Budgie Bird

The article in this month’s Natural Pet section, on page 24, made me think of my budgie. When I was young, I decided that I really wanted a bird. There was only one problem: my mother was terrified of them, and so the answer to my plea was a resounding “no!”

Needless to say, I wasn’t happy with her response. And despite the fact that we already had dogs, cats and horses to keep me occupied, I set about changing her mind. It wasn’t easy, and to be honest, I can’t even remember how I managed this great feat—but eventually, I convinced her to let me have a budgie.

Tweet was a small bird with minimally scary qualities—at least in my mind. Not so much in my mother’s. I remember chasing her into the bathroom with Tweet one day, where she locked the door and made it very clear what my fate would be if Tweet and I weren’t gone by the time she came out. I thought it was pretty funny, but I sure as heck wasn’t anywhere to be seen with my bird when that door opened.

I had Tweet for a number of years, and he got used to everything—including the cats. They left him alone at first, but now and then, one would knock over his cage (which sat on the floor in my bedroom), and Tweet would just fly out of harm’s way. I tried to keep my door closed, but anyone who knows cats knows how incredibly determined they can be when they want something.

Looking back, it was my first lesson in doing what’s best for an animal, because in the end, we decided to rehome Tweet to my cousin, where I could visit him and he’d be in a much safer environment. It was a very hard thing for me to do, and although I’m sure my mother was thrilled to have a “birdless” home, she was decent enough to keep that to herself.