# Hail all....



## K80theSHADE (Jun 14, 2013)

Just posting to say hello to everyone and introduce myself. My name is Katie (also known as "Mud" if you ask Lady Bracknell) and I am servant to something resembling a pigeon. I say "resembling" because she treats me like I am very _very_ slow in the head. I will be feeding her and changing her papers. She KNOWS I'm feeding her. She will try to tear off a piece of my hand. She will grip a fold of skin on the back of my knuckle and SHOVE my hand away and out of her room. She wing-slaps me. She used to growl too(can you believe that? I did not know pigeons COULD growl!).
She is not afraid of me in the least. She also has no fear of my four cats and a rabbit. (all adults) She has taken to leaving her room and roosting on my pillow.
No "gifts" on my bed, oddly enough. It seems she has a couple of preferred spots for doing business.

Then she worked something out with the Boss Cat whereby she is allowed to stand in their food dish and pick up pieces of their kibble and place them under her wings. Also, she gets to bathe in their water bowl three times a week, after which I am summoned by said Boss Cat to change the water and WASH the bowl.

I don't know what Lady Bracknell had to trade for these considerations, but I just bet it had something to do with slapping and pecking.

Anyway, she knows how to cuss, but she seems to have some level of affection for me (or I've just got Stockholm syndrome).

I'm here because I am being victimized by something I outweigh by a factor of 4.

Anyone want to hear the sorry story of how we met?


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

first I will share that cat saliva carries a bacteria called pasteurella that is toxic to small animals esp birds, most times it is when they bite the bird, but just knowing that I would not let my bird bath in a cats drinking dish or be near them.


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## thepigeonkey (Oct 12, 2011)

I for one want to know how you met and why your victimised and by whom, do tell...


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## CMH1211 (Mar 10, 2013)

Lol thats some funny stuff. Carry on.lol


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## K80theSHADE (Jun 14, 2013)

Rabbit flu is more likely to be carried by my rabbit; even so, there are some factors:

1. She has been living here for about six months....no problems yet;
2. I will not get rid of anyone already here, and no one wants a pigeon;
3. For some reason I seem to have become attached to this horrid animal;
and 4. She was feral her entire life before we met. I'm sure what with all the cats, bunnies and other birds with whom she'd come into contact that if she were susceptible to some common infectious agent like H3N3, she would already have succumbed.

Assuming she is in no immediate danger from her environment, what should I do about the wing, for instance?

She went through a time when her feet were paling and she was exhibiting pterotillomania, so I got her the special pigeon chow from Pet Smart.

Now she is healthy, fat and LOADED with attitude.


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## thepigeonkey (Oct 12, 2011)

tell the story of how you met,...


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

spiritwings is right in that cat saliva is dangerous for a pigeon. Just a small scratch from a playful cat can kill your bird. Just not a good idea to let them anywhere together.
You can't know what an animal is thinking, nor know what they will do at any given time. Keeping the bird safe, is keeping him separate from your cats.


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## K80theSHADE (Jun 14, 2013)

*So here we are...*

So it has been about a year since my last time here. I thought I would swing by with an update, as well as the full story of how we met. 

It was just after dark on a late summer evening. I had another rescue bird at the time, a Golden Chat named Golden Chick after the restaurant down the road. I was out collecting insects from the local parking lots to feed her. 
I was on my way back home with a jar full of crickets for Golden Chick when I spotted some shape near a storm grate in the parking lot which had not been there before when I'd been hunting.(trust me; when you spend an hour a day scanning a cement parking lot at night for fast little black things, your brain keeps a map of every stain, oil spot and twig on the ground) 
I thought maybe it was a plastic bag or something. I approached, and it began moving towards me. Once I was ten feet away, I could tell it was a living thing. It continued approaching me, and then I saw it was a pigeon with a drooping wing. 
I checked the area to see if there were chicks on the ground or something which would explain this bird's odd behavior. I could see no signs of illness, so I bent down and reached out to it. It did not move away. I took a breath, reassured myself that rabies is a mamillian affliction, and picked it up. 
It did not attempt any hostile action, so I figured there might be brain damage like a concussion or some such. 
I took a closer look at the drooping wing, and it was mostly detached just after the "wrist". There was only a sinewy tendon holding the end of the wing on. By the clotting and figuring the fast heart rate and high body temp, and taking into account the nature and location of the break, I concluded she was likely struck by a whip antenna from a vehicle on the road perhaps twenty minutes before, and had, in a state of shock, walked about 75 yards to where we met. 

I took her home, broke out one of the cat carriers and lined it with newspaper, added a water dish and soaked a bit of bread and left it and her closed in there overnight. 
I fed Golden Chick and went to sleep. 

Next morning, since she was still alive, I decided to do something about that wing, as it was still dangling. I got out my low-temp LED work lights, disinfected a rolling wooden bakers' table and gathered my other equipment; a beaker half-filled with 70% Isopropyl, wire cutters, a magnification light and a vice. I used double-stick tape to adhere a couple foam blocks to the jaws of the vice. After pulling her out of the carrier, I affixed her to the vice firmly enough that she could not move, but lightly enough that I could still pull my fingers out from between her and the vice. 
I raised the injured wing and examined it closely. I looked for inflammation on the body-side of the break, which might indicate gangrene or other infection. There was only minimal redness or swelling, and it was clear that with not even a peice of bone still intact, and with the scabbing already begun, there was no way to save the wingtip. So I had the wire cutters in the alcohol the whole time. I got them out, shook them dry, and quickly snipped the tendon by which the wing tip was still hanging. 
She did not seem to mind that at all.
So she got out of surgery and went right back to recovery. I had her exactly three days before her disposition changed virtually overnight. She started beating me up regularly. So I removed the door to her carrier which had been separating her from four cats and a rabbit. I figured she was eager to stretch her legs and move around. 
She did all of the above. Now, there is a hierarchy in animal social groups and cats are no different. We have a Boss Cat, her sister is Number Two, and my favorite, Abby, is number three. Then there is the Retard, Jojo, who is number four. (and if any of you liberal pansies give me any **** about the "retard" thing: IT'S a CAT! Dig your sense of humor out from beneath all those fluffy pink douche bags in your closet and try to use it once in a while!) The bunny and the Boss Cat have some kind of understanding whereby Birdine(the Boss Cat)has certain authorities in certain situations, but generally the bunny can disobey her. 
So they have all this worked out, they are still trying to figure out what to do about Golden Chick (who can certainly fly and does so often) who is loaded with WAY more attitude than anyone who weighs 9/10ths of an ounce has any business having, and now there's this pigeon. 
Lady Bracknell (after the matriarch in The Importance of Being Ernest, a play by Oscar Wilde) is a convention. I have no way of being certain that she IS a "she," and I'm not about to go mucking about with her vent. Suffice it to say, she exhibits both typically male and typically female behavior, so it's a toss-up. Besides, I really just could not care less. She is called "Lady B." and that is just that. I mean hell, I'm a male but I have a girls' name, I dress like a girl, and aside from the occasional transmission overhaul, I act kinda like a girl. So what? 
Anyway; she has been a member of the family ever since. She actually plays with the cats now. But when they get out of line or unruly, she has no problem whipping them all into shape. There is this thing where her and the Boss Cat participate in the occasional demarcation dispute over allocation of authority, but aside from that everything is peachy. She has daily sun baths with the cats. She roosts right amongst them in the sun every day there is any sun. 
Oh, and I figured out what the white feet were about (see earlier posts): She was dirty. That is what happens to pigeons when they have not bathed. We get smelly, they get scaly. Go figure.
Occasionally, I'll wake in the night and Lady B. will be roosting ON ME. Great. And talk about "weird"; this thing eats rocks! And not just any ol' rocks, either. No! She has to have special red rocks with vatamins and **** added. What is this? The damn rocks cost more than the food!
Oh, well. I guess I'm stuck with it. Anyone know the life expectency of pigeions?


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## spiritflys (Aug 6, 2012)

I enjoyed the read of how you met Lady Brackwell, and as far as lifespan, the last passenger pigeon, Martha, died in captivity at the ripe old age of 29! However, pigeons in the wild often only get to live 3-7 years. Of course, you do not know how old this pigeon was before she inherited you (heh), but say she is 7 now.....she may live to be 20 or so if you take care of her. You are very articulate.....are you a writer? If not, you should be. By the way, how is the wing coming along? I don't suppose Lady B. can fly or will be able to fly. What do you feed her? I give mine a "hen scratch" that I get from a feed lot. It has wheat, oats, barley, lentils such as peas and oats. I also give vitamins twice a month which I purchased from an avian vet. Please do be careful with the cats. I have a friend whose cats that never harmed or resented her pigeon before suddenly killed it. Cats, after all, are felines, they have hunting instincts. But all the best. Keep up posted (and entertained), lol


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## spiritflys (Aug 6, 2012)

Oh, and about the wing-slaps. That is common behaviour in pigeons. I have a pigeon in rehab right now that I named, (you'll like this, I know!) KUJO because he gives the most robust wing slaps I have ever gotten, scares the crap out of me, even when I am expecting it. I get this every time I enter the cage to change the water and clean the cage. Pigeons in the wild wing-slap each other ripe and regular. It's funny to watch.


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## K80theSHADE (Jun 14, 2013)

*Oh, man......crap!*

Wow. 29 _years?!?!_ I'm not sure I signed up for nigh-on thirty years of this torment! What did I do to deserve this? My luck, she'll live to be 47 and be a "wonder" pigeon, just to spite me. 
As for the uncertainty of a pigeon amongst the cats, I have faith that whatever passes between them is 99% out of my sight, and 98% past my insight. I do feel sure that, assuming the story related to you was done so honestly and accurately, the friend's cats may have done it for reasons completely unknown to your friend. Maybe the bird was sick and asked it's friends to euthanize it, for instance. Animals have no fear of death. They do, however, feel and thus fear pain. Who knows, really? That was between the pigeon and the cats. 
Concerning the wing, she uses it to beat various offenders about their heads and shoulders, so I assume it has healed well. She is able to "high-jump" by flapping the good wing and the bad one quite vigorously together, and she can get down from higher places easily enough. 
She is currently engaged in an attempt to annex my tablet computer; she has the nearly-open run of the place, and whenever I leave it un-attended, she attempts to use it. My anti-theft routines have repeatedly caught her attempting to use the machine. She has already determined that it will not respond to her beak, but it WILL respond to her feet. I used it to make an audio recording of her "Get in here, NOW!" vocal pattern, which is rather a ""whoooooo!!-ing" and slaved it to a red macrodroid button on my lock screen. There is the more common cooing heard from pigeon tracks in television shows and in the movies on the green button; while the yellow and blue buttons have random sounds associated with them. She always chooses either the red or green buttons. When she chooses the red, she postures and struts at the tablet, all the while observing her reflection(which she understands is her reflection and not another pigeon)in the glass. The green, she roosts and cleans. 
This creature is scary-smart. She's capable of busting the bunker _underneath_ the bunker she just busted. If she were any smarter she could write a book that would make anything by Homer look like it was written in crayon. And she'd read it to you. She is capable of reducing the population of any standing structure to zero. I call her "The Ex-Wife." 
And if you get the Iron Man reference, good for you. 
And another thing; this is a CHICKEN! It's just a little smaller and a different color but it's a CHICKEN, damnit! (She hates being called a "house chicken" though, since I'm not prepared to suggest she phonetically understands English, I'm not sure why.) 
She chases the cats every now and then. The Boss had to pull me into the mix a few weeks ago when Lady B. decided the litter boxes were HER'S. Now, she has her own and she uses it. She has not cottoned to the concept of burial, yet. But she will, I have no doubt. 
Speaking of real estate; she wants more. It seems she uses feathers and droppings(the ones which don't go in the box....these look slightly different, also)to mark her territory or other possessions. She has spread out from her room and her perch and now owns two boxes, a bed, a desk and a ladder. Not to mention her own personal human. 
If I'm ever late with any of the things I have to do for her, I'm treated to a tent-winged and pacing lecture about adult responsibilities that would do any Jewish mother proud. 
And the wing-slapping! That is just downright rude. No other word for it. But I've been working on this theory in my abused mind; being the product of abuse, it may suffer from some lack of reality, but so what? 
I have this Idea that maybe, since she did not start wing-slapping and issuing commands until the three days had passed, and since she does not act this way in public(she becomes very docile and submissive)and finally, since she does not change her behavior for strange people or creatures, rather strange places, she is actually showing a strange kind of affection for home. This might be the Stockholm Syndrome talking, but it seems she only beats up on people she likes. Does that make any sense to anyone else?


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## spiritflys (Aug 6, 2012)

Yikes,K30theShade! It DOES make sense. Will you be out of "traction" soon?? lol


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

I want Lady B's good so gotta repeat the same thing. Advice has been given already that Lady Bracknell should be kept awat from cats,rabbits... So if you want her good then you need to keep her away. Why take chances?


Woah... this thread is really sick,I totally loved and enjoyed it. Gotta agree with spiritflys you have articulated it beautifully. Stay with PT Katie and Lady Bracknell.


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## K80theSHADE (Jun 14, 2013)

brocky bieber said:


> Why take chances?


Simple; Nature takes chances every second of every day. Amazing things can happen with just a little faith in life and in love. For all you folks giving "advice" about keeping the pigeon separate from the INDOOR HOUSECATS who cannot successfully hunt a grasshopper, praying mantis or cicada; how many of you have *first-hand* (as-in NOT "I heard from this guy one time") experience raising cats with pigeons and rabbits? Nature is astounding for really real.


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## LisaNewTumbler (Jun 24, 2013)

K80theSHADE said:


> Simple; Nature takes chances every second of every day. Amazing things can happen with just a little faith in life and in love. For all you folks giving "advice" about keeping the pigeon separate from the INDOOR HOUSECATS who cannot successfully hunt a grasshopper, praying mantis or cicada; how many of you have *first-hand* (as-in NOT "I heard from this guy one time") experience raising cats with pigeons and rabbits? Nature is astounding for really real.


I always say the owner knows their animals best so if you feel they are comfortable with each other the choice is yours.

Be wary however as cat saliva is toxic to pigeons and can kill them if it gets into the blood stream - so a playful swipe or a pigeon grooming itself after a friendly lick from a cat could prove deadly even if the vibes are good. Just things to look out for.


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

Your welcome with your opinion Katie,
Talking about nature,,,
Nature designed cats to kill,they are the predators and pigeons are prey birds. Cats naturally have curiosity and killer instincts that may take over at some moment,an animal is afterall an animal, cuz'. One can never take a guarantee for an animal.
They repeatedly tell on discovery channel that those cute,cuddley and innocent looking house cats hide a hunter in them. Here on PT,people tell themselves thet their "house cats" are killing and bringing dead pigeons in.

Ok,I believe that your cats can't even kill an grasshopper but cats play with their mouths and claws and in that play-play,your cats can give Lady B a scratch unknowingly that can give bacterial infections to her and that could be fatal. Moreover, birds have hollow and light bones as nature designed them so they are vulnerable and delicate creatures.


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## K80theSHADE (Jun 14, 2013)

*No worries, mate!*

I'm glad no one will lecture me on my friends! lol. But while we are on the subject; the world is FULL of stories like mine, of all kinds and from all corners. Observe:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RR0BlQzbOUk&desktop_uri=/watch?v=RR0BlQzbOUk
Elephant and Dog - Bubbles and Bella Best Friends

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AxYiLzWee84
Unlikely Animal Pairs Defy Laws of Nature
[I would like to point out that Nature's Laws are impossible to defy...what is really being defied is some tiny-dicked man's Idea of a law that HE created, not Nature]

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mZw-1BfHFKM&desktop_uri=/watch?v=mZw-1BfHFKM
A Lioness Adopts a baby antelope. A short documentary that will open your eyes.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dpm1hIchZg4&desktop_uri=/watch?v=dpm1hIchZg4
Documentary on a Lion and Leopard Together in the Wild

https://www.google.com/search?q=odd...ouples&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=vid
"odd animal couples" Google search

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Mth49PbTbrY&desktop_uri=/watch?v=Mth49PbTbrY
The lion, tiger and bear family - Animal Odd Couples: Episode 1 Preview - BBC One

and on, and on......Nature made me with my eyes in front. Every creature with its eyes in front recognizes me as a preadator. Creatures with their eyes on the side also recognize me for what I am. But there is so much more to me than how or what I eat. Give our furred and feathered companions the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the hypothesis that they are more than Plato's souless, mindless and heartless automations.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Brocky of course is right. Some people would care enough for their animals to not take chances. Many have found out that they don't know their cats as well as they thought. If you like taking foolish chances with the welfare of your bird, then nothing we can do about it.


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## K80theSHADE (Jun 14, 2013)

Jay3 said:


> Brocky of course is right. Some people would care enough for their animals to not take chances. Many have found out that they don't know their cats as well as they thought. If you like taking foolish chances with the welfare of your bird, then nothing we can do about it.


You both need to learn to dance in the rain. If nothing else, it seems to me that life is about realizing that when food is scarce, things like survival drive our coldest instincts to the fore; but when food is plentiful, friendship, love and kindness find room in the heart of a lioness for an antelope. Here, food is a stand-in for resources generally. When money is tight, human friendships and families alike are often stretched to breaking. Lack of resources drives many to predation.
Maybe Nature's Laws are nowhere near as well-understood as we think they are...

Just the same, I find the implication that I could "care" any more for my friends and dependents to be rather insulting. If that was not your intent, state it so and all is forgiven.
So often I witness human "participation" in the lives of other species to be very self-serving, arrogant and domineering. We so often think we know best and shun the whispers from our hearts which urge us to let life happen a little more. From a more evolved point of view, I feel it would be possible to see life as more than the mere struggle for resources. Like maybe that is the next step for us all: the realization that when no one is starving, the rule goes from one of survival to one of co-operation.
Maybe it's the other way around, too; ya know?

Now, I'm not saying you should go out and get a cat from the pound and a pigeon from the park and see what happens when you introduce them. That would not only be foolish, but mean as well.

But if you are walking home one night and a wild pigeon picks you to walk up to and ask for help, don't just keep going because you already have four cats, a rabbit and a golden chat. Have faith that there may be more going on than you could ever hope to know. Sit back and enjoy your stay here while you have it. If you are blessed with the opportunity to provide assistance to anyone who needs it, joyfully accept that light burden.

I feel certain that when each of us has the opportunity to end our lives in review, none will regret the time they spent doing things such as this. Each kindness will come back to soothe our last breath and ease our transition to the next stage of existence.

Sorry if I come across as being a little "heavy," as we used to say, but I believe happiness requires more than lip service to an Ideal. Each of us must work, every second of every day, to birth a better world. I do my part, which seems to be caring for those in need who cross my path. All of my friends came from very unstable situations. I feel certain they would have moved out of this life before now, were it not for my intervention at their request. So since Lady B. can't tell me she is sick or in pain, I feel quite sure she will ask the Boss Cat to either end her pain, or ask her to direct me to the situation. Either way, we die as we live: at the mercy of the winds. But maybe, just maybe, as the storm rages and life is tossed about like so much chattel; we can for a flash reach out to someone else in the whirlwind. If, when that storm passes, you find the hand in yours is a paw or a talon or a snail's foot, shun it not, for it was there with you to weather the hoary wind.


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## K80theSHADE (Jun 14, 2013)

*Chillin.....*


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## spiritflys (Aug 6, 2012)

k80theShade - you make ME dance in the rain! You have grasped and are grasping something many try to attain but never do.....you are not afraid to leave the shoreline in order to experience the beauty of the sea. Love the pic.....lol


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

Wow! I thoroughly enjoyed the links you've posted Katie.

And I have no intentions to challenge your "Faith" but I think your being a bit adamant with your faith ignoring the bigger picture. When I read all of above stated views, it got complicated for me to decide when I gave everything I believed a second thought. But sense and science told me something you won't like.
I watched the story of The lioness and gemsbuck/oryx calf your talking about on Natgeo presented by S.Hamilton. This really had all the theorists and scientists have their heads in their hands but this case like others you've posted is an EXCEPTION. We shouldn't let these sort of exceptions govern the general rules. We need to think what is practical not philosophical. Exceptions are found in every sphere of nature but they're usually a product of desperation or deviant behaviour Or something we talk about mental retardation.
In open situations like in nature these are called excetions but in closed/controlled situations they maybe called trained behaviour like you have with your cats,rabbits,golden chat and Lady B, you can teach/TRAIN them to behave accordingly but you may never be sure about the outcomes. Your cats never hunted for food and ate supplied food so they may not see Lady B as a food item. They never discovered the taste of a freshly killed live bird. What if,they discovered it one day.

What happens to such unsual relations in the end??? Did you bother to notice how emaciated,weak and malnutritioned the gemsbuck calf is...? The poor calf died every second. What happened in the end, it died a horrible painful death.

My concerns are about Lady Bracknell so that she doesn't face a situation like this ever.
But I welcome you with your opinions and "faith"


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## K80theSHADE (Jun 14, 2013)

*The Gilder....*

There is a book I read once. It has many chapters usually titled after some occupation or other. It's a book about Man, well A man, and his obsession with pride and control. He spends so much of his life chasing a whale that he completely misses the true depth of the sea in which he sails. Indeed, "...then, as if his chest had been a mortar, he burst his hot heart's shell upon it."
Good book....I wish I could recall its name.
My point is that Mankind is a creature of ego and reason. When either are threatened by uncertainty, Man feels his little dhingus shrink that much more. But then there are those of us who seem purpose-built to lead the way to new places. It seems to me that such persons are farther-between than the space of mere miles or decades. When it comes to such words as "unique" and "rare," we are, in our lives always. I think the reason rare people come along every now and then is to help reveal new vistas to us all. There was a prevailing theory once, backed up by all the authority and pomp of the times, that frogs sprang from mud. We now know this to be untrue. Can anyone tell me who was the first person recognized by history to have demonstrated that flies come from other flies? Extra credit: was this fact known to anyone else BEFORE it was "known to science?"
If the only requirement for my odd little arangement to work well is that it be strange or in some way remarkable; that is one base firmly covered.
Someone here mentioned they sniffed "writer" on me, and I will not deny that. But could you guess which one? You get one hint: I have never been published.
I know, I know; not much of a hint, right?

In the end, you needen't be concerned about "challenging my faith," or even about your words being interpereted as such. I know true belief when I see it, as I do not encounter it often. I am aware you speak from one of the better balconies of good intentions. Good intent is far more plentiful than good results, I feel.

The best things in our lives are often completely dissimilar from our best-laid plans. For me, the only lesson from that is that there is always more to learn.

I went free climbing with my best friend, once. We spent days in the wilds of Colorado. Once, when the cold, the dark, the wind and the pain were compounded by the hours and had been ground into our bones by the jagged rocks, Wayne asked me if we were ever going to make it to the top. I told him the prospect of failure was the best rush in life; especially when tempered with determination that the next time the question came up, we would be too high up to see the spot where we were when he'd asked the first time. In other words, the question is moot as long as you keep going and never turn back. I find the possibility of failure very reassuring, because it gives value to what I do. If it were easy, it would not be worth doing.
Nothing worthwhile is ever easy.
"Faith," as I define it, is the persistence of a belief absent any supporting facts. I have a wealth of hard-won experiences which has taught me that we design ourselves and our lives. If you concentrate on conflict and strife, your life will accomodate your beliefs. If, on the other hand, you concentrate on wealth of heart and of mind, these also will you find in abundace. Like car-spotting: you buy a car and for as long as you drive it, any others of that type will stand out to you. To the point where you may come to see your car as "common." Car manufacturers count on this principle and play upon it often.
I'm not saying "wishing everything alright" is effective. But _knowing it_ is. The word "know" is a verb. It is possible to _know_ without thinking. But it does take practice. And you WILL fail many times.....in the beginning. But then a funny thing happens: you begin to notice that you're succeeding more often; until one day you realize it has become difficult to recall when last you did not succeed.


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

Hmmmmm,
Lovable thoughts as ever but...

Since its Pigeon Talk and I loved your "Black Beauty" Lady Bracknell, I would like to remind you of what you said in your post.


K80theSHADE; said:


> My point is that Mankind is a creature of ego and reason.


My point is that only man can reason not animals so its advisable to keep the animals RESPONSIBLY keeping "REASON" in mind,cuz animals can't reason themselves. Well, I want to wish you and your pets good luck so that you enjoy with them as you WANT them to be and they stay out of trouble.


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## K80theSHADE (Jun 14, 2013)

Okay. So it's been another half-a-year and quite a lot has happened:

First, the question of Lady Bracknell's gender has been definitely resolved:









Hers are the two smaller ones, of course; they are next to a chicken egg for contrast.

Speaking of chicken eggs. After a discrete interval:









These eggs SUCK for boiling. I'd ask for a refund except:









Apparently we are a mated pair now. Like I said; a lot's happened.

I've discovered why pigeons get wide, as well as why they bob their heads with their tails high or low.

The females get wide. They do so to entice a mate.

Head-bobbing with a low tail is a greeting. Head-bobbing with a high tail and distended throat pouch is a threat.

Spinning is a way of shouting or otherwise emphasizing a statement.

Wing-slapping can be a courting behavior, though only initially. Once you are "married," the wing-slapping stops and so does the pecking.

Now she coos while gently nipping my fingers or toes.

Serenading Lady Bracknell

She also likes guitar music, but she has her moods. If I'm playing blues, for instance, and she wants country, she will peck me until I cycle though rock and bluegrass and get to Johnny Cash.....lol.


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

Hey Katie and Lady B!
Thanks for this post and sharing your experience.
You guys seem to get along famously.
She's such a cutie!
Wishes for you guys mutual relationship...


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## K80theSHADE (Jun 14, 2013)

I lost her today.
No, the cats had nothing to do with it.
It seems she was already in her 20's when we met.
She died next to me as I slept.

I will always remember her with love and longing.
I remember how we met. Those of you who followed this thread: Thank you so much for your kind words these last two years.
My life is changed forever for knowing her.
Thank you for choosing my hand to hold through the storm;
I love you always.


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

Oh! So sorry to hear Lady B is no more!

What happened? Was she fine or seemed sick before dying?


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## K80theSHADE (Jun 14, 2013)

No; she seemed fine.
She was given to roosting on my bed next to me as I slept....
I really hope she was not scared or in pain when she died.

Here's to a very strong and determined little person.

She nearly died and then awoke in a strange new world. Was she afraid? Oh, no....not Lady Bracknell......She learned how to live with humans and cats and a bunny. She even took a human wife and taught me all the basics of her way of communicating.

Her favorite song was Folsom Prison Blues;

and I miss her.



"Oh, grassy glades! oh ever vernal endless landscapes in the soul; in ye,- though long parched by the dead drought of the earthly life,- in ye, men yet may roll, like young horses in new morning clover; and for some few fleeting moments, feel the cool dew of the life immortal on them. Would to God these blessed calms would last. But the mingled, mingling threads of life are woven by warp and woof: calms crossed by storms, a storm for every calm. There is no steady unretracing progress in this life; we do not advance through fixed gradations, and at the last one pause:- through infancy’s unconscious spell, boyhood’s thoughtless faith, adolescence’ doubt (the common doom), then scepticism, then disbelief, resting at last in manhood’s pondering repose of If. But once gone through, we trace the round again; and are infants, boys, and men, and Ifs eternally. Where lies the final harbor, whence we unmoor no more? In what rapt ether sails the world, of which the weariest will never weary? Where is the foundling’s father hidden? Our souls are like those orphans whose unwedded mothers die in bearing them: the secret of our paternity lies in their grave, and we must there to learn it. And that same day, too, gazing far down from his boat’s side into that same golden sea, Starbuck lowly murmured:-

"Loveliness unfathomable, as ever lover saw in his young bride’s eyes!- Tell me not of thy teeth-tiered sharks, and thy kidnapping cannibal ways. Let faith oust fact; let fancy oust memory; I look deep down and do believe.”

-Moby Dick, The Gilder (Ch. 114) - Herman Melville; October, 1850


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## spiritflys (Aug 6, 2012)

Wondrous words no more well spoken than that!

Please remember that by instinct a pigeon even when not feeling well or injured will try to "act normal" for self-preservation. You would not have had any way of knowing she was not well. They can be okay one minute, and fade away within a short time. I love the fact that she was where she wanted to be, right beside you and that would have given her great comfort.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Usually there are signs that one would notice if a bird is sick. They don't usually just die suddenly with no signs whatsoever.


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## spiritflys (Aug 6, 2012)

I am glad you have never experienced that, Jay. No sudden unexpected deaths for you. Bravo


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I didn't say it never happens. What I said was that although a bird will try to hide that they are sick, usually there are symptoms there. They don't normally just drop dead with no symptoms at all. Often times it isn't noticed.


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## RueBehavior (May 21, 2015)

Shade, I am so sorry for you loss. Your baby is in heaven, watching over you as your little angel. She will forever be with you. <3 Hang in there. :'( I am so sorry. She is forever missed. She was lucky to have you care for her, and to have you as her pet parent. Hang in there. :'(


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## K80theSHADE (Jun 14, 2013)

RueBehavior said:


> Shade, I am so sorry for you loss. Your baby is in heaven, watching over you as your little angel. She will forever be with you. <3 Hang in there. :'( I am so sorry. She is forever missed. She was lucky to have you care for her, and to have you as her pet parent. Hang in there. :'(


Thanks, Rue! There have been a few times over the last couple days where I see, just out of the corner of my eye, her neat little shape darting out of the little apartment I made for her in the living room, or I'll feel her nipping my toes like she used to.......Then I look with all my attention and she is gone.

But for that second.....On the one hand, I'd hate to think that with all the possibilities opened to her she would choose to remain here with me; but on the other I find it very touching that she would care for me that much, that she would leave off for now going exploring to be with me and provide some comfort and maybe seek some herself.

But just one thing: Lady Augusta Bracknell was no "pet" and she was not my child: she was my "wife."

Obviously, there was no conjugating; but aside from this detail she picked me and that was that: she was my spouse just as sure as I sit here.....lol.

Thank you for your kind words.


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## RueBehavior (May 21, 2015)

You're very welcome!  
Would it be okay to ask if you would be okay with sharing some more photos of her for us? 

I read the whole thread and the stories you told about her made me giggle. What a character, She was one of a kind. Thanks for being the person you are and having saved her and taken care of her. Most people would not have done that. She was very lucky to have you, and had an amazing life because of you. If it wasn't for you, she most likely would have died in the streets alone and in pain. But you... you didn't let that happen.. And at the end of it, she got to be with the love of her life and there is nothing better than that. She was such 
a beautiful bird. I don't know if you believe in soulmates (even pets and family can be them), but she was definitely one of yours. 

It is so adorable she picked you as her partner. 
I wish people realized how intelligent and caring pigeons are. It sucks that people dont.

I hope you hang in there. I know it's not easy. And we are all here for you. 

I hate death and I wish our babies never had to leave us. It isn't fair. Not at all. 

Play in peace Lady B, we miss you! <3 <3


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