Cat has found bird nest!

[Jemima]

Hello to all the other cat lovers and owners here.

I have two cats. One never hunts at all. The other sometimes has caught mice, but nothing more. Until yesterday. My children ran in saying he had a chick. Well, he had found a hatchling. Tiny, hardly any feathers. It was dead.

I then went back out to see if he may have in fact found the nest, and would go back for more. I was right because he had another one! This time him took it straight inside (my cat), and the tiny hatchling was still breathing. On the advice of the vet, we managed to give it two or three caterpillars when it opened its mouth. Then I drove half an hour to a wildlife rescue and have yet to email them to find out if it survived over night.

Anyway, my big question is I still have my cat inside. He hates being kept in, but I fear when I let him out he will go straight back to the nest and get another hatchling. But if hatchlings don't fledge for 14 days, will I have to keep him in all that time?! He is already yowling!

Unfortunately, I don't know where the nest is. I think it might be in the neighbours garden in their evergreen tree/hedging.

What can I do? What would you do?

Please no cat haters! I love all wildlife and nature. And my cats have collars with bells. Around fledging season, I try to keep my cats in at night.

 

[Spaghetti & Noodles]

I think it's a difficult one, once they know where something is I guess he would just go straight back. I have no real advice as I don't have cats currently but I have dogs and one of my dogs found a low nest one year, so I can fully sympathise.

 

[Claire W]

As a cat owner myself, I fully sympathies. If you let your cat out, he is very likely to go straight back to the nest but it’s also not nice having to keep your cat in when he’s used to going out. It’s a tough one. Sorry, I have no advise

 

[Jemima]

As a cat owner myself, I fully sympathies. If you let your cat out, he is very likely to go straight back to the nest but it’s also not nice having to keep your cat in when he’s used to going out. It’s a tough one. Sorry, I have no advise

Thank you. I did let him out. And yes, he went back to the find the nest, but I jumped over the fence and got him down! I couldn't see the nest. Now he is back in again and meowing. I might just have to let him out and just hope that he cannot find it, or hope there aren't any more hatchlings.

 

[Claire W]

Thank you. I did let him out. And yes, he went back to the find the nest, but I jumped over the fence and got him down! I couldn't see the nest. Now he is back in again and meowing. I might just have to let him out and just hope that he cannot find it, or hope there aren't any more hatchlings.

Sadly there’s little you can do Hopefully there aren’t anymore hatchlings

 

[Canucks]

I have quite an overgrown mature garden which has had many nests, some of which I've had to stand by and watch get predated over the years. It's always upsetting, I remember watching over three blackbird hatchlings for days on end after noticing a magpie had clocked the nest and was now trying to get in. Sadly even my close attention didn't save one hatchling and the magpie was successful in taking one when my back was turned. The mother then got her others out and abandoned the nest, feeding them down on the ground in the bushes, I think they turned out okay.

Sadly, once ANY predator has located a nest the chances for its occupants are slim to none because (a) that predator will keep going back for more and (b) will inadvertently alert other watching predators to the location of an easy meal.
So even if you're keeping the cat in, something else will likely have witnessed a commotion and be checking it out themselves.

All you can do is accept that this is nature's way, most birds have 2 to 3 broods of several chicks in a good year for exactly this reason, nature expects well over half of them to end up as food. You can only hope the next brood is successful, I feel there's little that you can do about this but I know how sad you'll feel about it, and I empathise. I'd just let your cat do their normal routine, the mother bird will learn from it that this wasn't a good choice for her nest site and she'll choose better next time.

 

[Jemima]

I have quite an overgrown mature garden which has had many nests, some of which I've had to stand by and watch get predated over the years. It's always upsetting, I remember watching over three blackbird hatchlings for days on end after noticing a magpie had clocked the nest and was now trying to get in. Sadly even my close attention didn't save one hatchling and the magpie was successful in taking one when my back was turned. The mother then got her others out and abandoned the nest, feeding them down on the ground in the bushes, I think they turned out okay.

Sadly, once ANY predator has located a nest the chances for its occupants are slim to none because (a) that predator will keep going back for more and (b) will inadvertently alert other watching predators to the location of an easy meal.
So even if you're keeping the cat in, something else will likely have witnessed a commotion and be checking it out themselves.

All you can do is accept that this is nature's way, most birds have 2 to 3 broods of several chicks in a good year for exactly this reason, nature expects well over half of them to end up as food. You can only hope the next brood is successful, I feel there's little that you can do about this but I know how sad you'll feel about it, and I empathise. I'd just let your cat do their normal routine, the mother bird will learn from it that this wasn't a good choice for her nest site and she'll choose better next time.

Thank you, that is really helpful advice and wise words.

I've let my cat out and been to fetch him a couple of times but now I am just leaving him to it. He can't seem to find the nest, so I think that a magpie will have got to it last night, like you said.

The neighbour trimmed her hedging - it's evergreen tree hedging and is very tall. But it has exposed gaps and made it easier for my cat (and I am sure other predators) to get to the nests.

It sucks. My son is in tears! But it is life and death.

 

[RedLoredAmazon]

Could you build a catio for your cat? I know it is a safe way for cats to be outside. I know it is best if it bumps up to a window so all you have to do is open the window to let the cat outside. People use them where I live as there are coyotes that can kill cats and it keeps the wild animals safe from being hunted by the cat.

 

[Jemima]

I have quite an overgrown mature garden which has had many nests, some of which I've had to stand by and watch get predated over the years. It's always upsetting, I remember watching over three blackbird hatchlings for days on end after noticing a magpie had clocked the nest and was now trying to get in. Sadly even my close attention didn't save one hatchling and the magpie was successful in taking one when my back was turned. The mother then got her others out and abandoned the nest, feeding them down on the ground in the bushes, I think they turned out okay.

Sadly, once ANY predator has located a nest the chances for its occupants are slim to none because (a) that predator will keep going back for more and (b) will inadvertently alert other watching predators to the location of an easy meal.
So even if you're keeping the cat in, something else will likely have witnessed a commotion and be checking it out themselves.

All you can do is accept that this is nature's way, most birds have 2 to 3 broods of several chicks in a good year for exactly this reason, nature expects well over half of them to end up as food. You can only hope the next brood is successful, I feel there's little that you can do about this but I know how sad you'll feel about it, and I empathise. I'd just let your cat do their normal routine, the mother bird will learn from it that this wasn't a good choice for her nest site and she'll choose better next time.

P.S. The good news is that the baby I rescued is doing well! He or she is being fed every hour at the wildlife rescue. We are thrilled!