
Moey
While we cat owners like to think of our cats as warm, cuddly lap-sitters, the fact remains that cats are natural born killers. Inside that cute exterior is a very skilled hunter. In fact, cats are famous for their mousing abilities. However, mice aren’t their only victims. Any small creature is fair game to a cat, and that includes birds.
Cats are not a natural part of the North American ecosystem. They arrived with humans, and have been wreaking havoc on the bird population ever since. This might not have been too much of a problem when the cat population was small, but those days are long gone. Today, there are an estimated at 75 million cats in the United States alone. Studies of cat poop (ewwww!) have shown that the average cat kills and eats at least one bird a week. That includes cats whose owners have never seen their cat with a bird and are convinced that their pet doesn’t hunt. The instinct to hunt is strong. The fact that the cat is well-fed will not prevent it from hunting. Wearing a bell will not prevent these crafty hunters from successfully catching prey.

Capone
If you do the math, you will see that the toll cats inflict on the bird population is astronomical. Six hundred cats will kill 600 birds a week. Over a 10 week breeding period, those 600 cats will kill 6000 birds. Those figures are for house cats. Consider that half the cat population consists of free-roaming, homeless cats hunting for their livelihood. Cats kill millions and millions of songbirds every year. You can read more about cats and birds at the American Bird Conservancy site. Cat lovers and bird conservators agree. Cats belong indoors. The Great Outdoors is no place for a cat! For more on indoor cats, see Every Cat an Indoor Cat: Part One.

Arthur
I can picture Capone as a deadly hunter from that picture – Moey just looks confused, but of course I’ve seen the way she gets with mice, like a different creature. I like the pic of Arthur.
http://books.google.ca/books?id=1oTO5B9a0OUC&pg=PT32&lpg=PT32&dq=painted+cats+where+have+all+the+birdies+gone&source=bl&ots=_WvKeUwFpE&sig=6977nh47AoKr_StCvU6O0pp1gEw&hl=en&ei=JqfYSrCyLZWKMs_f7OQH&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBEQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=painted%20cats%20where%20have%20all%20the%20birdies%20gone&f=false
Sorry for the long link. Apparently this cat catches 80% fewer birds… seems easier to just keep them inside.
I tend to play up the average lifespan of outdoor vs indoor cats when appealing to owners to keep cats indoors – <5 vs 15+. I figure that a lot of cat owners really don't give a darn about wildlife one way or the other, but probably at least care about their cat (of course, there are some that don't really care enough there, either…).
Interesting link, Fiddlegirl. Deter birds from vineyards… or, you know, just eat them.
You’re so right, but i’m amazed how many of my neighbors are oblivious to this. Life outdoors is not “natural,” as some say, and far too dangerous, IMO.
Interesting, Fiddlegirl, but definitely easier to keep them in!
It’s funny how fierce Capone looks. Thus his name, but he’s really such a sweetie.
You’re right, Seab, I should have mentioned lifespan. I think it is closer to 3 and 15.
Attitudes towards cats are very casual. I hope that is starting to change….
[…] Natural Born Killers […]
Hiya,
I have just penned a blog to try and encourage more people to keep their cats indoors (or restricted outside in runs or highly fenced yards) and your blog has popped up as a related one to mine…..nice work!
The more of us that write to more of the reading public, well it may make a teensy difference wot?!
Keep on trucking 🙂
Fangy Bunny
….I have linked to your blog, I hope you don’t mind, you have some really interesting and informative blogs!
Thanks
Thanks, Fangy Bunny. I really believe in indoor cats and you are right. The more of us spreading the word, the better.
[…] 3. Make Every Cat an Indoor Cat. When it comes to birds, cats are killers. Birds face enough challenges without having domestic pets to contend with. Read more at Natural Born Killers. […]
This is misconception. Unless a cat is taught by its mother to hunt, a cat won’t know how to hunt anything. House cats are taught by their mother to be house cats( meowing their owners for food). Besides ‘killer’ is rather moral human term. Animals aren’t killer. Animals hunt other animals for food to survive. Again hunting is a learned skill that must be taught by others. It isn’t naturally born. We humans don’t know how to hunt, unless we are taught how to hunt. Same things with animals like cats.
Sorry Jae, all the evidence is against you. And you mean “murderer” is a moral judgement. Not “killer”. Killer is just a fact, and cats kill birds. Period.