Cat likes to sleep in resident bird's cage

This ginger tabby-and-white domestic cat likes to sleep in the birdcage. But this is not an empty, redundant birdcage but one with a resident bird. This family has what looks like a parrot as well as their domestic cat. The owner of the two, Tracey Robinson, cannot understand why her cat prefers to sleep in the birdcage and not somewhere else.

I think she is saying that they are friends which has to be the case. In the photograph you can see the bird looking at their cat friend snoozing and wondering what to do next! He's probably a bit miffed because he has lost his home. I'm going to guess and say that this cat likes the smell of the cage because it is the smell of his friend, the bird.

Cat likes to sleep in the bird cage occupied by a bird.
Photo: Tracey Robinson

There is one interesting comment on the Facebook page of Tracey Robinson where this photograph comes from which states that cat saliva is toxic to birds. They say that it is possibly fatal even if the cat just snapped once. I think they mean that if the cat just snapped up the bird and a bit of saliva was ejected from their mouth onto the bird it may kill the bird. I have never heard of that but it is an interesting thought.

A quick Internet search confirms this. On the Bird Conservancy website they say that the bacteria in cat saliva is toxic to birds. However, what they are referring to is a bite by the cat which if it doesn't kill the cat the saliva might. This therefore is no different to many other animals. Cat saliva can be injected into people's legs and hands causing a severe infection if it is left unattended.

Cat bite signs of infection. Image: MikB.

The key element of this aspect of cat caretaking is that if you are bitten by a cat and it breaks the skin causing a genuine minor injury then you must watch for a possible infection. I have a page on that and the photograph below is self explanatory.