Rescued this little one from bastard cat. Any advice? It’s tiny. Breathing seems strong but wing is damaged I think 😞

38 comments

  1. Give it back to the cat.

    Let nature be nature. We shouldn’t interfere unless it’s a domesticated animal that is being attacked.

    Even if you get it back to health, it will never fully reintegrate and will most likely die soon after you let it go.

  2. If its wing is indeed truly damaged, unfortunately its more than likely a goner. Make him comfortable, he may fly off or pass.

  5. I’ve had similar situations a couple of times and there was no happy ending unfortunately. Hopefully your guy defies the odds, good luck.

  6. I had pet birds as a kid, when they had babies we fed them a mixture of mashed up digestive biscuit and hard boiled egg yolk, they had loads and we never lost one so I’d give it a try.

  7. I’ve saved about 50 birds over the last few years. Sometimes cats, sometimes and mostly hitting the windows. I have a cardboard box with something in it to keep them warm. Put air holes in the box and place them in it and close the lid. Leave them in a quiet room for over an hour.

    What will happen is when you go outside with the box they will either fly out full of life or be dead.

    Don’t try to feed and don’t give water. They need neither. Their little hearts give up so fast after shock. Hope he comes back to life for you. It’s an amazing feeling when they fly away.

  9. Still a fledgling so not hopeless. Put him in a box with cotton balls in a warm place. Give him some fluids and food (something like cerelac/provita/pronutro works) while you call and wait for an animal rescue place. Might have to wake up during the night to feed/check on him.

  10. Get a cardboard boc libed with some tissues, paper. Its probably in shock. Hope the wildlife org can help but if the wing is broken theres not much to fix it. Poor little thing.

  11. I found a baby house sparrow under my bike wheel once. Nursed it back to health and eventually it fucked off out the window. I was a little upset when it left yo be honest with you.

    Get it some worms. Not just mealworms because they are like a sweet for a bird. Get crickets and something to try and feed it.

  13. Take him to a vet. Vets don’t charge for wildlife. Then maybe contact one of the wildlife rehabilitators listed in other comments. I hope he’s ok but at least at a vet they can euthanize him quickly if there’s no chance of survival and he won’t have prolonged suffering.

  14. Cats are a serious problem. Culling feral cats should be a part of any programme addressing the declines in biodiversity.

  16. Birds have a better chance of recovering from shock if placed in a warm, dry, dark, small space, so a shoe box with air holes covered in a towel to keep it dark, and put in a secluded area, such as a ventilated cupboard.

  18. Sadly, they often die of fright, even when they survive the cat’s attack.

    Keep her warm and safe for a bit to see how she fares, and call your local SPCA. They’ll point you in the right direction.

    Don’t be discouraged by some of the replies. It’s par for the course. ❤️

  19. Do not post in Birding or whatever the abomination of that sub is called. I rescued a small bird as well in my estate and it enraged tons of birdwatching apes cos apparently its better to let nature do its thing, even if it means cat finishing it. God forbid you taking care of it until it gets better.
    When I said that I refuse to let the bird back out while its injured, I got banned from that sub for “animal cruelty”. Fun times

  21. Looks like a tit. I raised these when I was a kid. Caterpillars and freshly killed mealworms and crickets will keep it going but they need constant feeding so best to get it to a sanctuary. Best of luck.

  26. I used to volunteer at a bird rehabilitation clinic and the best thing to do is to get him to a wildlife rehab as quickly as possible. Cat and dog saliva can quickly cause infection if not treated fast enough. Do not try to feed it or give it water as they can aspirate it easily. You are doing good work by helping this little guy out! I hope all goes well!

  31. Find a wildlife rehabilitation center near you. I used to work at one and the worst thing people would do is try to take care of them themselves. Take it to the professionals.

  33. Funny enough a similar thing happened with My cat last week & we managed to save it on time (from the cat ) .living in a remote part of the country , the proper facilities were not anywhere near us to tend to the bird , so we placed it on a warm blanket & Tried the best we could feeding it small bread crumbs but it would not accept it. Sadly it passed away after a few hours ..

  38. Said I’d update everyone in case ye wanted to know

    Sis in law arrived at 6. None of the local vets wanted a bar of me and with kids etc driving to Dublin wasn’t an option from where I am. Even rang Longford SPCA which is the main rehabilitation hub up my neck and they said to ring the local SPCA who had given me their number..

    Whoever mentioned cat food thank you! I followed all the great advice given and he took food and some water and had a rest and howled for food again. Sis in law reckoned it would go one of two ways overnight and that his wing looked ok but it was his little claw that was damaged and he was so tiny he probably wouldn’t survive. Our little boy checked on him at 6 and he was gone.

    To everyone who commented with advice and kindness. Thank you so much because I was terrified yesterday.

    To those who made smart ass comments such as the guy who suggested drop kicking a baby bird, I honestly pity you. What happened to you that you have no compassion for something vulnerable? My kids and myself will send this little bird back to nature where his body can be absorbed back into the cycle of life because I’m trying to teach them to be good people who will always help when help is needed. I’m sorry no one taught any of you that or If they did, that life has beaten it out of you.

    Thanks again to everyone kind enough to help

    And to the lad who reckons he has rescued 50 birds! I will be raising a drink in your honour tonight! I don’t know how you do it!

    RIP Baz the bird

Leave a Reply