The Problem of Housecats Preying on Song Birds
Cats are natural predators.
Even well-fed cats will hunt–and the housecat has the advantage of having a safe haven indoors much of the time.
About 40% of US households have cats and an estimated 65% of those cats go outdoors.
Some studies suggest 20% of the prey killed by housecats are birds. One study put the number of birds killed per cat as about 16 per year. These numbers really add up.
The estimated number of birds killed by domestic cats in the US is in the many millions. That’s too many birds.
It’s a serious problem that has the attention of bird conservationists and veterinarians as well as bird-loving cat owners.
You may like Natalie Angier’s Sept. 29 NY Times article: Give the Birds a Break, Lock up You Cat
Please try to reduce your cat’s bird-hunting success. You may want to keep your cat indoors 24/7.
However, at BIrdsbesafe Cat Collars, we recognize that the largest percentage of cats will still go outdoors because their owners prefer it.
Some cat owners may want their cats to live an outdoor lifestyle or come and go through a “cat door” so that the cats are independent when the owners are away from the house. Perhaps some owners don’t like litter boxes.
With Birdsbesafe Cat Collar, the owners of outdoor cats can reduce or eliminate their cats preying on songbirds.
The best solution for protecting all wildlife from your cat is to keep your cat indoors, as promoted by the American Bird Conservancy “Cats Indoors” program.
If you won’t do that, please try Birdsbesafe Cat Collar to protect birds from your cat. You can protect a large percentage of the birds from your cat.
Please keep your cat indoors during the time when fledglings are leaving the nest, but yet unable to fly. (Late August in my area of Vermont. Ask a birder in your area when that is.) If the birds can’t fly away, Birdsbesafe Cat Collar won’t help.
Another set of tips for protecting birds that feed at a feeder from cats can be found at Birdwatcher’s Digest (answer to question 4) here. Birdsbesafe Cat Collar might be added to this list! If your neighbor’s cat comes to your feeder, try to tell them about www.birdsbesafe.com. Most cat owners like birds, too.
Thank you.
Cats are natural predators.
Even well-fed cats will hunt–and the housecat has the advantage of having a safe haven indoors much of the time.
About 40% of US households have cats and an estimated 65% of those cats go outdoors.
Some studies suggest 20% of the prey killed by housecats are birds. One study put the number of birds killed per cat as about 16 per year. These numbers really add up.
The estimated number of birds killed by domestic cats in the US is in the many millions. That’s too many birds.
It’s a serious problem that has the attention of bird conservationists and veterinarians as well as bird-loving cat owners.
You may like Natalie Angier’s Sept. 29 NY Times article: Give the Birds a Break, Lock up You Cat
Please try to reduce your cat’s bird-hunting success. You may want to keep your cat indoors 24/7.
However, at BIrdsbesafe Cat Collars, we recognize that the largest percentage of cats will still go outdoors because their owners prefer it.
Some cat owners may want their cats to live an outdoor lifestyle or come and go through a “cat door” so that the cats are independent when the owners are away from the house. Perhaps some owners don’t like litter boxes.
With Birdsbesafe Cat Collar, the owners of outdoor cats can reduce or eliminate their cats preying on songbirds.
The best solution for protecting all wildlife from your cat is to keep your cat indoors, as promoted by the American Bird Conservancy “Cats Indoors” program.
If you won’t do that, please try Birdsbesafe Cat Collar to protect birds from your cat. You can protect a large percentage of the birds from your cat.
Please keep your cat indoors during the time when fledglings are leaving the nest, but yet unable to fly. (Late August in my area of Vermont. Ask a birder in your area when that is.) If the birds can’t fly away, Birdsbesafe Cat Collar won’t help.
Another set of tips for protecting birds that feed at a feeder from cats can be found at Birdwatcher’s Digest (answer to question 4) here. Birdsbesafe Cat Collar might be added to this list! If your neighbor’s cat comes to your feeder, try to tell them about www.birdsbesafe.com. Most cat owners like birds, too.
Thank you.