Have you ever tried to help a wild bird? Here is a sad little story. This morning, when I went into the garden to water plants before starting my writing schedule, a black cat scampered away as I approached the greenhouse.

Suddenly I caught sight of what the cat had been watching. A terrified dove-grey wood pigeon was sitting on the grit, which covered a resting African cyclamen, in a large clay pot. I knew from past experience that trapped birds panic, so I retreated and went round the outside.

But even then, the bird endangered its life by flapping wildly against the glass, until it realised fresh air was coming through the open doorway. Sensing freedom, it fluttered out and across the paving to the coldframe. It hopped in and flopped pathetically around the pots, looking for a place to hide.

The black cat wasted no time in coming across to the cold frame. I shooed it off. I like cats and appreciate that cats will be cats - I know of a farm cat that brings a mouse or a rabbit home every morning, as a gift for its owner. But the thought of the cat slowly torturing this poor dove was too horrible to contemplate.

The bird had crouched behind the Tulbagia ‘Silver Lace’. (I had had to take this attractive plant out of the greenhouse - due to the garlic aroma of the variegated leaves). With extreme care, to prevent damage to the fragile wings, the pigeon was picked up and put into a box.

What should be done with the pigeon? If I released it in the garden, the cat would almost certainly get it. I decided to phone the RSPCA National Helpline: 0870 5555 999. After a long wait, someone explained that they weren’t prepared to do anything about what might be a fledgling bird that can’t fly. "But it seems to be hurt," I pleaded.

"What is broken?" she asked. I said I hadn’t been able to make a full examination.

"If I ask someone to come and take the pigeon away, it will only be put to sleep," she replied. "And if it is a fledgling it will die anyway - if it is removed from where you found it."

"I haven’t said that the pigeon mustn’t die, only that I don’t want the cat to get it," I explained. You could try taking it to your local vet, she said, and helpfully gave me the address and phone number of the nearest vet.

There was an answering service, which announced that the hours were from 9 to 10.30am and 5 to 7pm, so I phoned the Emergency Animal Hospital, apologising profusely for the fact that I was enquiring on behalf of a wood pigeon.. The vet (or vet’s assistant) was amazingly helpful, considering how busy she must have been.

The Pigeon Rescue Service sounded just what I was looking for. But my hopes temporarily faded, when a woman on the other end of the line exclaimed: "Oh goodness! That was five years ago at least, this is a private house now." Then she added: "My husband used to run the service. He’s just going out. Wait a minute, I’ll ask him."

A kindly sounding man came to the phone. Who but a nice person could run a Pigeon Rescue Service? (I had fleeting visions of a pigeon ambulance and miniature pigeon-sized stretchers). He offered the following words of wisdom:

"After the traumatic experience with the cat and the greenhouse, the pigeon is probably suffering from shock", he said. "Put a cover over the box, to keep the light out". Leave the pigeon quietly to recover until evening, then place some bead and water in the box. It will get messy, but so what? Tomorrow morning it may have recovered. You will have to try a test flight. If the wing is broken take the pigeon to a vet, who will splint the wing. Then you will have to look after the bird for about six weeks while the wing mends, after which it can be released to the wild again..

Day 2: early in the morning. The pigeon stood on the edge of the box for a few moments, adjusting to the light then it flew very low - just above the grass. After standing still a while to regain strength, it flew back across the grass, gained height and disappeared into a conifer tree.