‘This was a very stressful Disney princess experience’: Bird-loving queen saves befuddled bird from a roaming stray

Everyone knows that if they started their day with a nice, quiet morning stroll, they’d be much happier. Ignoring the seductive pull of social media scrolling and not answering work emails for at least an hour after waking up is usually a better idea than starting the day on a stressful note. Most would probably say they don’t have time to go for a walk around the neighborhood on a typical weekday. But one TikTok user’s equally lovely, unnerving, and surprising experience might change more than a few people’s minds.

TikTok user @kietena came across a darling little bird on her walk… but the script flipped from sweet rom-com to brutal horror movie when she saw a cat strolling around like they have all the time in the world (which, you know, they do). Julia saved the day and picked up the bird, making sure that the cat got nowhere near them. As is clear from the video, it was super close, though!

If this reminds anyone of Cinderella’s love for birds (now she has figured out a peaceful morning routine), others agreed. One user commented, “This was a very stressful Disney Princess experience.” Others were concerned because they identified the bird. As one user wrote, “JUST CASUALLY FLIPPING OVER AND PICKING UP AN AMERICAN KESTREL????” Another said that while Kestrels are scary, “i agree tho they are the cutest birds of prey ever.”

Well, in typical Disney movie fashion, the story just got scary… and quick. According to All About Birds, American Kestrels are “predators.” So, while Julia was helping the bird survive the waiting cat’s eager eye, the bird could have hurt her. However, since the kestrel was hurt themselves, it was sweet of Julia to help them out. There are some ways to tell that a bird is ill or hurt. When a bird is healthy, it’s going to fly when it spots a human, so if it stays put, as this one did, that’s usually a sign it’s not doing well. The bird might also have trouble standing, trouble breathing, or closed eyes.

Julia’s discovery of a kestrel was fairly rare because, as The Montreal Gazette reported, the North American Breeding Bird Survey found that from 1996 to 2015, there were 50% fewer kestrels. McGill professor emeritus of wildlife biology David Bird told the publication, “It’s like a big black hole — we have no idea why they’re declining.” Cornell Lab notes that close to 3 billion types of birds have disappeared, a tragic situation that began in 1970.

If you want to make your mornings brighter (without the whole kestrel being chased by a stray cat part), getting a pet bird might be a good idea. There are some kinds of birds that are better pets than others, including doves and canaries. Of course, this is only a good idea if you don’t already have a sweet cat.

If there’s any kind of lesson to take from this TikTok, it’s that birds and cats don’t mix, and no one wants to witness what could happen if they get too close to each other. And if your partner or roommate isn’t on board with a pet bird, maybe take inspiration from Julia and go for more morning walks. You never know, you could also become a hero and save a bird’s life… and it’s a way to cut down stress, too.