my lovely cat as she does brought back a small bird last night we managed to catch her and put the bird in a box thinking it woudnt survive the night went to check it this morning its very much alive but she pulled out alot of feathers on 1 of its wingsa so i dont think it can fly im trying to get hold of the local rspca they never pick up there phone its really annopying fi you need to no what to do, i have no idea what to do with this bird, shall i take it down the vets , put it up the hedge n hope it flys none of the bird hosiptal numbers r picking up either its stupid how r u suppose to get hold of them grrrrr im soo annoyed any1 offer advice or a helpline that actually picks up thanx alot Jenni xx
A local vet may be able to take the bird, or at least give you someone's number that may look after wild birds. I would ring them first to see if they had any suggestions. They are usually aware of people in your area that take care of wild animals on a private basis. I would put a bowl of water in with it in the meantime, it will probably be thirsty. I would not release it as it will be picked up by the next cat or magpie to come along.
The RSPCA would not be alot of help, they would probably just put the bird to sleep anyhow, especially if they do not have a wildlife centre nearby.
Jenni
dont bother with the rspca.I ahve rung them before when our cats got a bird. they said they wouldnt come out for a bird, to leave it under a hedge to die!!!!
If it is still alive today then it's doing well. the majority of irds caught will die within a few hours, as I am sure you are aware they have weak hearts and die from shock.
If it were me I would keep it in a shed or soemwhere, iN a large box, not totally in the dark though, and i would feed it bird seed and give it water. I kept one "free range" in my shed once for almost a week, opeend the door one day and it flew off!
i have to say after a lot of heartache and nurturing after my cat brought in birds, i have taken to letting the cat play with them to death and/or eat them now ... after all, it's the natural order of things cats chase and catch birds. If it was me in your situation now i would leave the bird in a hedge/open ground somewhere and hope for the best (that way you can convince yourself they have recovered, flown off and gone to start a new better life somewhere else)
I have to say, dead birds are much easier to pick up and deal with than live ones too
if the numbers posted above are of no help, vets by law are supposed to accept and treat wild animals (from what i was told when i worked at a wildlife hosptial).