HELP HELP BIRD

[LunasOrchid]

HELP! Just got back from school run and found this poor baby on my counter in the kitchen. Cat has been at him! How on earth it got in here I don't know.

What do I do?? How do I help this poor bird??
Breathing very rapid. Legs all crooked

Pop him in a cardboard box on a towel and put him in a quiet place. Give him a few hours. He'll either recover or die. You could look for any wildlife charities in your area in the meantime. And bell your cat!

We used to get birds in our kitchen all the time in the summer when our aga was cold. They'd fly down the chimney part and we'd open the fire door and out they flew. To get them outside we would put a small towel over them then pick up the bundle and walk outside.

Put it in a cardboard box somewhere quiet. Leave a saucer of water.

give it a chance to recover in the dark and quiet.

Do I put him outside? I have no idea how it got in!! Cat is an indoor cat and windows are not open!

Put it in a shoebox or similar (with airholes). Somewhere dark to lessen the stress a bit. Take to local vet if you can or call RSPCA.

Sounds as if the poor thing will need to be euthanased.

I often get them off the cats and put them in a see through plastic fruit container in a quiet safe place in the garden. It may die from shock or if lucky it will recover and fly off when ready. If the cat has broken the skin then it probably will die as cat saliva contains toxic bacteria to birds.

Seems a lot calmer. Breathing has slowed slightly.

Should I try to feed it anything? Put water in a bottle lid or anything?

Oh, it's a little bluetit!

If it's legs are all buckled it's not going to recover.

There's a good chance that even if it perks up enough to fly off, it'll die due to infection from potential puncture wounds and bacteria in the cats saliva. Or internal injuries and septicaemia. If it perks up take it to a vets if you can. I have a cat too so I'm not preaching. Sorry

Oh no really? I'm so upset I feel so useless. I don't have a clue about birds. Poor thing just looks at me. Not making a sound

Leave it out in the garden with a little water and don't check on it for a few hours. It will either fly off or not survive. It may have come down the chimney. Keep us posted.

Can you put a little pot of water in for it, if possible keep it somewhere warm.
When you picked it up did it's legs and feet grip you?

In the sunshine if you have any, but keep an eye on the box so no other cats get near

It looks puffed up, so you need to keep it warmer - as in, near a bit of heating if you can (I know it’s too hot for heating!). Otherwise they use up all their energy. I have parrots so know a fair bit about birds. Sadly the other poster is right the bacteria from cats is usually fatal but no harm in giving the little one a chance.

From the RSPB website:

Once the bird is caught, examine it quickly and place it in a well ventilated covered box to wait for treatment. Darkness reduces stress and is likely to be the best first aid you can give the bird. It is also the best treatment for shock.

Birds which have been caught by a cat should always be taken to a vet as a matter of urgency because of the high risk of septicaemia, which is fatal within around 48 hrs.

I think vets treat wildlife for free. Olwssr take it to a vet or appropriate rescue centre.

If you put it out in the garden as one or two pp have suggested the cat will just catch it again and finish it off, so probably not the best idea.

Take it to your nearest vet and ask them to deal with it. They'll either let it recover in a safe place or euthanize it, depending on circumstances. If it's badly injured there's no point in leaving it to die a slow death.

I've taken quite a number of injured birds to vets, once a very large gull with a broken wing, and they've always been more than happy to help.

So little blue tit jumped out of the box and started flying about the kitchen. He was able to grip the blinds but was only using one foot. Scooped him back up in the box and took outside. He flew off into the tree in the garden. I hope he makes it.

Cat is currently looking very cross, pawing at my hand and constantly meowing. He thinks I'm hiding the bird! She is not amused!

Re the legs/feet
When a bird is relaxed ie perching on a branch their feet automatically grip, they don’t need to think about it, thus walking around they can flatten their feet as its a conscious action.

Oh goodness, what a shock for you. Hope the bird will be ok. Good advice on this thread - I wouldn't have had a clue what to do.

Fingers crossed little blue tit :-)

Good news op. I'm glad the blue tit flew away.

Oh that's great. Hope he's okay and has learned to keep away from cats.

When I had cats, we had this sort of thing all the time with wood mice. Drove me potty.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for it! Thing is, I have no idea how it got in? Our cat has no access to outside to have caught it and brought it in. We have no chimney and all doors are closed. My bedroom window is open but only a crack and it's not enough for the cat to even get a paw out 🤔