Frustrated Bird Watching

[SilverBritish]

Hello everyone! New cat mom to a 1.5 yr old BSH mix. We rescued him 4 wks ago today and are still getting acquainted and learning his behaviors. He loves to sit at the window and watch the birds so we bought one of those suction cup bird feeders that attach right onto the window so he could have an even better view and hang with his bird friends.

However, he now seems obsessed with watching out the window for "prey" and attempting to bounce on the birdies outside. I'm worried he's getting overly excited/frustrated not being able to get to the birds and I'm definitely not comfortable letting him outside.

Curious if anyone else's cats have reacted this way and if it's just normal behavior. I love that he has his "cat tv" I just don't want his frustration to turn into some sort of behavioral problem down the road. Am I just being a helicopter cat mom?!

 

[tabbytom]

Hello everyone!...........

However, he now seems obsessed with watching out the window for "prey" and attempting to bounce on the birdies outside. I'm worried he's getting overly excited/frustrated not being able to get to the birds and I'm definitely not comfortable letting him outside.

Curious if anyone else's cats have reacted this way and if it's just normal behavior. I love that he has his "cat tv"

and welcome to TCS!

My boy too have his big tv and he watches birds and bugs all the time. He'll trill and chase the bugs and pounce on them when the bugs are at he window and when the birds come, he'll watch them and pretend to take cover so that the birds can't see him

I guess my boy enjoys it though he can't reach them and once the are gone, he'll just stay at that spot and rest. So I guess it's pretty ok as many members have cats at their windows looking out at birds and bugs.

 

[SilverBritish]

and welcome to TCS!

My boy too have his big tv and he watches birds and bugs all the time. He'll trill and chase the bugs and pounce on them when the bugs are at he window and when the birds come, he'll watch them and pretend to take cover so that the birds can't see him

I guess my boy enjoys it though he can't reach them and once the are gone, he'll just stay at that spot and rest. So I guess it's pretty ok as many members have cats at their windows looking out at birds and bugs.

Yes I'm sure I'm overthinking it as watching out the window seems to be a favorite pastime for most cats. I'm new to "normal" cat behaviors and am always trying to figure out his body language. Definitely noticed a shift in his behavior with the window feeder addition but as long as he's having fun I'm okay with it!

 

[tabbytom]

as long as he's having fun I'm okay with it!

Yea, it's better to let them watch from indoors than outdoors else every time they want to go out and you'll have your hands full.

 

[FeebysOwner]

If he continues to make you think he is getting frustrated, you could place a bird feeder a bit farther away from the window. He will still get the 'thrill' but might be more inclined to realize watching - not trying to catch - is the goal. Just a thought.

 

[susanm9006]

I think as long as he isn’t banging himself against the glass and risking hurting himself he is just fine pretending he has a chance to catch the birds. It is great entertainment for him.

 

[daftcat75]

Last summer I installed Krista's "cable TV". It only gets two channels. The bird channel and the squirrel channel. I didn't install the squirrel channel. It came bundled.

I hung a bird feeder. The seed that the birds drop attracts a rather ballsy squirrel who will come into the deck from under the fence to eat the dropped seed on the ground.

I don't know that I would have suctioned the bird feeder directly to the window. Perhaps putting more distance than a pane of glass between them might make it more of a spectator event and less frustrating. I can't imagine the birds are happy with that arrangement either. Maybe I'm misrepresenting this in my head....

 

[duncanmac]

What makes you think he's frustrated? My three will get laser-focused every once in a while on the bird feeder. If a chipmunk comes around, they go from window to window in the sun room chattering and "point" at him. It is funny and cute - their tails twitch and they are tensed up ready to spring. But I don't think they are upset - I can pet them and there's no redirected aggression afterwards.

 

[FeebysOwner]

D duncanmac , I tended to agree with SilverBritish about the frustration part because when I used to use a laser pointer with Feeby, she eventually got to the point where you could see she didn't enjoy it realizing she couldn't ever catch it. I no longer use it with her at all.

And, she actually had a bird feeder very close to her screened in patio and it seemed to drive her crazy that they were so close. So, now that the bird (and squirrel) feeders are a little bit of a distance away from the patio, she still loves to watch them but has come to understand since they are not right on top of her that she can't possibly catch them.

Maybe over time, that will the case for SilverBritish 's little guy; he will come to understand that he can't actually catch them but will still enjoy watching them, even up close!!

 

[SilverBritish]

D duncanmac , I tended to agree with SilverBritish about the frustration part because when I used to use a laser pointer with Feeby, she eventually got to the point where you could see she didn't enjoy it realizing she couldn't ever catch it. I no longer use it with her at all.

And, she actually had a bird feeder very close to her screened in patio and it seemed to drive her crazy that they were so close. So, now that the bird (and squirrel) feeders are a little bit of a distance away from the patio, she still loves to watch them but has come to understand since they are not right on top of her that she can't possibly catch them.

Maybe over time, that will the case for SilverBritish 's little guy; he will come to understand that he can't actually catch them but will still enjoy watching them, even up close!!

We did end up removing the window bird feeder and noticed an immediate improvement in his behavior. No more obsessive behavior.

He still enjoys lounging at the window and watching the feeder/bird house that's a little farther away but he's not constantly focused on what's going on out there.

 

[SilverBritish]

If he continues to make you think he is getting frustrated, you could place a bird feeder a bit farther away from the window. He will still get the 'thrill' but might be more inclined to realize watching - not trying to catch - is the goal. Just a thought.

Yes! We actually removed that one and now he just enjoys the ones farther away without charging at the window all the time and getting annoyed when he doesn't catch anything.

Simple solution thanks for your input!

 

[fionasmom]

Great....I was going to second those who said to move the feeder. I have fed birds and squirrels for years specifically because it is like TV for the cats, but the feeder or source of feed is probably not closer than 5 feet to the window. I have never had the extreme obsessiveness that you saw and you can't blame him....he probably thought he had a chance at catching something.

 

[SilverBritish]

What makes you think he's frustrated? My three will get laser-focused every once in a while on the bird feeder. If a chipmunk comes around, they go from window to window in the sun room chattering and "point" at him. It is funny and cute - their tails twitch and they are tensed up ready to spring. But I don't think they are upset - I can pet them and there's no redirected aggression afterwards.

It seemed like he was just because he was very distracted by the feeder (not wanting to play w his toys etc), charging at the window and seeming annoyed afterward and really amped up at the end of the day - which was odd for him. He's been lazy since the day we got him lol

But we're also new to this and still figuring him out but loving every minute of it! We ended up removing the window feeder and just having the ones a little farther away so he still gets to enjoy his bird watching without getting super stimulated.

 

[1 bruce 1]

If he continues to make you think he is getting frustrated, you could place a bird feeder a bit farther away from the window. He will still get the 'thrill' but might be more inclined to realize watching - not trying to catch - is the goal. Just a thought.

When I was a kid I remember being frustrated because our new kitten would only pounce on toys if I rolled them past her, and not if I rolled them away from her. Cats are good at knowing a rule of the wild that says don't strike unless you know you're within striking distance. This little kitten of mine knew that and would only pounce the toy is it was within distance she knew she could catch it. In their mind, bolting towards prey will send the prey running and they might not catch it.
I think moving the feeder away is a good idea for now if it's a concern.