bird rescues are rough

Some of you may remember a while ago, when I posted about watching a cat slowly kill a bluejay on my neighbor's porch.

Well, today we rescued a baby blue jay from the neighborhood cats.

He's really really young, verging on being in shock. Jon found him surrounded by 3 feral cats in a neighbor's driveway, and although he doesn't have any obvious injuries, he's staying pretty still. I suspect he just fledged and fell to the wrong spot.

We put him in the tree in our front yard, at first, but he didn't move, wasn't making a peep, and definitely wasn't out of reach of cats there. Since we have a second story deck/porch, we brought him up here and he's sitting on a wooden clothes rack right now.

Unfortunately, the sun is verging on setting. I hear some jays nearby, but no one seems to have sent out the search and rescue team for this little dude. Our past bird rescues never really helped much of anything, so I'm trying not to get my hopes up.

I mean, how could anyone resist trying to help a baby-face like this?:

Comments

[Jody]

It's sad isn't it..these damn f***ing cats roaming the neighbourhoods. I have a family of chipmunks that I feed and I have at least 4 cats hanging around to kill them. I go out and chase them away with my broom. One day I saw a cat hiding in the ditch and when a chippy ran across the road...out came the cat and killed it. I think I am a responsible cat owner because I keep both my cats inside!

[Deirdre]

Gosh, I hope he makes it! We spent much of last summer trying to rescue birds and bunnies from some wandering carnivores, and it was heartbreaking... good luck, little guy!

[Melanie]

Feed him some seed and some greens, give him some water. I hope he'll be ok. Poor buddy.

[Marcia]

Unfortunately, that's the nature of the Food Chain. We stopped feeding the birds because the feeder became Home Town Buffet for several hawks! (And what is wrong with people....spay and neuter, and keep your damn cat indoors!)

[Bethany]

From what I've heard, it's the highly domesticated cats that play with their "food." They aren't really very hungry, and they were never taught to hunt properly and make a quick, clean kill. My dad's cat was adopted very, very young, and she has backed down from a hamster. Doesn't have the least idea what to do with it.

[Sylvia]

Best of luck! Please post updates. Poor little baby...

[vanessa]

good luck little guy!
and yes, my cat stays inside.

[Lexi]

I have worked for a wildlife rehab center for several years. If you find a bird that is being attacked by cats, actually if you find it even in the general vacinity of a cat, take it to a rehabber! Cats have incredibly germy mouths and even when the bird/bunny/ anything looks okay they may have been bitten and snce cats normally puncture the skin they are not easy to see. The animal needs to be on antibiotics if it is going to survive and the people who are trained to do this kind of care have the ability to get these antibiotics. Plus it is not legal for anyone not licensed as a rehabber to keep these animals any longer than it takes to get them to someone licensed. I'll get off my soapbox now... but most people don't know what to do with injured baby wildlife, or any wildlife, and it breaks my heart to see someone walk in with an animal that I can't save.