# Protecting Pigeon Nest from Cats



## mito (Mar 9, 2006)

I live in Brooklyn, and am lucky enough to have a balcony large enough to grow vegetables. I also let my cats roam around on the balcony. (We would never let our cats roam free outside, because we know that's bad for them and bad for birds, but the balcony is completely safe for them and for the pigeons that come and go.)

A couple of weeks ago, a pair of pigeons started to spend a lot of time in one of our vegetable boxes, and today they started building a nest.

My wife and I would *love* to keep the pigeons safe so they can raise their young on our balcony, but we have no idea how to do this. From what I've found during a brief search, it would take at least 8 weeks for the whole process, and we can't keep our cats inside for that long.

What should we do? We've had a few ideas. We don't want to remove the nest or shoo them away. We don't know if we can move the nest.

Can we put up a hanging basket for the nest, or would they avoid it?

Could we try to put the box up on some kind of 6-foot platform?

That would put them only a foot or two from the balcony ceiling, and that might be cramped.

Would the pigeons keep building the nest if we moved it at all?

If we were to watch our cats carefully every time they went on the balcony, we could probably keep them away from the pigeon end. Perhaps we can put up some kind of
wall. But would the pigeons be put off just by having cats near them?

If anyone has a good suggestion, or has dealt with this kind of problem at all, I would love to hear about it.

Greg


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## re lee (Jan 4, 2003)

Cats and birds do not mixwell. If the cats are on the balcony. The adult pigeons may leave the nest for a time and the eggs may not hatch. Now for future you could put something high enough to attact the pigeons to nest higher. Just have to do it befor these birds lay


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Hello and Welcome to our forum.

Thank you for your interest in these pigeons, and especially I want to thank you for being responsible with your cats.

If you try to move the eggs the birds will no doubt, abandon them, as mentioned. Do you have a more suitable place for them to lay their eggs where cats can't come near? If they haven't layed them yet, you might want to encourage them to lay their eggs elsewhere.

If the eggs are already layed and they have been brooding them, then there are possible embryo's growing inside, and you wouldn't want to disturb them.


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## mito (Mar 9, 2006)

The pigeon couple have not yet laid any eggs.

If there aren't eggs yet, and I move the box containing the nest onto something higher, do you think that would freak them out? Or would they keep using it, and eventually lay eggs there?


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## Lin Hansen (Jan 9, 2004)

Hi Greg,

Thank you for being concerned enough to want to do what's best for everyone in this situation.

If it's going to be very inconvenient for you having the nest in the present location, then I would move it or just dismantle it right now before any eggs are laid. I know pigeons are not too keen on having their nests moved and they could abandon it, but at this point, there is no harm done if that happens.

You could try moving it up higher and see what happens....but as I'm sure you know, cats are very agile and usually can have no trouble getting to high places if they really want to, so you could try it. But I tend to think even if the birds did use the higher nesting place, they could well end up abandoning it even after eggs are laid if they are disturbed by the close proximity of cats and/or humans every day.

Thanks again for caring.

Linda


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## Camrron (Dec 19, 2005)

Hi Greg,

I can tell you are a person who loves all animals. My worry about having pigeons nesting anywhere on your balcony is that at some point the babies will leave the nest and it won't be at a time convenient for you.

It almost always happens at an opportune time for cats though and you can be sure they will be watching and waiting for the opportunity to arise. The other reason I would worry is because cats are such determined predators. They can wait for hours for the moment a bird might be caught unawares. I think if it was my balcony I would dismantle the nest now and discourage any more nest building that will be in harms way for the birds.

Cameron


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## mito (Mar 9, 2006)

It's getting harder to figure out what to do. The couple is now at the nest a lot of the time. I looked out today and saw the female sitting on the nest, and it's just so sweet I don't have the heart to dismantle the nest. But I don't know what else to do.

I have a mind to just take the entire planter and somehow move it on to the neighbor's balcony. They never go out there.


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

mito said:


> I have a mind to just take the entire planter and somehow move it on to the neighbor's balcony. They never go out there.


Hi Mito, 

Please don't move the nest, the parents won't recognise it as their own if you do and will abandon it


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## mito (Mar 9, 2006)

Things were going fine for a while -- the cats weren't bothering the nest because we put up a makeshift wall. We went away for 3 weeks on a Hawaii honeymoon, and my in-laws stayed in our place and watched over the pigeons (now named Pertelote and Mr. Pertelote). But the day before we returned, they abandonded the eggs, and we don't know why.

But now they are hanging around, and Pertelote seems to be sitting in a new place on the balcony, so we think she might be about to lay more eggs. Hoping....


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

mito said:


> Things were going fine for a while -- the cats weren't bothering the nest because we put up a makeshift wall. We went away for 3 weeks on a Hawaii honeymoon, and my in-laws stayed in our place and watched over the pigeons (now named Pertelote and Mr. Pertelote). But the day before we returned, they abandonded the eggs, and we don't know why.
> 
> But now they are hanging around, and Pertelote seems to be sitting in a new place on the balcony, so we think she might be about to lay more eggs. Hoping....


Looking at the date of your original post, I figure the eggs were not fertile and they just walked away from them after they didn't hatch in the normal time frame. She will lay again and maybe things will turn out different this time.


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## Camrron (Dec 19, 2005)

It may be for the best. I worried from the beginning of the potential for a cat attack on the adults or the babies that were to follow. At that time I recommended you dismantle the nest and discourage any more nest building. It is just too risky I think as much as it is nice to have a nest of babies on your deck. 

Since I have just read you were not going to be there anyway for the early stages as you were away on holiday I would just repeat my concern except a little louder. I don't think other lives are just a casual thing to be veiwed and enjoyed if you leave those animals in harm's way in the process. I am sure too your cat's will come first. Notwithstanding a separate wall, cats are smart, fast and wily and have a special knack for getting to what they want.

So please discourage the deck pigeons unless you are intending to have them as meals for your cats.

Cameron


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