# Little Cat caught Sparrow youngster...



## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Just got him in...or her in, heck, I forgot to check their Breast Feather colors.

Anyway, supposedly was taken from a Cat earlier to-day...but by the injuries, I'd surmise, he/she was Cat caught and mauled several days ago also.

Long story long, found at a Wedding Chapel near by...very dim and 'smelly', with wet topical infections, and possibly systemic infection also, and I am sure, has not eaten in days.


Legs good ( well, one Leg is weak), Wings good, face and Beak good, Eyes good, so glad of those all being intact.

I gave the little Sparrow my Salesman's pitch while in hand-nest as we walked out to the Car, and they said 'Cheep!'.

Got home, did overall exam, applied topical meds to surface wounds and wet smelly infection sites...they were happy to gape for me, so I popped in a 1/7th of a tab of Enroflaxacin ( Baytril/Cipro-like), and, also, a lite meal of Canned Bartlet Pears and Canned Water Pack Sardine.

Napping now in a little soft impromptu Nest of soft cloth...

This little Sparrow seemed to understand everything I said, and let me do everything I wanted, letting me lift and extend Wings, Legs, and so on, lifting Back and Neck Feathers with my finger tips to see about wounds, and gapes when offered food or meds.

Usually adolescents are pretty hard for me to win over! Too aloof! Too proud...too distainful of my trying to communicate and get onto things.

Wings are strong and even-matched in their blurred fluttering too. One Leg is weak...and they had some thread-sisal debris ( four inch long several strand tangle of it on the weak Leg, which I got untangled and tossed first thing...which was probably how or why they had got caught in the first place.


Wow...I am very impressed with how smart and on-the-Ball this little Sparrow is...how willing to cut to the chase and make things easy for me. What a sweetie.




Wish him/her luck..!

Wish me luck too!



Phil
Lv


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Good luck with this little one, Phil. Sounds like things are starting out pretty well, and I hope they stay that way! Looks like a Sparrow to me, and quite the little cutie. Some of them can be very difficult to care for at the stage this one is, so I'm very glad for you and for it that things have started off well. I got in two this afternoon at about the same stage, and I think they will come around but have been a bit of a challenge thus far.

Interesting choice of food for the first meal. Will you stick with that or change to something else? I've had good luck with the Starling-Talk diet for both sparrows and starlings.

Terry


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi Terry!


Nice to say "Hello!"


Usually I feed Sparrows or other Song Birds ( or other non Colmbiforms anyway ) fresh ripe Fruits, and hydrated Grain Based items of various sorts once done with an after-a-fast phase...but at the moment all I had are canned fruits.

That and Canned Water Pack Sardines, or Sushi, for Omniverous Species...( Kestrals LOVE good Sushi!! and LOVE ripe Queen Ann and Bing Cherries!)

Babys, youngsters and Adult non-Columbiforms Omnivore or obligate Carnivore seem to do great on these, and, I also usually add a little fresh Olive Oil, Powdered Vitamines/Minerals, or meds, as a way of getting the meds into them if not gapers.

Young self-feeding-age Sparrows love fresh ripe Bartlet Pears, cut in half, with goodies sprinkled on.


Got a Cage set up for him/her now, with a Heating Pad ( they felt to me to not be making much warmth of their own, probably from fatigue and exhaustion and privation and infection...) so...another round of topical tidy-ups and topical meds, some more chow, and then into a little soft Nest in the Warm Cage.


Oh yes indeedy, usually at this age they are very hard to win over!!


I can do my Rain Dance, Secret Masonic Handshakes, Charades of varied sorts, and nothing works...they just sit there poker-faced and totally aloof.

Lol

What has worked well with the recalsitrant ones, I pretend to be eating close by to them, so they can see me eating or pretending to eat...and I will really ham it up, Lip-Smacking and so on, "Ohhhh boy this is good food!..Mmmmm!..yummy, Mmmm!..." and so on, I m-i-g-h-t get a 'Cheep!' in a few minutes, and then the Beak of Iron which stays closed...again, repeat, and another 'Cheep!'...and, m-a-y-b-e, a Gape moment which goes by too fast...etc, till we get it figured out, then all's well, and they "Cheep!" and gape and we do chow times and everyone's happy.

If they do not see me conspicuously eating, they see no reason to be curious or reminded about how hungry they are.

So once I can tell they are reminded, I offer, and after a few tries, they get the offer gesture ( though of course different from what Mom and Dad had done, ) and they accept it as 'good enough!'.


They need whatever it is they need to decide "Oh! maybe this mook will feed me???"
Leading to "Daddy!!! is it chow time???" or "Mommie! is it chow time???" 

I have it down with Baby/Youngster Doves and Pigeons, but I have never had near so many Sparrows or others to have got the knack down near so well.


Eeeeesh...


But, it can work! 


Sure beats trying to deal with that 'Beak of Iron'..!!! ( and risking alienating them in the process where they then do not want to co-operate with anything...)



Ohhhh...Lol...


Love,


Phil
Lv


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Chlorophyl...Chlorella, Cilantro, Wheat Grass Juice...good for any youngster Omnivore or Carnivore-ish Birds...

One 1/2 inch long poop...1/8th inch fecal, 3/8ths inch rubbery-firm white urate, so...guess the juicy Bartlet Pear morsels are giving enough moisture for his/her system to have started moving a little.

Did a second chow time a little while ago...will do another before beddybye-time...may offer some tepid Water-electrolytes in case he/she knows how to drink.

I went to the store and got fresh Cilantro...

It's been some years since I had any Sparrows, Babys, youngsters or otherwise.

Edit - 

2:00 A.M. now...did another chow time, with fine bits of Cilantro, Pear and Sardine...flushed topical infection wound sites with a tepid Saline-Duramycin solution.

Got a nice moist fecal-urate poop, looks picture perfect for a Sparrow.

Did a little Hand Nest time, then tucked them in into their soft cloth Warm Nest in-a-Cage.


What a little sweetie.

Eeeeesh they are small...somehow the how small they are did not really hit me till just now...hardly the size of a Pecan really once you get past the Feathers.


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## pigeonmama (Jan 9, 2005)

Oh, Phil,
So goos to hear from you. Glad all is going well with your latest addition. Keep up the good work, and keep us posted on progress.
Hugs,
Daryl


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

...and, THAT'S why I call you a "whisperer," Phil!!

If anyone can save this little one, it's you!! What a little cutie!! 

How much you wanna bet that this baby will imprint on you?

Looking forward to POSITIVE UPDATES!!

SENDING ALL MY BEST HEALING VIBES WITH LOVE AND HUGS

Shi


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Aww...thanks...


Well, I slept late and got a late start on things to-day.

Little Sparrow-Bug did a few impressive 'Cheep!'s while I was still dozing.

And is standing to-day, on both Legs, with tentative weight on the weak Leg.

We did a nice good sized Crop-Stuffing meal of Pear, Cilantro and Sardine.

They wnated to keep going, and I had to guess at some point just where 'full' would be, so...not like a Dove or Pigeon where the Crop is familiar territory for me, so fed about a flat Teaspoon worth, imaginging that ought to hit the Full-Mark on the Crop Gauge for this one.

Some Wing-Flutterings while feeding...so cute...


Fingers Crossed...must be a hardy little Immune System to have managed several days after being mauled.

No wound odor now...though I will flush all again a time or two later on as the day flows on.

Wounds appeared to be 'wet' and smelly small cuts and scrape-like small tears...nothing big enough for sutures, nothing deep or serious puncture far as I could see, though small punctures are likely if hard to find and see.

Anyhoo...

Took a nice pic of them standing, but my external floppy reader is not working now...sigh...


Phil
Lv


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

MANY THANKS for the update, Phil!!

I know I'm not the only one sitting on pins and needles about this little one!!

MORE *HEALING* VIBES WITH LOVE AND HUGS!!

Looking forward to more positive updates!! 

Shi


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

I am so sorry, we did not succeed.

All seemed well, eating good, lots of good poops, standing, preening...no meals since the first one today, I was fixing to do chow time, went to get him rounded up, and he was laying on his side as if sleeping...so, in a short space of time, he sank from all looked good, to things not looking good at all, and over an hour or so then, expired.

This may be similar to what I have seen a few times with Pigeons who had survived a Cat mauling, and, on their own for three or four days, someone finds them downed, brings them to me...we do meds, rehydration if need be, they rally, all seems promising, then in 12 to 20 hours, they slide down fast and expire.

Possibly the meds could not overcome the rate of climb of the systemic infection in these instances.

Or, the Bird had multiple systemic infections where the usual resort of Enroflaxacyn did not arrest the whole spectrum.


So sorry...


Such a darling little Sparrow, and so very smart and spirited and willing.



Any ideas?



Phil
Lv


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## yopigeonguy (Oct 22, 2009)

I am so very sorry for your loss- you did everything possible to help this little guy.

Kevin


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## Pigeonlove (May 6, 2008)

I'm so sorry. At least he was loved.


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

I'm sorry the little one didn't make it, Phil. I think that a teaspoon feeding for a sparrow may be way too much. A teaspoon is 5 cc/ml, and I can't imagine a sparrow holding that much at one feeding. Just putting this out there for consideration.

The little sparrows at the age/stage of the one you had are either incredibly easy to feed and work with or are close to impossible. Sounds like your little one was cooperative.

Terry


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

I said Teaspoon casually, from a tiny powder-med spoon that was sitting where we did the chow time, which is one technical Teaspoon ( not a Teaspoon of Silverware) but food volume for the meal was less, more like 2/3rds of that teaspoon if set into it loosely...but regardless, I am sure he was not overfull, Crop was not even protuberent and he still had room for more and wanted more...I just don't see how this meal, after three hours of everything seeming fine, would have been a cause of death..?


Oh I hope not!

Oooooooooooo...eeeeeesh.



Overnight poops were looking good, eight or nine of them...and he was empty after 9 or 10 hours since last chow...when we did our first of the day chow time.

He was not Cheeping for Chow time though...he gaped nicely for every bite, but, was quiet...and I sort of noticed this but did not dwell on it.


I had been initially thinking that the injectable Baytril would have been handy, since less lag than the oral...but, I do not have any.

So, three hours after Breakfast when next chow time was about to come around, he was preening...standing...chirping off and on during that time, to signal me as they do.


When I checked again, having got the chow ready, he was on his side looking 'dim'.

Sure bums me out...


I used to often have fifteen or twenty various age Baby Sparrows at a time, typically all healthy Babys from fallen or Tree Trimmed Nests. Never lost any I can recall. They love to eat! And they process food pretty fast. The quantity I fed this one was in keeping with what even younger ones would routinely handle fine.

( When bunches of same-nest other overlapping age Babys are already Cheeping and Gaping, new arrives get the cue fast, too...so this was always easy, no one needed to be won over, since they would just do what their comrades were doing..! )


Cat Caught Baby/Youngster Sparrows, usually when I have had them, I got them same day or next day after the mauling or roughing up, and nothing comes to mind for odd issues or surprises with those.

It's those three or four day after the attack/mauling ones which have this odd tendency to rally then fall fast sometimes...whatever species...even though I know I have used multiple meds at times in the past.

I should have given him more than one antibiotic...but, I only gave the Enroflaxacyn and dealt with the topical issues with other meds...not even sure what would have been good for a 2nd systemic one...Doxy maybe...


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## pigeonmama (Jan 9, 2005)

Phil,
You know that there must have been something drastically wrong but well hidden for this bird not to survive under your wonderful care. At least this little one didn't have to suffer any further torment from cats.
Daryl


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## c.hert (Jan 15, 2010)

I am so sorry for you loss and I know your sensitive for you really love your birds and care for them so well. When it goes systamatic (sp) that cat bacteria it does not take long for them to go down hill quickly--you did the best that your could and at least it was in a secure place when it died and the cats didn.t torture it--sorry for the loss of the little sparrow....c.hert


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

Could very well have been the result of the cat injuries, Phil.

I AM SO SORRY...

I know you did your best and he did not die alone.

Sending comforting thoughts with LOVE and HUGS

Shi


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi everyone, 


Say, thanks for your interest and condolences.

I am so sorry to have posted a Thread which did not work out for the little Bug.

I was all happy and optimistic and really into the little Sparrow's care and revival, though knowing in the side of my thoughts, that the first couple days could be iffy.

Yeah, I would say some secondary systemic infection, or, even the presumed primary one still climbing as it will, was not overcome by the antibiotic...even though I felt assured he got a good enough dose there right at the get-go.


Sure bummed me out.


Chow wise, I can not figure on his meal having bothered him.

I used to accidently over-feed Song Bird or Sparrow Babys much younger then he, and, they never had any bother with it. I learned not to, and of course small meals often are best, but, they'd want to keep eating, so I'd keep feeding, then realize that last bite is stacked up on the previous ones in their Neck, with no more room to swallow!


Ohhh, funny stuff, anyway, aside from those few occasions of that, long ago, I just feed sort of by ear, and never had anything stack up again.


If they like the Food, they really do get into chow times.



So, I try not to disappoint their culinary appreciations.


If they do not like something they spit it out and think hard about that next 'gape'...Lol.

Pills or Tablet parts are that way, they will spit them out...so one has to sort of disguise the Medicine fragment in some little strong-enough-flavor Food bite to get the deed done...which is what we did ( after he spit it out twice, and I remembered about that part. )


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