Cats in a Bird Store??
The most frequently asked question we get in our Fox River Grove store is 'Why do we have cats in a bird store? Don't cats kill birds?'.
First let me introduce Don (above) and Phil to you. They are eleven year old brothers that are named after the Everly Brothers. They are big boys. Donnie is 12 pounds and Phil is 25 pounds. They live in the store 24 hours a day. They are literally our full time employees.
Before their arrival, we had a real mouse problem. There is a field behind our store and we sell seed. When you put that together, you get mice, lots of mice. So about eight years ago, Dave Johnson 'hired' Don and Phil to do their cat thing with our mice. As an added attraction, Phil chases and captures seed moths.
The boys have been doing a good job with the mice. They do this mostly at night. When hunting is good, they will leave Elsie and Kathy a present in the morning. I'm sure you get my drift. The bottom line is that we don't lose any of our seed to the mice. Great job guys.
During the day, the boys, like most cats sleep, and sleep, and sleep. Phil likes a lot of attention and you can usually find him holding down our counter. He adores belly rubs.
Cats are very good hunters and are responsible for high numbers of song bird deaths. Cats do not live long in the wild. A feral house cat can expect to only live three years. Cats that are cared for will live to the ripe old age of 20. I have a fifteen year old at home. Birds do not recognize cats as a threat. Even having a bell on a cat will not protect the birds. Keep your cats inside like Don and Phil and the cats and birds will live happily ever after.
By the way, rumor has it that Phil once took on a chihuahua and had him for lunch. It's only a rumor.
July, 2010
We're sorry to report that Don passed away in June 2010. We will all miss him.
Buddy the cat has found a new home at the Wild Bird Center. He is a young cat, only a year old when we got him in early July 2010. But he's a big boy, 20 pounds, all black with orange eyes. Buddy and Phil now get along very well. Phil has been showing him how to relax and enjoy all the people that visit our store. Like any young cat, Buddy likes to explore and play. He likes to try to escape to the outside. So far, he hasn't gone far but we appreciate the customers that watch for him at the front door. He has already captured a mouse and a large cricket for us. He will do well protecting the Wild Bird Center.