Outdoor cats kill between 1.4 billion and 3.7 billion birds a year, study says

[DesMephisto]

Save 28 birds, kill a cat.



Vet was doing her job. Saving the lives of many at the cost of one. Now we know the truth. #Hero

[Independent voter]

Around here, sometimes a coyote will get a cat.

[Powerogue]

We should definitely work to keep the feral cat population under control, but I am more than happy that my fat cat catches a bird here or there that otherwise would've harassed me day and night outside my window.

[IMG]http://www.conservenature.org/learn_about_wildlife/prairie/images/prairie_coyote_04.jpg[IMG]

Around here, sometimes a coyote will get a cat.

So we breed coyotes to catch the cats! I see no way this could backfire!

[Atrea]

I pretty much hate cat owners who think cats are outdoor pets. If you want to own a pet, then be responsible for it.

I came here to say this, basically.

Not only are you putting other animals at risk because of your choice, your own cat has a MUCH GREATER chance of being killed or hurt outside.

I would never let my cat outdoors for even a second; he's such an important part of our family, and I couldn't bare the thought of him getting lost or hurt out there.

[Aori]

Bird lives matter?

[Khadgar]

NYC sure could use some more cats.

[Hengwulf]

Our furry little heroes. Last line of defence between humanity and the bird menace.

[Karamaru]

Master Splinter is that you?

Anway most experts believe it should depend on where you live if you should let your cat out doors or indoor there are both pros and cons to both sides.

[Ethenil]

My two cats are indoor cats, but I take them out and walk around (and do a lot of sitting) for about an hour everyday. They want to catch those birds, but they never can xD

If one day they did, I doubt I'd let them harm it. Also, there's a rodent mammal around the area (I don't know what it is, really) but they don't hunt him, just look at it.

What they do kill is a few bugs but that doesn't bug me at all.

[cymraeg13]

Good on them I say

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=D15HPy4x73g

[Damajin]

Do you not understand that we have a responsibility because we keep them as PETS and so we already alter the cycle of life and the natural balance within ecosystems. Not to mention introducing them into places they were not native in the first place.

You just sound so ignorant.

We've been altering the cycle of life our entire civilized existence then, and yet the cycle continues almost as though it was fluid and adaptable enough to handle it and keep on trucking. But sure, go on with your overzealous proactive self that thinks we can fix the ecosystem 'somehow' and restore 'natural balance' which of course is impossible to measure.

If I were you I'd worry more about what all those wind turbines are doing to bird populations since that's something we can actually address, it's not like the lion's share of cats aren't spayed and neutered to begin with anyways so ya, look elsewhere if you want to be all save the ecosystems.

The problem with that is usually when prey is over hunted the predators will die off and the prey will repopulate. In this case the cats are being supported by humans so they won't die off and restore equilibrium.

I'd say between our relatively high kill shelters and all the Chinese restaurants we don't have to worry about anything like that.

[HumbleDuck]

I don't think my cat has killed any birds yet. When she is outside she just sits in the windowsill or out on the concrete steps to get some sun. There's also a tree she likes to sit in and watch everything.

My cat brings home at least 3 birds a week, so I guess it balances that out.
He actually learned to replicate bird sound to lure them, such fascinating animals they are.

[Fargus]

All he's doing here is putting the animal closer to the camera lens. They aren't that big.

And if they were, the cat will be the loser in a confrontation.

[Theodarzna]

I had a cat who was essentially a warrior princess huntress, she lived to kill anything that moved. But she was clever, she always left a breeding pair so more would hatch.

She would cull these partridges that would flock near my house and always leave a boy and girl one left to breed.

[Kaleredar]

"Predators hunt other animals". Holy shit those guys gonna win next nobel prize.

They're effectively an invasive species with an extremely detrimental impact on native wildlife and, usually, no natural predators.

[IIamaKing]

Okay, so why is this a problem?

House cats are not a native predator, they kill billions of food animals for other, native species. How can that NOT be a problem?


Oh and

Cats are responsible for helping drive 33 species of birds, mammals and reptiles to extinction on islands, including the Stephens Island wren in New Zealand in the late 1800s, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

[Evil Midnight Bomber]

Murderers.

You say Murderers. I say Unsung Heroes.

[Kaleredar]

I had a cat who was essentially a warrior princess huntress, she lived to kill anything that moved. But she was clever, she always left a breeding pair so more would hatch.

She would cull these partridges that would flock near my house and always leave a boy and girl one left to breed.

Did you take a statistical sampling of your cat's kills?


All of these people in this thread saying "well MY cat never killed many animals!" makes me wonder if they followed their cats around 24/7. If not, there's a great deal your probably don't know about the personal hunting habits of a nocturnal creature with a fairly large territory.

[sheggaro]

Cats are evil.

News to no one.

[Amunrasonther]

I'm more concerned about the millions of perfectly healthy cats and dogs we put down each year because we don't have mandatory statewide spay and neuter laws. Fix that problem, which fixes the feral cat problem, which then fixes the bird problem.