Damn cat

[thermidorthelobster]

I've just done a high-speed (legal) run to the vet's with a pigeon that the cat mauled, little sod.  They took one look at it and put it to sleep, which was sort of what I was expecting.

So, can anybody come up with a humane way to kill a dying bird, so if it happens again I can spare it the stressful trip to the vet?

I could have just rung it's neck, but it's actually quite unpleasant to do that if you're not used to it.  Running it over with the Discovery was an option, but there's scope for that to go horribly wrong.

Any suggestions?  Humane ones only please!

[strapping young lad]

i dont think that there is any way humane to do it other than snap its neck..

unless you have a hatchett handy

not joking either...

but if its the conscience tugging you then a vet trip is your only option.

what if the bird was fine and you killed it ;)

[blade]

let the cat finish its job then neck the cat no more dead birds easy

[thumbs]

hit square on with a shoval, will be dead instantly!

point a shotgun at it, their wont be any bird left  :D  not the most humane way but will defo do the job!

[dew1911]

let the cat finish its job then neck the cat no more dead birds easy

 =D>  =D>  =D> Very well said that man! :lol:

[skip]

failing that a wheel brace over the back of the head should do it. it's a bit more up close and personal, hi risk of blood spatter

[Wanderer]

Running it over with the 101 might do the trick.

Ed

[strapping young lad]

you said the trip to the vet would be stressful

think of the situation faced by the bird when a feline comes running up and has a bash at it


thing is what the hell was the pigeon doing somewhere near the cat?

it has wings!

fly off somewhere that the cat cannot get to...

like another tree ;)

[att]

I always let my cat finish the job, it is nature and I am only a Human, who am I to interfere in such things that I do not really understand.

[thermidorthelobster]

Trouble is, cat doesn't do a nice clean job, and then it sods off in the middle of it.  The cat's only doing what cats do, but I won't be getting another one!

[tomarse]

I always let the cat finish them off too. If the victim is obviously still intact I might chase the cat off, but they are usually too far gone by the time i see them.

It's only the natural order of things. I like to think that the cat only catches the stupid/slow mice/birds/rabbits and in that way is doing its part to improve the quality of the animal stock over time! :)

[Sheddy]

Wringing a birds neck is an artform.  Do it wrong and you'll end up with either a live bird with a sprained neck or the head in one hand andthe body inthe other.

Stamp on its head if in doubt.

[hrh_dave]

From a harvesters point of view a quick sturdy blow to the back of the head with a large stick like a walking stick will dispatch a bird as it wringing a birds neck is not as easy as it sounds.

[sleeplessparadise]

We saw a pigeon die in our garden the other day....... was awful ....... and before you ask why we didnt stop it by the time we knew what was happening it was too late........ it wasnt being eaten by a pet of ours or anything....... it was a kestrel that had brought it down in our garden :( All that was left were a few feathers when it was all over!

[SixPot]

it was a kestrel that had brought it down in our garden

A most impressive sight if you are lucky enough to see it.

whatever method you choose to send the bird to its maker make it quick as possible. I go for pulling the neck but have done it since I was a nipper.

Was a woody? they make a lovely lunch pan fried breast mixed with green salad drizzled with a honey and balsamic dressing mmmmmmmmm.   :(contented):

[tomarse]

it was a kestrel that had brought it down in our garden

A most impressive sight if you are lucky enough to see it.

I watched a hawk bring down a smaller bird the other day too. It is quite impressive. The hawk took a lot longer over it than the cat does!

With the hawk it spent a good few minutes sortof stomping on and rolling the little bird on the floor before it could eat it. The cat just dispatches them quickly and then spends time playing with the corpse.

[TDi90]

we go shooting a lot, the best way is to grab its head, and pull , but not right off!! just enough to snap it...

sorted.

[bobtail4x4]

hold the head between finger and thumb, flick the bird over the back of your hand and stop, the impetus will break its neck.

you could always do what I have seen royalty do, bite the birds skull to kill it, really. :roll:

[thermidorthelobster]

it was a kestrel that had brought it down in our garden

Hmmm.... do you reckon your kestrel could be tempted by a 5KG cat?

[hrh_dave]

possibly as they will take rabbits quiet happily. dont see why they wont take a cat....

Disco got a woody on the way home at lunchtime yesterday luckily no damage done  but the pigeon Im afraid didnt make it....


Dave

[johnpirate]

There is a humane small bird killing tool thats sold through some of the Shooting mags .When I find a copy I will post the companies name.

[Moneypit]

Slightly off topic, but on the same theme.

I seem to recall that the reason a cat will not kill cleanly, but brings the prey into the house or to you, is because they never see you hunting and so are trying to teach you as they would a kitten!

[smog]

I have 2 cats both male, one if he were human would wear a pink dress and frequent bars where there is only a male toilets, the other is like a night club bouncer.

One beats em up the other eats em, funnily enough though one is a 'birder' the other a 'mouser' (made up words but you know what i mean.

To be honest we have had a number of half dead animals of all sorts including a squirrel, crow, pigeon and a whole load of little birds that have been dispatched with, using a hammer.

[clbarclay]

My choice of humane bird killing involves stunning electrically followed by a knife through the neck to bleed them...

Not worth doing to something your not going to eat though, plus you need a licence to humanely kill in this way.



At home we tend to leave the cats too it, they get a bit of food to keep them around, but there not pets and do a fantastic job of rodent control.