# How did this pigeon die



## pigeon protector (Nov 8, 2013)

Hello everyone,thrilled to find this forum coz now I can, at last, talk about pigeons till the cows come home without other humans thinking that I am mad,sad or just a little bit touched in the head.
To say that I am mad about pigeons would be a huge understatment.
Yet,the only contact I have is with ferals,local flocks I feed and keep an eye on.
Ok,will not go on and on just yet,as this is my first post and as you can see from my title I would love to get an expert opinion,answer as to what happened to one of the baby pigeons I rescued.

It all really started last summer.
Just to get you in the picture,I live above a shop over looking a busy road but I have a flat roof that I can access.
Well my cat was often out on the roof having a run a round, there was never any birds outside and I felt safe as there was no way he could jump down.
One night He comes back from the roof and into the flat with a baby pigeon.
The cat just brought this baby pigeon in and let it go.
I shut the cat in another room and picked the baby pigeon up to see if it was hurt but it seemed fine.
As it was summer and quite warm out I made a nesting box and put it out on the roof only to discover another baby.
So they both snuggled up together and not before too long the parents came along and started to feed them both.
Everything was going fine,the parents would come and look after them and I supplied them with seed.

Ok the roof now became out of bounds for the cat but he was happy just to watch everything through the window as I did so see if everything was ok with the pigeons.
It was about 9 days after that I got up really early to check on the babys,my obsession and love for these birds truly begun.
I was really upset to see one of the baby pigeons,the eldest one and the one that the cat brought in lying on the middle of the roof dead. The mother or father was just standing over it watching and now I know it was actually grieving.
That really choked me up, I went straight out on the roof and removed it and then went to check if the other baby was ok and was happy to see it was ok in the box.
I could not see how the baby died as there was no evidence of attack or illness.
The past day it was running around eating seed, drinking water
and seemed healthy and happy.
The only thing I noticed was a very small dot of blood on its breast and that is whats bugging me.
I now know that a cat does not have to sink its claws or teeth in a pigeon but can still cause its death by just its saliva alone.
If It was the cat that caused the pigeon to die, would the pigeon have lasted 9 days?
I think I read that they die within 48 hours if not treated .
Could it have been another bird? a Crow or Gull?

The other pigeon which was the weakest survied after some nasty nights of rain and strong winds.
At one point it became touch and go,I nearly lost hope.
He/she turned out to be a strong and very beautiful two bar pigeon.
Watching it grow and eventually fly and join the local pigeons was life changing!
I am now, thanks to cat,really pigeon mad
They will now forever be a part of my life.

I now look after a huge flock that come to the roof for seed ,they all come and go at different times and I even have a small mob thet come at night.
The cat has now chilled out he just watches them all from the window.The pigeons have also got used to him and will roast right next to the window as if they know that he could never get out.

Sorry, I have gone on and on,better stop otherwise it will be one very long post!
Great to get some feedback on my question which will not be the last,I have loads of questions,lol


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## LisaNewTumbler (Jun 24, 2013)

pigeon protector said:


> Hello everyone,thrilled to find this forum coz now I can, at last, talk about pigeons till the cows come home without other humans thinking that I am mad,sad or just a little bit touched in the head.


Amen to that 

And welcome to PT

There can be many reasons why squabs die, however, Having been caught by a cat, and being the only squab that perished, I would presume it was infact the cats saliva. 
As to whether it could have acted after 9 days, I have heard a lot of people talk about cat saliva but never read and actual post about 'my pigeon died from cat saliva' so I do not know if people are quoting 48hours because they know it to be a true time frame or if it is just a 'telephone' fact - passed on from person to person until it becomes accepted truth.

Now I don't mean the fact that cat saliva is dangerous. Just that it is so fast acting the bird is dead within 48hours.

I think like most infections it depends on the health and stamina of the bird. I would think it a big coincidence if it was something else, on top of the cat attack. Esp since the other squab had no issues.


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## hong kong pigeons (Sep 30, 2013)

yes, pigeons are fascinating, just like drug.


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## pigeon protector (Nov 8, 2013)

Thanks for your reply 
I too am almost sure it was an infection caused by the cat
Had I known this back then I would have taken the pigeon to a rescue place for help
Did not know about the cats saliva untill I started reading about pigeons
Well that brave little squab did not die in vain!
Thanks to that squab and my cat the pigeons now have another human (not so human ) friend and defender.
Would love to one day maybe have a aviary sauncatuary for feral pigeons but untill then I will always be looking out for them and may I add feeding them - so fine me!

- and if pigeons are like drugs then give me more lol


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

pigeon protector said:


> Hello everyone,thrilled to find this forum coz now I can, at last, talk about pigeons till the cows come home without other humans thinking that I am mad,sad or just a little bit touched in the head.
> To say that I am mad about pigeons would be a huge understatment.
> Yet,the only contact I have is with ferals,local flocks I feed and keep an eye on.
> Ok,will not go on and on just yet,as this is my first post and as you can see from my title I would love to get an expert opinion,answer as to what happened to one of the baby pigeons I rescued.
> ...


It would be hard to know 100% what killed the squab unless you saw it. It may just have to be a mystery. 

feedback from me would be a warning to be careful with feeding them, attracting flocks gets attention, from predators and humans that may not want the droppings around their place..like the shop owners that work under you for instance and then exterminators are called and it is a mess of a situation, as more and more show up then the "protector" can get pressured to think they need to up the food and where does that end.. supplimenting in winter and at a low amount may not do harm, so if the birds fly around to their spots where others feed they will be fine and perhaps where they do go is safe, who knows .


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