via Blue Ridge Wildlife Center
This nestling Killdeer was rescued after the finder witnessed a cat chasing this baby into a sewer drain, where both the cat and the killdeer became trapped. Thankfully, this finder was able to rescue this youngster from the drain and bring them in for us to evaluate them.
Unfortunately, it was evident this baby had been caught by the cat at one point, as our team found multiple punctures. We immediately started this baby on antibiotics and pain medications and got an incubator set up to allow this bird to finally rest after an extremely traumatic and stressful day.
While this killdeer was harmed by this cat, it’s possible the cat could be harmed by this killdeer. These birds are considered a high-risk species for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, and while we often see a lower incidence of this virus in the warmer months, we have received several positives throughout the year and know it’s here in our area. Domestic cats have been documented several times to be susceptible to contracting this virus, primarily through exposure to wild birds and infected dairy cows, resulting in severe illness and often death. There has even been documented evidence of a person contracting avian influenza directly from an infected cat, making indoor-outdoor cats a risk of disease transmission to their human families, and free-roaming cats a risk to spreading it through the environment.
Keeping your cats indoors or contained on a leash or in a catio doesn’t just keep wildlife like this baby killdeer safe, but it also keeps your cats safe (and vet bills lower!). This baby could’ve been raised happily with their parents, but now the odds are stacked against them, as cat attacks carry a low success rate for release, even with treatment. However, we’re giving this kid a chance to recover, and hopefully make it back out to the wild.
