It was not the first time that our cat brought a surprise with her. It wasn’t even the first time he had brought a live bird. Perhaps it was that he released it in the bedroom instead of the basement or living room (his usual places to release his prey).
I think what surprised me the most was the Size of the bird now flying in panic around my bedroom.
Over the years, with two house cats that we let outdoors for a couple of hours a day, we have had our share of rabbits, mice or other rodents and birds that have gotten into our home. Most of the time they are still alive, scared, but most of the time, unharmed. Cats that are sufficiently fed don’t hunt for food, they hunt for fun, so they don’t normally eat the animals/birds they catch. They usually bring them to humans as a gift or to show that they have caught something.
Being a healer, I know the importance of helping these animals and birds get over their shock before being released, as it is the shock that often kills them, not any injury they may have sustained.
So the bird that was currently flying around the room was just the newest bird that required my attention.
Unfortunately, that was also going to be a BIG problem. I was used to helping the little sparrows that frequented our backyard and neighbors’ bird feeders. This bird was much larger; in fact, he was a predator himself. He was a falcon.
I have to admit that my close interactions with the falcons have been lacking. I think the closest I ever got to one was when I was up in a tree watching a dead bird nearby. Still, the bird was much further away than the one now standing on my dresser and seemed like it would attack anyone or anything that moved.
Normally I would have let the bird calm down a bit before approaching it, but my cat had hurt it when I saw blood on the floor and walls where the hawk had flown. It was enough blood to suggest that waiting wasn’t a good idea if he wanted her to survive.
But there were those heels. And there was that sharp, pointed beak.
And those little eyes watched every move he made.
I closed the bedroom door to contain his escape and then grabbed a small blanket to cover him. It worked. The bird could not fly. I gave him leather gloves and sunglasses (for protection) and then lifted the bundle, being careful to hold it by the feet. With the help of my husband, I was able to examine the bird without harm to either of us. It had a small cut on its back and one of its wings was missing some larger feathers. Both wounds were bleeding.
Finding no other wounds of immediate concern, I gave the bird the homeopathic medicine. Aconitum napellus(“Aconite”) from shock. Aconite works very well to calm shock in both animals and humans. I have used it before on traumatized animals and birds, and when responding to car accidents.
When the remedy had calmed the bird, I cleaned the cuts and then gave the homeopathic medicine. Gunpowder to stop infections. I bandaged her wing so she wouldn’t move to transport her to the Wildlife Sanctuary. For rehabilitation, they would do a great job.
But alas, they were closed, so they took the falcon home and put it in the guest bathroom for the night – it was quiet and there was nothing for the falcon to hurt itself with if it wandered off. He looked MUCH better than before he was put on homeopathics.
The next morning the bird was fine, but he still wasn’t sure about the wing. I took the bandage off his wing and picked him up and let him fly, he didn’t do so well so I took him to the Sanctuary for more attention.
The falcon was probably the size of my cat and I wondered how it had jumped on it. Marin (my cat) had no injuries, which was surprising considering the falcon was a predator that preyed on cats. Perhaps, since the falcon was small, it was not a threat to Marin.
The falcon was released from the Wildlife Sanctuary a few days later. The rehabilitation assistant was surprised that the bird had not arrived at the Sanctuary in shock, did not develop an infection, and was able to be released so quickly. However, he did not surprise me because he knew the healing abilities of homeopathy.
I wondered what stories the falcon would tell other falcons, I even joked a little, thinking that the bird would probably tell a very dangerous and exciting story, telling of the great battle that had wounded it. If he had told the truth, that he had been captured by the cat, he probably would have been teased for quite some time.
