A white cat lies on loose straw in a barn with three ducklings curled up against its side

October 15, 2026 Aaron Seminoff

Cat Nursing Ducklings: The 2013 Story From Offaly

A cat can care for ducklings. In May 2013, RTE Radio 1's Mooney Goes Wild and IrishCentral reported on a cat on a small farm in Clara, County Offaly, Ireland, that was caring for and feeding three ducklings.

Video: Cat Nurses Ducklings

The embedded video is titled "Cat nurses Ducklings" and was uploaded to YouTube by Andy Howard.

What IrishCentral and RTE Reported

IrishCentral's James O'Shea wrote on May 24, 2013 that a cat in County Offaly, about 70 miles from Dublin, had adopted three ducklings and was raising them as her own. He wrote that RTE Radio's Mooney Goes Wild show featured the cat, known as the White Cat, and that Ronan and Emma Lally, whose farm it is, feared the worst when she went missing with the three ducklings after they were born.

RTE's page for the show is dated May 23, 2013. In it, reporter Katriona McFadden visits Clara in County Offaly, where Ronan and Emma Lally live on a small farm. RTE says the couple discovered that their cat was caring for some ducklings and was also feeding them. A follow-up page dated June 6, 2013 uses the word breastfeeding for what the cat was doing, and says the show caught up with Ronan Lally.

Emma Lally told the show that the couple got duck eggs from a local lady and put them under a broody hen, and that three of the ducklings survived. Then the ducklings disappeared, and Ronan blamed the cat. IrishCentral says that later she was seen with one of the ducklings in her mouth, bringing it to her litter, and that she has raised them since, along with her own kittens. It also says cats and ducks are usually enemies in the animal kingdom, and that the animal experts interviewed could not believe what they saw.

What Researchers Say About Cats and Wildlife

In a 2013 systematic review in Nature Communications, Loss, Will, and Marra estimated how many animals cats kill in the United States. They put the yearly toll of free-ranging domestic cats at 1.3 to 4.0 billion birds and 6.3 to 22.3 billion mammals. The paper counts wildlife deaths. It does not measure temperament, so it says nothing on whether cats are naturally aggressive.

A 2021 review in Biological Reviews, by Gokcekus, Cole, Sheldon, and Firth, looks at cooperation among wild animal populations. The review covers why animals help others, including animals they are not related to, and how that helping starts and spreads through a group. It is about wild animals in general, not about cats, and it is a wider topic than strong family bonds.

What International Cat Care Says About Cats and Hunting

International Cat Care calls the domestic cat a predatory species that hunts for its food. Cats are obligate carnivores, so they need meat to survive, and their prey is most commonly small mammals and birds. The charity says little selective breeding has been done on cats, so their instinctive need to hunt remains strong.

It says a cat with no supplementary food from a caregiver can make as many as 10 to 20 kills a day, and estimates a cat has a less than 50% chance of success at each hunting attempt.

Hunting is only partly about hunger, according to International Cat Care. A cat that has eaten well may still hunt, but it does not necessarily kill or eat what it catches, and may bring it home and leave it there. The charity puts the average well-fed pet cat at around 3 hours of hunting a day, and a feral cat that is not being fed at around 12 hours.

International Cat Care also explains why cats play with prey they have caught. It says this toying is brought about by the conflict between needing to kill the prey and fear of being injured by it. If the cat does it after the prey is dead, the charity says, the cat may simply not be hungry enough to eat. Read more about cats chattering at birds.

Cats Around Ducklings and Other Birds

VCA's page on household hazards for pet birds lists cats, dogs, ferrets, snakes, and lizards as a potential danger to a bird. It says "These animals have a natural hunting instinct, and your bird may become the victim. Never leave these animals alone together unattended."

Read more about other unusual animal friends.

How To Care For Ducklings

Five yellow ducklings spread out on wood shavings in a clear plastic tub, with a heat lamp clamped to the rim, a bowl of crumbled feed on a sheet of brown paper, and a bottle-style waterer with a small red cup

The University of Missouri Extension guide to brooding and rearing ducklings and goslings says both can be brooded by a broody chicken hen or by most breeds of ducks and geese. Young birds that the broody female did not hatch are placed under her at night.

For small groups, the guide recommends an infrared heat lamp brooder, with one 250-watt lamp for every 30 ducklings. It says a start near 90 degrees, measured at the edge of the hover, is about right. It lowers that by about 5 to 10 degrees each week until 70 degrees is reached. The guide says the behavior of the young birds is a better guide than a thermometer: when the brooder is too hot, the birds crowd away from the heat. It also says heat usually is not required after the fifth or sixth week.

For the floor, the guide allows about 1-1/2 square feet per bird, covered with about four inches of absorbent litter. It says dampness is apt to be more of a problem with ducklings and goslings than with baby chicks, so wet spots are removed and dry litter is added often.

Ducklings and goslings are ready for feed and water when they arrive, per the guide. It names crumbilized chick or poult starter for the first week to 10 days, and says to place feed on rough paper or cup flats for the first few days. Smooth-surfaced lids or paper used as feeders lead to leg damage, it says. After that, the guide names a pelleted grower ration plus cracked corn, wheat, milo, oats, or other grain, with feed kept in front of the birds at all times and insoluble grit provided. The feed should contain only additives approved for ducks and geese.

There are many benefits to adopting a pet. Show some appreciation for this furry species by checking out our cat lover shirts.

FAQ

Is it safe to have both ducklings and cats as pets?

Not unattended. VCA says cats have a natural hunting instinct and that a bird may become the victim, so it says never to leave them alone together unattended. VCA's page covers pet birds. International Cat Care adds that a cat's instinctive need to hunt remains strong.

How do I keep my cat from hunting small animals?

International Cat Care lists welfare-friendly ways to reduce a cat's hunting: a complete cat food the cat enjoys, small frequent meals through the day and night, more variety in the food, and more play. It says short, frequent play sessions most closely resemble a cat's natural predatory pattern, and that toys which look and feel like natural prey give the cat another outlet for predatory behaviour. It also suggests keeping a cat in at dawn and dusk, when prey species are most active, with any change to the routine made slowly. It says that trying to stop hunting altogether could potentially compromise a cat's welfare, and that giving a cat more food will not reduce its desire to hunt. An escape-proof outdoor area is another option for a cat that goes outside.

Do ducklings need water to swim?

No, not in the brooder. The University of Missouri Extension says water for swimming is not necessary, and that plenty of drinking water should be available at all times in waterers the birds cannot get into and splash.

Sources

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