disorders.

But there is a possibility that your parrots and cats will get along together as pets, having no unwanted consequences like dying or fighting. Here in this article, you will dive into the best practices toward building a healthy relationship between your cat and parrot.

Just remember, going through building this kind of relationship will require a lot of patience and observation from you.

Parrots And Cats Bonding Steps

There are multiple scenarios regarding having a cat and parrot living together with no problems. Like, did the cat come from the streets, and still feral? How bonded is your cat to you, which pet was your first, the cat or the parrot, and do you keep your parrot without a cage? These questions matter when you are trying to establish a connection between your cat and the parrot.

One of my friends made it work, and he is now raising his cat with his 2 Macaws. (His cat is not from the streets) He said: When the cat bonds to you, and when you bring a new pet like a parrot, the chance of them getting along with no problems is bigger, and the cat will never hurt or harm your parrot. The cat will see the parrot you brought like something that belongs to you, and won’t attack.

So, if you got your cat came from the streets, then there is a possibility that this feral cat might have been feeding on birds for a long time, your parrot won’t be more than a delicious meal, so the chance of having him get along with your parrot is likely to be zero.

However, every single cat and every single parrot have their own personalities, some cats may attack with no hesitation, and some will never attack, even if you somehow left them alone, WHICH IS A BIG NO, DON’T LEAVE YOUR PARROTS AND CATS ALONE.

And before making any judgments and assumptions, it’s better to go through these safe 3 steps and know if your pets will get along.

Preparing The Place

The first step is to find a place in your house that has no distracting things because at the introducing phase you will need everything to be as quiet as possible around the pets. So they can focus, see, and hear each other.

You will need them both to be inside their cages. Every pet should have its own cage. And every cage should be in its own place, far from the other after the daily meeting.

The Introducing Process

The Introducing process is the time that your pets will meet each other. The meeting must happen while both pets are inside their cages. Let them sit for a while, seeing, hearing, and interacting with each other. This interaction should be for 10-20 mins daily.

You should keep doing this step for as long as possible. Some say for a couple of weeks, and some say for longer than a month, it’s up to you to decide.

The next thing is to only let your parrot outside the cage, let your parrot be himself, and you can interact with him as usual. What you have to do while the parrot is out of the cage is to observe any charging signs from your cat while still in the cage. If the cat is calm, then it’s good. Do the same thing for your cat, let it outside the cage and parrot inside, and again observe for any aggressive signs.

Do this also for as long as possible. If the cat did nothing aggressive, then your cat is ready for the next step, which is bonding.

Bonding

The bonding phase is the most dangerous for your parrot, which you will have to let both of your pets outside the cage, in this phase you should maintain the highest levels of attention. Any couple of seconds with no observation is enough for the cat to switch to the hunt mode and attack your parrot brutally.

And it’s better to leash your cat to a chair or a table for extra safety.

You can start by putting your parrot in a stand, taking your cat out of the cage playing with the cat, cuddling, Etc. don’t allow the cat to approach the parrot if you see any sign of charging, and let the parrot sit and watch.

Day by day, if everything looks good, make the distance between the pets closer and closer, you also need to get the treats that will get your cat to go crazy. When the pets are closer to each other, give your cat his favorite treat. Treating your cat while it is near the parrot is the best way to make the cat feel like the parrot is a feeding partner, not a potential prey. You can also use treats at the first meeting.

Treats are also good to help your anxious parrot to calm down and relax the first time he meets the cat, so give your parrot treats as well.

In the bonding phase, don’t let your pets alone, ever. You can do this treating and playing thing daily for 15-20 minutes. As time passes on, your cat will become more gentle and friendly toward the parrot.

here’s this important YouTube video about parrots and cats and dogs getting along.

Important Precautions

When going through this process you have to keep full attention on your pets, and you should never leave them alone, unless everyone is in his cage, especially the parrot. Even if they successfully bonded.

The parrot cage should be one of those solid cages and never let your cat enter the parrot cage or the aviary. No one knows when the instinct will hit. Also, keep your cat fully fed through these steps.

Your cat may feel curious about the parrot, and this curiosity can cause the desire to play and stalk and bite, so be careful and don’t let your guard down.

Introducing a new pet parrot to your cat is doable since the owner already bonded to the cat. And if the parrot is your first pet, then you should bring the cat as young as possible. The attack could mostly occur if you bring them together, so don’t let them meet until you bond perfectly with your cat. Also, if the cat is too young, then you have to protect it from the parrot.

Don’t take it for granted that your cat won’t charge a deadly attack on your parrot, even when your pets bond to each other and play with each other with no accident or biting or anything bad. LEAVING THEM ALONE IS A BIG MISTAKE.

The guarantee is only if you were supervising them.

Apart from that, and if your cat attacked your parrot, and the bird survived, you should seriously consider taking your parrot directly to a vet, because of the damages and infection that could happen to your parrot. Don’t ignore this accident, and if you do, your parrot may suffer from various infections transmitted to him from the cat bites, that may cause him to die, eventually.

FAQ

Sadeq

Hello, my name is sadeq and I am obsessed about parrot And I am here to share everything about raising pet parrots and how to be good owners to your bird.