This is an odd story about a hummingbird that (seemingly) fell in love with our cat last summer.
And, if you are a hummingbird fan, also see:Do you know hummingbirds? Take the quiz and find out!
This started when I was looking after my daughter’s cats last summer. They are house cats but they do enjoy some bird watching. We have a screened patio so I would let them sit out there during the day.
I keep hummingbird feeders right by the screened window so I can enjoy the hummers while I’m working.
One day, while the cats were in front of the patio door, I noticed one hummer fly down from the feeder and hover by the ground in front of the door. It was as if she wanted to get a better look at Bobo (the cat on the right, below).
I’ve had hummers do this with me while I’m working in the garden. I don’t have any food to offer but one will occasionally come right up near my face and just hover there, as if to have a better look. Twice they’ve even landed on my hand. I thought perhaps this hummer was curious like that.
The next day I noticed the same hummer again hovering down by the door by the cats, and then she would go rest on a branch nearby, still looking at Bobo.
Eventually, Bobo jumped up on the windowsill, not really noticing the hummer nearby. It was nearly impossible to get both the hummingbird and Bobo in the photos with my phone camera, but I did get a few.
As soon as Bobo got on the windowsill, the hummer was excited, flying right over to the mesh screen to have a closer look. I circled the hummer here:
Again, Bobo displayed no hunting instincts. She’d look at the hummer for a moment and then continue daydreaming.
But the hummer just kept coming over. Bobo would hear the hum of the wings go by and look around trying to figure out if a big fly was nearby. (She catches flies.).
I think the hummer wanted a branch to land on right in front of the window so she could be with her new BFF. She was downright flirty.
Related: What to Buy for Cats (Beyond the Basics)
I’m familiar with territorial behavior with hummingbirds: when they dive down and chase each other (or other birds and bees) if there’s a perceived threat to food or a mate, but this was not like that. This hummer just seemed to want to be as close to Bobo as possible.
The windowsill is quite narrow, so, when Bobo would get uncomfortable and jump down, the hummer would return to the patio door to see if she was there. This went on for four days in a row until Bobo went home (I was cat-sitting). I felt bad breaking up the couple: although Bobo seemed to have no idea what was going on, the hummingbird seemed deeply smitten.
After Bobo was gone, the hummer kept checking for her several times a day for around a week. So sad!
Have you ever had a hummer act like this?
~Melissa the Empress of Dirt ♛
