My cat is hungry and there's a nest of robin chicks in my garden...

Overblood

Mad day today, I felt like Steve Irwin.

So today my cat found a robin's nest in a bush in my garden. The nest is only about 4ft off the ground, and there are supposed to be two chicks in it. Lets call them Batman and Robin.

My cat did a cliffhanger job up the hedge and grabbed Batman, then whipped him over her shoulder. The chicks can't fly yet, so Batman landed out on the grass. I got to Batman in the grass before the cat did and returned him to the nest, only to find that Robin had legged it! Once I found Robin and put him back into his nest, I went to throw the cat inside.


This whole time, the mother was high up on another bush calling out what seemed to be a distress call unlike any birdsong I've heard. I'd say it equates to "oh jesus christ there's a cat trying to eat my kids!!!" Here she is watching the drama unfold:



Batman and Robin were brave little yokes, when I was picking them up, they'd nip at my fingers. Barely enough to stop a fly but fair play to them for putting up a fight! I held one in my hands for a minute and it actually fell asleep! It looked pretty comfy considering only a moment ago it was defending itself from a big scary monster. Anyway, I threw Batman and Robin back into the nest, and mammy returned to check up on them.

On the lookout:



After putting the cat inside, I arsed around for a while. Made a piece of toast. With some jam.

Then suddenly I heard that distress call.:eek: My cat was after jumping out the fecking window!! I returned to the nest to find it totally empty. Batman and Robin had legged it. Again.

The bush is one big tangle of twigs with lots of hiding places and the chicks were playing dead. I couldn't find them.

I kicked the cat back inside for a second time and hid for a while to see could mother robin find her chicks, and once she located them I grabbed them again and put them back in the nest. Guess what. They wont stay in the fecking nest! After a few tries, I gave up. I was getting hungry and mother robin was getting anxious what with me handling her nippers.

Right now it's dark outside, like 2am, and I don't know what state the little robin family is in. Maybe Batman and Robin are out fighting crime, trying to find my cat so they can peck the eyeballs out of her.

So waht'll I do tomorrow? Would you let nature take it's course and let the cat loose? I can't keep the cat inside until the chicks are fully mature, it's just not possible. I don't mind the odd time my cat returns home with a mouse or a bird. She usually just bites them in half and leaves the diced cadaver around the back door somewhere! But I've befriended the brave little chicks now, so I don't want to see them mauled to shreds. What would you do? I have to work tomorrow and my cat needs to get her ass outside and make poos!

Sigma Force

Keep your cat indoors for the next few weeks, cats can be perfectly fine indoors nothing wrong with it. So at least the robins have a chance, the cat knows where the nest is now and won't give up trying to get at the chicks.

There is such a thing as a litter box get a cheap plastic box and fill it with cat litter and hey presto indoor cat loo, your cat should be well able to use it.

jen_23

Yeah I agree actually. I read this this morning and I was trying to wrack my brain for what you could do here and other than fencing the area off so your cat can't get near it the only thing you can do is keep the cat indoors untill the Robins mature.

Well done though for trying to rescue the chicks. Bet your cat was not impressed with you for interfering with what he was seeing as dinner

sorella

You are a hero.

Blessings and prayers... for the baby robins and you....

Lafortezza

Overblood wrote: »

Made a piece of toast. With some jam.

My fav part of a nice story. Also, pics of cat!

Overblood

Returned to the nest today. It's empty. Batman and Robin are at separate ends of the garden (must have been walking around all night) and the mother was only feeding one of Batman. I found Robin and placed him beside Batman. I grabbed the nest from the bush since they don't like that location anymore, placed them in it and put it back on the ground. They seem to be staying put.

Lafortezza, you want pics of my cat?

Saruman

Could you perhps get a bird house and put the nest in the birdhouse, in full viw of the mother. That should keep the cat away.
Not sure if the mother will understand and know her chicks are in there....

Victor

Overblood wrote: »

put it back on the ground.

This puts them at risk from other cats, rats, foxes and predatory birds. Buy a large dog and put it in the garden.

Overblood

Victor wrote: »

This puts them at risk from other cats, rats, foxes and predatory birds. Buy a large dog and put it in the garden.

Well since the mother is now used to feeding her chicks on the ground I'm not going to move them around again. And foxes can't get into my garden.

Could you perhps get a bird house and put the nest in the birdhouse, in full viw of the mother. That should keep the cat away.
Not sure if the mother will understand and know her chicks are in there....

I do have a birdhouse, but as you said it might confuse the mother, and other birds might come along and mess the gaff up.

Overblood

I just found another chick in the grass near where the nest originally was. It had a hole in it's back, the cat probably got it yesterday. It was breathing heavily or trying to cry out or something. I put it in with it's siblings, it's not looking good!

Overblood

Another bird died. Checked on the nest and one of them wasn't moving. I picked it up and it was rock solid, like rigor mortis had set in.

Only one left.

jen_23

Ah the poor things. Atleast youv'e done what you could to help and gave them a chance atleast.
Fingers crossed X for the last one!!

Is the mom still around feeding the last chick?

Victor

Stop handling the birds!

sorella

Amen. Too late now though.

Victor wrote: »

Stop handling the birds!

Overblood

Victor wrote: »

Stop handling the birds!

Why? Are you saying I caused the death of the two dead chicks?

I'm not juggling them around you know. And how do you propose rescuing a bird from a cats mouth without handling it?

Amalgam

Overblood, I think you misunderstood Victor, a lot of animals will abandon their young if handled, is it a scent? I don't know myself, but the handling can be a death sentence in itself..

Overblood

The robin didn't abandon her chicks, she's been feeding them all this time.

The Sweeper

You'll have to keep the cat indoors until the remaining chick has learned to fly and the mother has stopped feeding it. Otherwise your cat will make a bee-line straight for the nest - and if it's not in the nest, the cat will hunt the chick around the garden until he or she gets it.

Saruman

I found a dead fully grown bird outside my front door today. Im assuming the cats did it unless it did a kamikaze into my wall or a window.