If you live near a canal that has ducks/swans in it, are cats vulnerable ?

Question

i.e sometimes a swan will get onto the bank and start cleaning its feathers or just doodle around, would a cat try to kill it if it saw it ? is the cat smart enough to back away incase it falls INTO the canal ?

have cats died this way ? falling into deep waters/ponds/lakes/rivers and canals in particular ?

or are they smart enough to know stuff like this ?

Answer 1

Birds as big as swans and ducks are usually fairly aggressive. My suspicion is that if your cat gets anywhere near them it will probably get chased away. After this happens a couple of times your cat won't go near them so you will have no worry about the canal.

Answer 2

Many moons ago I lived in a canal cottage, the border was only about a yard away from the canal tow path.

We also had a cat, a fat cat, very large.

It was free to roam anywhere it wanted, no road traffic, no neighbours for miles. It was a 'free range' cat.

It did kill some little birds, and a few lovely little field mice, not for food , she was very well fed.

It was just for sport, then she would bring these dead things to our back door and leave them there, a sort of present?

Ducks and swans? The fat cat would watch these all the time from under the hedge, she would wait for them to venture onto the tow path and settle , then sneak up on them, just to tease, they would go berserk and try to attack, big wings flapping about all over the place,but even fat cat was far too fast, they couldnt get near her.

Swimming? She was a great swimmer, I have seen her jump into the water swim towards a canal boat , jump aboard take a ride for a few yards then run back home along the tow path.

Ah those were the days!

We have two cats now, they are not allowed out, they are indoor cats, just not safe outside around here to let cats out.

Dont bworry babout bthe cat fallingninto the canal, a cat bcan get out of water a lot faster tha it gets in, if they dont want to be in the water they can do a fantastic high jump out.

Answer 3

Try buying a small harness and leash and taking her for a walk every day like you would a dog. Do not just use a collar, a cat can slip out very easily and make sure the harness is snug- you should just be able to slide two fingers under the chest and neck straps. Some cats love to walk on a harness, others go nuts, and still others fall over as if they were dead. If she will not walk on the leash, place the harness and leash on her and carry her in your arms. The leash can be tied to a belt loop and the harness gives you something to hang on to if a noise scares her and she tries to run. Cats can be extremely slippery when they really want ot get free. Cats do not trot along like a dog, they will mosey along and siff every leaf and sit staring for minutes, but this should help satisfy her curiosity about the outdoor world that she can see and smell through the door. Keeping cats inside the house is not cruel if you live in an area where they will be killed by traffic if they are allowed outside.

Answer 4

The bird is too big for the cat, and the swans do hiss, flap their wings and give lots of warning. The last result will have the swan, if pushed, to bite at the cat. It may hurt, but I don't think it wold kill a cat. Swans aren't aggressive unless they've got young or are sitting on a nest.



Ducks, on the other hand, may be prey for the cat. But they can knock a cat over with their wings if they do defend themselves.

Answer 5

I would say that the ducks and swans are to big for the cat to attack and kill. Cats are very good swimmers, believe it or not.

Answer 6

keep your cat indoors... but, yes, they're smart enough to back away when the swan defends itself...



http://www.harpsie.com/indoor_outdoor_cats.htm

Answer 7

cats are a threat to all birds, they kill because that is their nature, so i would try and keep them as separate as possible