Attacked by a Cat.

[pjtbsk6]

Hello! Well sometimes you just run into a site, THANKS!..I really need some info!! Husband found a pigeon at work being attacked by a cat. He "Shooooo'd" the cat away. But the pigeon was bloody at the tips of it's wings. He decided to bring the pigeon home. It doesn't have any tags. So I'm assuming it's a feral pigeon. The pigeon put up no fight when he went to grab him and it didn't fight when I went to go and put it in a cage we had from our parakeets. Its a okay size cage. Anyway my questions are... I have children, does this bird cause any kind of threat (Disease wise) to having in my home? We looked for puncture wounds and found none, but the bird has blood on it. I read that the bird could get an infection from the cat's bite. How long does this take to show signs of? I am willing to take care and nurture this pigeon, but I don't want to take it to the vet if there is no need. Please and thanks BUNCHES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[TAWhatley]

Welcome to pigeons.com and thank you so much for taking in this wounded pigeon.

If you can, clean the bloody/wounded area with diluted Betadine (povidone iodine) .. one part Betadine to 9 parts water. This will help disinfect the area and also give you a better look at what damage may have been done. Hopefully the wounds are not serious and are not puncture wounds from the cat's teeth. It takes around 72 hours for cat caught birds to either "make it" or "succumb" to infection, so keep a close eye on the injuries and on how the bird is acting. If it becomes fluffed up, eyes closed, lethargic, shows no interest in food and water, then we've got a problem that will need very quick attention and probably in the form of Clavamox or another broad spectrum antibiotic.

While there are a few diseases that could be passed from the bird to you/your family, you would really have to work at getting them or do something incredibly foolish. Obviously you do need to be careful about hand washing after handling the bird. If you are careful about hygiene, then all should be fine.

Terry

[Reti]

Thank you so much for caring for this poor pigeon.
If he is not fighting you, the bird is in shock. The blood indicates clearly that he has some wounds, somewhere. They are often hard to detect bacause of the feathers.
I undestand you not wanting to take the bird to the vet.
Where are you located? maybe we have some members near by, or someone knows a rehab center where they take in pigeons.
His wounds have to be treated, and he needs antibiotics. Cat saliva can cause severe infections in birds, and he can die from it within days.

Pigeon diseases are rarely transmitted to humans. But you and anybody who handles the bird should always wash their hands thouroghly after.

For now, you can keep him in a carrier or box, offer him some water and see if he drinks. Try to keep him away from traffic, if he is in shock, a dark, warm room would be fine. And please check on him often, also make sure the bleeding stopped.

Reti

[pjtbsk6]

Happy Day at the fast replies!!!!!!

I live in SLC, Utah. The birds blood is dried. Husband said it ate some bread. I'm scared to handle this bird. I don't want to hurt the poor thing. He just stands at the bottom of the cage. How long does shock last? We have had the bird almost 24 hours. The bird does close it's eyes, but when you go up to it and talk, it looks at you. I never really realized how pretty these birds are....

I was just informed we named it "Pidgy" .... Go figure kids!!

[cyro51]

Thank you for rescuing this bird, please keep it warm, free of draughts and dry and provide it with seed and water.

For many years people thought that cat caught birds died of shock within 48 hours. It is only recently that rehabbers discovered that what they actually died of was pasteurella septicaemia. 90% of cats carry the pasteurella multocida bacteria in their saliva so the chances of infection are high and birds caught by cats will usually succumb to the septicemia. The birds can die before symptoms of infection become noticeable, which is why rehabbers will treat birds that are even suspected of having been caught by a cat immediately with amoxycillin.

I would recommend that you try to obtain treatment immediately rather than wait for the appearance of symptoms, if not from a vet then from a rehabber.

As Reti has said disease transmission between birds and humans is possible but rare and would normally be via the oral/fecal route (eg getting hands contaminated with feces or saliva and then handling food), which is why normal hygiene should be sufficient protection.

Please keep us updated.

Cynthia

[AZWhitefeather]

Many thanks to your husband for rescuing this sweet pij.

It is vital Pidgy is introduced to a heat source.
If possible, place a towel lined heating pad, set on low, in the cage where he will be recovering. If you don't have a heating pad, a hot water bottle will do or place him under a low wattage lamp.

When they have endured such a horrific event, they often times go into shock & their body temperature drops. The heat will enable them to calm down as well as maintain a normal body temperature.

Please do keep us posted on how things are coming along.

Cindy

[Reti]

Do you have a regular vet? If so, then please give him a call, maybe he could give you some Clavamox.
The best would be, if you could take the bird to him. Besides that the infection might already be going on, there also might be internal injuries.


Reti

[pjtbsk6]

I don't have a regular vet. The only animals I own is a bowl full of fish, and two cute 'lil' parakeets. Which neither of them really call for vets. I do have a friend that has a regular vet. But....I don't know if they are 'pigeon' friendly? If there is such a thing.

Pidgy(the kids named it) has eaten a lil bit of bread and is drinking water. But the bird does have its feathers puffed up. We put a hot water bottle in with the bird.

I'm sure we will be taking it to the vet. I want to make sure I atleast try. I just hope it don't cost much.

But thanks for all the advice and information I would be TOTALLY lost without it!!!!!!!

[TAWhatley]

You might try calling these wonderful rescue groups and ask if they can recommend a reasonably priced vet or if they could perhaps have one of their rehabbers take a look at your bird .. I have no idea how close or not they are to you:

http://www.waterfowlrescue.org/aboutus.htm

http://www.bestfriends.org/aboutus/s...ents/index.cfm

Please do keep this bird very, very warm .. the puffed up feathers is not a good deal. Also, if you could get some bird seed, it would be better than the bread for the bird.

Thank you for caring so much for this pigeon!

Terry

[pjtbsk6]

I have a water bottle in the cage. What else can I do? I had wrapped the cage with a sweater, but it just smelled awful when I had taken the sweater off. Thanks for the two sites I did check them out and they are too far away. I think the first one is only for waterfowl. I am going to send a email to the bestfriends website and see if they can give me a name of a good vet.

[TAWhatley]

Warmth can be provided by a hot water bottle, heating pad set on low, small wattage light bulb .. the "smell" concerns me .. a strong smell may indicate infection or starvation .. what does it smell like?

Call or e-mail Angel Wings anyway .. most of us who do birds know others who do birds .. they are likely to know a pigeon person or vet also.

Terry

[pjtbsk6]

The smell was a little like ammonia. The bird has very dark formed poop, and there is like alot of water soaked newspaper.

[AZWhitefeather]

A sharp keel (breast) bone is a good indication a pigeon hasn't eaten recently & could quite possibly be starving.
Could you or your husband check Pidgy's keel bone & post your findings?
You can do this by holding him in one hand & gently running your other hand from the crop area down towards the stomach. You will feel the keel bone. It should have some 'meat' around it.

A pigeon will become 'fluffed' when they are not feeling well. Given what Pidgy has been through, it's no surprise he is fluffed. You might try covering his cage with a towel on three sides, leaving the front open & place him in a dark, warm area of your home away from family and/or animal traffic.
The less movement around him for the time being the better.

You might also substitute regular water with an electrolye solution.
You can start with a cup of water & adding a pinch of salt & sugar. Make sure it's mixed well then fill his drinking dispenser. This will give him a bit of a boost.

Please keep us posted.

Cindy

[AZWhitefeather]

The smell was a little like ammonia. The bird has very dark formed poop
Is there any white in the droppings?
If not & the odor resembles that of ammonia, perhaps Pidgy isn't taking in enough water.

Cindy

[TerriB]

Since pigeons drink by sucking water just like humans do, the water in the container needs to be at least an inch deep. A heavy, straight-sided bowl will make it easier for the bird to get close enough to the water and harder for the bowl to be tipped over.

Since he may not be used to drinking out of this type of container, you might need to gently dip the tip of his beak in the water to show him what's in there.