My cat caught a mockingbird!!?
Sunday, February 28th, 2010 at
7:00 pm
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This bird needs medical attention or it will likely die. Cats have a lot of bacteria in their saliva which is deadly to birds. This is a good reason to keep domesticated cats indoors. The bird should be taken to a local wildlife rehab where they can start him on antibiotic treatment. Hopefully the female will resume the duties on her own and hopefully the chicks will survive. But with only one parent supplying food, their chances of survival will be lessened. You obviously care about wildlife..so not sure why you would allow your cat to roam freely outside where it can harm and kill native wildlife. Cats are actually responsible fort the death of millions of migratory songbirds a year just in the US alone. Outdoor cats are also prone to all sorts of danger..indoor cats live longer, healthier lives and are less expensive to care for (less chance of illness or injury). Please look for a rehab here:
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contact.htm
Feed him any of these: raisins or other dried fruit, fresh fruit, raw fatty meat cut up very small, worms or any critter you can find under rocks or logs, baked goods like cookies or crackers (no chocolate).
Unfortunately, mother mockingbirds don’t raise the babies on their own. They take turns with the duties and it is so labor-intensive one parent can’t do it alone.
Unless you are going to bring him to a vet within the next day where he may get antibiotics for the wound, there is no point keeping him inside. In fact, it is harmful
They are very territorial and become very stressed when removed from their territory. And birds can die of stress.
I would not use hydrogen peroxide at this point because if the wound is going to be infected that damage is already done.
That he can fly is a good sign and that he has been drinking and bathing are cause for optimism.
Give him some food and let him go in the morning so his babies have a chance.
hydrogen peroxide is good, it might hurt the bird and scare it, but he will not get infected. call a local wild bird shelter, they can tell you what to do!
I’m not sure whether or not its safe to let him go, but I can tell you that mocking birds don’t eat birdseed. They only eat bugs. You can get a thing of live mealworms at a pet store, he might eat those.
If you put him back out with a wound, I know it sounds gross but, flies will most likely lay eggs and he will get maggots. So I wouldn’t put him back out. If the mommy is taking care of the babies she should be fine but if she isn’t it might be a good idea to bring in the nest and let him take care of them while he heals.