Our cat has been trained to not attack the magpies and in turn the magpies take no notice of him. The birds and the cat will walk around together quite happily.
Some days there are only five or six magpies and other days up to twelve or thirteen. Maybe they have breakfast somewhere else on those days. It’s a reliable breakfast at our place, seven days a week.
The cat and the birds seem to have developed a mutual respect (even if they don’t know that is what they have done).
Cats can be trained to not attack birds. In this case it is a particular species, The Magpie. That may also work well for you if you have birds as pets in addition to cats.
The key to success, especially in the beginning is getting a reward for good behavior.
The Cat And The Magpies
Every morning when the magpies start caroling, a series of actions occur in our household.
The cat hears the magpies singing and knows that food for him is not far away. The cat, being highly motivated by food, is then keen to go into the front garden.
He knows that he will receive some tidbits of food at the same time the birds are being fed. The food is fresh and protein based so entirely suitable for the cat.
As the cat has become older and is displaying different habits he will become very animated, meowing very loudly, if the routine is delayed in any way.
The magpie whisperer, whistles for the magpies. The magpies recognize the whistle and literally appear out of nowhere, swooping down the street until they reach the front of the house.
Actually, since this was first written, the magpies have us pretty well sussed out.
I just have to go near a window and the birds appear.
They are fed but not much and it is magpie friendly food, raw ground beef.
Also added is a particular mix (not an affiliate link) made for insectivorous and carnivorous birds, that ensure the magpies get the minerals they need.
Frequently, a couple of magpies will be right at the front door looking through the screen door. They would happily trot right right into the house.
What do you do if your cat hates car rides. it can be a very big problem and stressful for all involved. It can be overcome. You guessed it, patience is needed but it can be done.
How Was The Cat Trained To Not Attack The Birds?
From a young age the cat was instructed to sit, at the same time as being encouraged into a sitting position.
When he did this he was rewarded with something to eat and then the magpies were given food and so they took turns.
It really was a matter of always keeping the cat close, firmly insisting that he “sat” and then rewarding him with food.
You do need to be quite regimented with the cat in the beginning, as is required when training any animal to behave in a certain way.
These days, the cat is fed at the same time as the magpies, he doesn’t need to ‘sit’ and there is never even the slightest chance that he will attack the birds and conversely the birds take no notice of him either. His motivation is being fed.
They wander around together. This is despite that fact that there have been many different magpies over the years.
Where Do The Birds Come From?
The birds are Magpies. Magpies do have a reputation for swooping during nesting season. It can be frightening to have a magpie swoop as they are fast and deadly accurate, usually aiming for the head. The magpies are just protecting their nest as swooping only happens in Spring. As magpies are throughout suburbia it is a common problem,
However, for the rest of the year, magpies don’t swoop at all. Most of the population would probably not have experienced a swooping magpie but may have heard stories from those who have been swooped.
This can then cause magpie madness. Common sense and education of the general public is the best way to deal with this situation.
Magpies are territorial and in the video, the reason everyone walks down the street, is because there is another group of magpies further down the street holding the fort in their territory.
The magpie has a beautiful song which is usually referred to as carolling.
Have you noticed that two cats together will often start grooming or licking each other? One cat is usually dominant. This is not always obvious until you have a closer look. It is called allogrooming.
The Cat Is Outside
Many cats are indoor cats. Some may have an enclosed run to allow them to enjoy being outdoors.
Our cat is now old and can’t go too far so he enjoys being able to roam around the backyard which is entirely enclosed so he cannot get out.
The forays into the front yard are strictly supervised and the cat even has his own extension on the front verandah which he enjoys depending on the weather.
Mostly he is asleep somewhere comfortable inside the house.
Cats Can Be Trained
Cats can be trained not to attack birds but it does take persistence. This may not work if the cat wasn’t being fed at the same time as the magpies.
The cat and the magpies have both politely adapted to waiting their turn.
