Also last night around 11 pm I almost stepped on a baby bird while lumbering down the steep outside back steps to the garage. Turns out the neighbor cat, Olive Kitten, attacked it. Our neighbors found it on their kitchen floor, locked the cat inside, and returned the bird outside.

M and I put it in a box and brought it inside, unsure of what to do with it. We figured at the very least we'd just hope it regained its strength and then would be able to fly away in the morning. But then I thought, 'What if it has wounds or broken bones and won't be okay tomorrow?'

I called SF Animal Care & Control's emergency line. They told me they'd come pick it up tonight. I was in disbelief. Tonight? Really? Yes, they said, just put it in a box in front of the house and they'd come pick it up. I couldn't believe the ease! So we assured Baby Birdie that he would be okay, draped an old washcloth around his shoulders for warmth, and sprinkled birdseed around in case he got hungry and set him on the doorstep. This morning he was gone so I knew he had been picked up.

I called Animal Care & Control to check up today. They said Baby Birdie was transferred to the Peninsula Humane Society in San Mateo early this morning so I called them and had a nice chat with one of the care providers. She told me that three baby birds had arrived from Animal Care and Control today: a woodpecker, a house sparrow, and a towhee. I said it definitely wasn't the woodpecker but wasn't sure about the other two.

She told me that neither bird had broken bones or else they would have been euthanized due to their young age. She said she hadn't seen either bird personally yet so she couldn't give me specific information. She did warn me that if the bird had puncture wounds from Olive Kitten's teeth, the bird could develop a bacterial infection and require antibiotics. She said that they wouldn't know if the bird would survive or not for another couple weeks. I told her I'd call again on Monday.

Bad Olive Kitten! Bad!