Help- my cat has brought in a baby sparrow

[exerciseinmypyjamas]

Sparrow has been relocated to the garden under a washing basket- birds can get in and out of the holes but the cats cant. I've put him back under the tree I think he fell out of. I can hear the birds twittering like crazy so hopefully his parents are calling for him.

What else should I do? Do I need to put any food or water out? I've never had a live baby bird before

If it has feathers it is probably a fledgling. I'm dreading this too as I have 2 cats and fledglings spend time on the ground before they learn to fly

Luckily the fledglings should quickly be strong enough to fly away if,,but only if, they know a cat is approaching. It is surprising not everyone who lets cats roam is obliged or even inclined to microchip, and fit a collar with contact information and, of course, bells. The bells could stop most of the wildlife slaughter, the contact details could stop most of the frantic searching for missing pets.

This happened to me on Sunday although the bird was older. No obvious sign of injury and I just thought it was in shock. I put the poor little thing on top of the compost bin out of the way whilst I googled what to do.

All the advice was to take them to the vets for a course of antibiotics as they die of septicemia due to the bacteria in the cat saliva if not treated quickly.

I went back with a box to take it to the emergency vet and it had already died I am assuming of shock

The cat has both a collar with a giant bell on it and a microchip. She's not usually a hunter though.

You sound a perfect cat owner! Actually, she wasn't really being a hunter, was she, because the fledgling survived her attention. Is there an update on it?

He's still in the washing basket. DS who is on sparrow watch has told me the bird has flapped a few times but hasnt done anything.

Sparrow in tree twittering angrily so I assume that its found his parents.

I think I'd remove the basket, put your cat indoors and then from a distance make sure no other cats arrive, if that's at all likely. ( an ideal job for a DC with a super soaker?)

I accidentally dislodged a pair of fledgling blackbirds from some thick ivy - they sat looking a bit stunned whilst the adults chirped loudly, then after a while hopped off into the undergrowth.

The fledgling probably has best chance of survival if the parents can look after it.

Poor little baby birdie :(

Even a non hunter can find babies irresistible and easy prey, sadly.

I agree with @ErrolTheDragon - take the basket away so the parents can get to it.

Latest update on sparkle (as named by ds)

Basket has gone, cat shut in spare room, there is a sparrow dive bombing the garden so hopefully baby bird will be reunited soon.

Thanks for update