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An elderly man in red flannel holds birdseed by a wooden feeder full of sparrows while a Ragdoll cat sits calmly below. 15 / 25

A Feeder Full of Sparrows and a Cat Sitting Right Below It. Here's How Pudding Handled It.

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The sparrows have gathered at the wooden feeder for their afternoon meal, crowding the little ledge and picking through seed. Grandpa Harold stands beside it in his red plaid flannel, holding a palm full of birdseed and smiling with quiet satisfaction. Down on the deck boards, Pudding sits perfectly still, her paws tucked neatly together, fluffy tail stretched out behind her. She's not even looking at the birds; her blue eyes are gazing straight ahead with the serene look of a cat who has decided this is beneath her notice. Scattered seed, potted plants, a watering can, and garden odds and ends surround them.

Watching birds from a window can be wonderful enrichment for a cat, but cats and wild birds don't mix well outdoors. Even well-fed, gentle cats may hunt, and outdoor cats are a significant threat to songbird populations. If you feed birds and have a cat, a few steps help: keep your cat indoors or supervised on a harness, hang feeders high and away from shrubs where a cat could hide, and clean up spilled seed that draws birds to the ground. For indoor cats, a window perch facing a feeder can provide hours of safe entertainment, often called cat television.

Pudding seems to have reached a peaceful agreement with the neighborhood sparrows, or at least she's doing an excellent impression of indifference. Harold gets his birds, Pudding gets her sunshine, and everyone keeps their feathers.

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