One only has to start here and begin to click from one video to the next to see a tremendous variety of cats versus parrot species. I chose this one because it’s really cute. Maybe I enjoy the tension of cute vs common sense because I find myself watching it over and over. “Awwwww isn’t that cute. Oh no no no don’t bite the… Whew. That was close. Ohhhh…look it how sweet. Oh no! Don’t pull the whiskers so hard! You might get….whew. That was close!”
Did you know that one little scratch from a cat or worse a bite if untreated will kill your bird in a matter of days? Bites are especially bad as birds are sensitive to the Pasturella bacteria that a cat’s mouth harbors. If one day the cockatoo pulls the whiskers too hard and you aren’t looking you might have a life-threatening situation and not even know it. Its tough to see a bite or scratch under all those fluffy white feathers. There may not be much blood and parrots are certainly good covering up discomfort or pain. So is it worth it?
I get calls from time to time, one just in the last few months, from folks who never thought their dog would kill the parrot. Then one day the springer spaniel snapped the Quaker right up. I read a Tweet that I couldn’t stop thinking about for days… “Freaking out. Coby ate my 20 yo Senegal parrot. Boyfriend downstairs cleaning up. “ There were lots of prior posts about the new dog’s antics. I was torn between wanting to comfort her and wanting to shake her senseless. Bad things happen to good people. These things happen sometimes when we take the greatest cautions, but they are more likely to happen when we don’t.
The rules of your household are a personal decision that should be respected, even by a consultant hired to come into your home and advise on behavior. We’re all adults here. I’m just saying be careful, please. Life is hard enough without avoidable tragedy.
For some reason, I hadn’t seen this post before. I share your ambivalance about that video — I’ve seen it a few places and each time I see it I think: Awww, that’s beyond adorable! … uh, wait! I mean in theory. But really, get those two away from each other!! ….but it’s so cuuuute… no, it’s not! aurghhh.
As for that tweet, I really wish I hadn’t just read that. How very disturbing. I’m glad I don’t have any other pets; the level of anxiety I’d have on a day-to-day basis would drive me nuts (and the guilt, if anything ever did happen, would devastate me).
p.s. Phoenix Landing is now on Twitter too. Follow @phoenixlanding to chat with one of my favorite parrot nonprofits