What do I do with this chick?

**Rheghead** · 26-May-05, 22:23

My cat has brought in a wee chick. It is very young but I don't know where the nest is, what do I do with it? It goes against the grain to kill it to put it out of its misery. My wife wants to rear and release it into the wild but I doubt its chances of survival.

**jings00** · 26-May-05, 22:48

speak to the vet?? or the sspb??

**daviddd** · 26-May-05, 22:52

SSPCA at Balmore might help, but resources are scarce and chances of survival slim in this case

**gleeber** · 26-May-05, 23:20

Originally Posted by Rheghead

My cat has brought in a wee chick. It is very young but I don't know where the nest is, what do I do with it? It goes against the grain to kill it to put it out of its misery. My wife wants to rear and release it into the wild but I doubt its chances of survival.

I wid agree with your wife but dont get too attached to it cos it may get chowed to bits when it gets out.

**George Brims** · 27-May-05, 00:26

Cruelty to cats! Give the poor feline its dinner back!

**SandTiger** · 27-May-05, 00:34

Interesting conundrum of which I'm with you on this one - Rear it and give a "chance" of survival/life or put it just out of it's misery becoz it'll "get ripped to shreds anyway" - which is the more humane and opportunistic approach?

After all how far will one Roast Chick go on a Sunday?

Answers on a postcard please

**SandTiger** · 27-May-05, 00:36

Originally Posted by George Brims

Cruelty to cats! Give the poor feline its dinner back!

Cat's need not answer by postcard

**Mr P Cannop** · 27-May-05, 05:44

Originally Posted by George Brims

Cruelty to cats! Give the poor feline its dinner back!

shame on you if you was a wee bird how whould like a cat to eat you ??

**Lavenderblue2** · 27-May-05, 11:07

About 20 years ago I picked up a rock dove at the bottom of Gerry Square it had obviously fallen out of a nest in the church there. It was so young it didn't even have feathers just fluff - I put him inside my t-shirt I took him home and hand reared him - even went out and dug worms and grubs as he grew older!! I called him Herby and he followed me around wherever I went and came in and out of the kitchen window at will and slept in the utility room. That was all fine untill one day he went into a friends bedroom window and pooh'd all over a new duvet she was airing!! She wasn't pleased and I was mortified!
So its maybe not wise to hand rear young chicks - I had him for quite a few months but in the end I had to hand him over to the vets as he became a real nuisance to my neighbours - I hadn't done him any favours by picking him up that day - it all ended in tears................poor Herby

jjc · 27-May-05, 12:22

I found a shell-duck chick down the beach when I was a kid (thought it was my golf-ball and nearly battered it with a seven iron). After watching for over an hour from a safe distance (to be sure there was no parent about) I took him home and hand reared him. He'd follow me (and bizarrly my dog) around the house as a chick and eventually the garden until one day he just flew off.

He came back the following year with the other migrating ducks. He came back the year after too.

I say give the wee fella a chance... you never know how it will work out.

**JammyDodger69** · 27-May-05, 12:51

No point puttin it back in the nest even if u could find it.. It's mother probably would just reject it.

Why not hand rear it? Give the wee guy a chance at life..

**Liz** · 27-May-05, 13:28

There is a Vet in Thurso who has a lot of experience with re wild birds. Afraid I can't remember his name but if you phone the surgery they will help.

It's worth giving the wee thing a chance although, being honest, the chances of survival are slim as shock usually kills them!

**weeboyagee** · 27-May-05, 13:31

My friend told me the other day of how one of her two cats brought a young bird home. She thought it was a mouse and not being able to stand mice left the cat in the kitchen (which has a glass door you can see through!) to do the business with the mouse.

After seeing it was a bird she eventually plucked (excuse the pun..

) up the courage to go in, beat the cat, open the door and throw the cat out. The poor bird was still alive and after a wee while she put it outside to let it fly away. Like a plane on dirty fuel it managed to run along, fly a little but exhausted gave up after making it over the neighbours fence. It was at this point that her OTHER cat (obviously bemused by the activity) promptly jumped over the fence and had the poor bird for breakfast.

My friend was absolutely horrified at how the whole thing turned out. She came back in and her wee girl turned round and said "I don't know why you're so bothered, it's what cats do mummy!"

Can you imagine being the first cat - you do all the work to get your dinner, get battered while trying to enjoy the meal, then watch while your enemy gets the spoils of your war? Can you imagine being the bird? Awwwwwww......

Rear him Rheghead but methinks disappointment awaits round a corner!

**Margaret M.** · 27-May-05, 14:12

If you didn't find the nest, hopefully you found a rehabber. I have taken many birds to the rehabbers and they've all had happy endings. They can be raised by hand and released without a problem provided they are not injured. Many people think that once a human touches a baby bird, the parents will reject it, that is a myth.

**Zael** · 27-May-05, 14:26

If it were me, I'd have left it with the cat in the first place, nature is as nature does.

Only a human could come up with such a dilemma.

**Lavenderblue2** · 27-May-05, 15:33

Liz wrote

There is a Vet in Thurso who has a lot of experience with re wild birds. Afraid I can't remember his name but if you phone the surgery they will help.

Yes, that would be Sinclair Manson - a very knowledgeable guy where birds are concerned.

LB

**Rheghead** · 27-May-05, 17:00

Originally Posted by George Brims

Cruelty to cats! Give the poor feline its dinner back!

I have agonised over the merits of keeping cats considering that we have a declining bird population. However, I came to the conclusion that any arguement to the effect that it is cruel to deny a cat a meal from the wild to be illogical unless the quarry is classed as vermin. Thousands of years ago, cats were taken in as a method of vermin control, since then they have largely lost that role in our society to being purely a pet in most but not all cases. My cat is primarily a pet, we do have mice in abundance so I actually encourage him to catch them. Cats were not intended to catch birds and so I try to keep them in while there is food on the bird table. Though it is in their nature to go after birds, a cat has no right to take a bird from the wild as it is a domesticated animal.

**George Brims** · 27-May-05, 17:37

This place is going to the dogs. Even Rheghead has lost the ability to recognise a tongue-in-cheek comment. Personally I blame Alananders. Any second now he will be in here making narky comments about the bird's parents.