[Tomachicknhawk]

Hi everyone! So, I've had my tiel about 4 months now. He was about 6 months when I got him. He's well behaved for the most part! I taught him the step up, and a few tunes! However....

He shows an unbelievable interest in my cat! My cat is very docile and will NOT go after the bird in any way.
When he sees the cat while in his cage, he screeches! When he's out of the cage and the cat is nearby, he's constantly chasing her and wanting to land on her!
This is really frustrating because it seems like he has more interest in the cat than me!!

Any ideas why he's doing this behavior and what to do about it?? Thanks!!

 

[Nightbeat1001]

Try using treats while the cat is near him or his cage. Make the treats more interesting than the cat. What I did to make my dog less interested in chasing my bird (and to make the bird less scared) was to feed the dog and bird treats at the same time and sometimes even giving leftover birdy crumbs to the dog. If I were in your position I would start by bringing the cat close to the cage (about 3-4 feet away Not touching the cage but close enough to reach both animals), offer a treat to your bird AND offer a treat to the cat (offering both animals a treat is very important). After a while(and this could take quite a while) if the bird becomes less interested in the cat bring the cat closer. As the bird become less sensitive to the cats' presence you continues bring the cat closer to the cage. Eventually once bird ignores the cat while in the cage the process will have to go to outside the cage.
The goal is for you to get the bird to see the cat as just another flock member.
Clicker training for the cat and bird may also be beneficial. This will Make the brain think about something else other than what scares the bird.