the cat half killed a great-tit

[icanhaveadarksideifyouwantmeto]

the children called me and said the cat had a bird.

I ran outside and resued the bird from the cat.
the bird was still breathing but looked in a really bad way...bubbles coming out of its mouth

so i put the bird in a box safely and put the cats in the garden.

the bird seemed to perk up but ultimately died within a couple of hours

so my question is....was this the right thing to do? i feel guilty that i didnt put it out of its misery, but let it die.

I keep telling myself that at least it died peacefully and quietly in its little box.

You did the right thing. There was probably no chance for the poor bird but by putting it in a box it will have calmed down a bit (they do in the dark).

TBH I'd let the cat get on with it. It's probably quicker for the poor bird. My cat hunts a lot. I leave him to it these days. The 'rescued' animal/bird never recovers IME.

Sorry to sound harsh, but it's nature's way isn't it?