Is it possible to have a parakeet fly around the house when you have three cats?

[Bunny]

My daughter wants a bird very much, but I was reading up on this and apparently you have to let them out of their cage daily. Won't my cats kill them. :shrug:

[Xipe Totec]

1. Yes. Shortly. n/t

[kedrys]

2. Possible, yes.

For how long, that's the question.

[Deja Q]

3. Only tame, hand-fed, human friendly birds. Wild ones should remain in their cages.

A flight cage should be ideal. (16"Lx24"Wx24"H minimum; that's the size I got for my three zebra finches for my two conures to look at and for me to fall asleep to as their chirps are so unique and tranquil...)

Parakeets (budgies) are good fliers, but with 3 cats I wouldn't trust them.

[HopeHoops]

4. For a short period of time, sure.

[no name no slogan]

5. I had a parakeet and a cat as a kid

(several parakeets, actually) and it worked out okay, as long as I kept the parakeets in one room of the house, and kept the cat out when they were out.

Eventually, the cats get used to the birds, but not entirely used to them. You still have to be careful when the birds are out. Otherwise, you can have them both, with little problem.

[Kali]

6. you don't have to let them fly around.

If you WANT to let them fly, do so in one room and keep the cats out.

Cats will not be able to resist that AT ALL. Keep them separated or keep the birds in a secure cage/aviary.

[Pierre.Suave]

7. Have you never seen

an episode of Sylvester and Tweety?

:rofl:

[Jamastiene]

8. You gotta keep 'em separated.

;)

[Richardo]

9. Tell her that non-mammals are not true pets.

OK, not really.


I've never had a non-mammal as a pet (fish are really more furniture than pets), but a bird strikes me as high maintenance. But my brother had one and he's not one to abide high-maintenance.

So I guess my answer is: ask the Lounge ;-)

[Bunny]

10. Ask the Lounge?

Brilliant!

;)

[bluesbassman]

11. Sure, but buy them in bulk.

[emilyg]

12. LOL.

[mockmonkey]

13. Yes, kitty will kill a parakeet

You would have to be really really careful that the cats didn't get into the room when the Parakeets are out. Cats are fast and sneaky and they won't stop thinking about that noise in the other room. Also you would have to make sure that the cage is someplace where the cats can't knock it over. They will find a way to jump onto the cage.

Parakeets are not high maintenance. Fresh water daily and lots of toys will keep them happy. I prefer to have 2 parakeets but that limits the interaction between them and humans. I have an extra large cage for mine which is strapped to the wall with a bungee cord because my cats like to jump onto the cage. My Parakeets are not bothered by the cats since they have always been there.

If you do let them fly around you should know that they don't fly well and mirrors should be avoided and curtains should be closed so they don't smack into the glass. I don't let mine fly around. I did a few times and they were such crummy fliers that they would end up on the floor behind some heavy furniture or behind the curtains. They also crap on the curtains and from inside the cage they somehow manage to get crap on the wall.

They have their extra large cage which allows them to flap about at full speed but they really spend most of their time right next to each other.

Parakeets are not the cleanest creatures. They moult and then flap around and the feathers and dust go all over they also throw their food around. They are also noisy at times.

We have Birds, Turtles, a Hermit crab and Fish but we took into consideration that cats are curious and every precaution (covers) has been taken to keep them safe and yet room together.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

[astral]

14. Cats kill birds. They can't help it.

There is no way that would be safe. She could try to only have supervised 'flyings' when the cats are locked out, but I wouldn't bet on the long life of that bird.

Some dogs will also attack and kill birds even if they would only do it when they know you're not looking.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

15. Yes

I used to have a bunch of them. I kept their wings clipped, so they didn't fly around, but they got a few hours of free time outside the cage on a playpen. I just shut the cats out of the room, except for one cat that didn't bother them.

I'd get a cockatiel for a kid, instead, though. They're a bit bigger, but still small and relatively inexpensive. It's easier to find hand-fed (and therefore tamer) ones. I've had both and they both make pretty good pets.

Oh, and to put things in perspective, we had 7 parakeets, six finches (never out of cages, because they weren't tame), and a cockateil with a couple cats, and a German Shepherd.

Edited to add: A bird without clipped wings gets themselves into a lot more trouble/hurt/lost than one with clipped wings.

[sarge43]

16. No. Keets are fast; cats are faster.

Plus, you'll be in for adventures in frustration trying to keetie back in the cage. If you get a keet, also get a cage large enough that it can fly around some in it.

As another poster mentioned, hand raised cockatiels are a better choice for a user friendly pet bird.

[elleng]

17. Not necessary, I think, to let them fly out daily; we never did.

If so, close the bird in a bedroom for a while every day.

[Lil Missy]

18. Not unless you want a dead bird!!

:scared:

[surrealAmerican]

19. Fly around? sure. Land? NO.

You'd need to keep them in different rooms.