If we let our cats out, they can be accused of killing songbirds.
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It seems that outdoor cats are being accused of eating so many songbirds that trap/neuter/return (TNR) programs are endangered. TNR programs are a humane way of handling feral cat colonies. Cats who have small prospects of becoming pets are captured, neutered, treated for medical problems, and then released back into the only life they know.
Over time, a feral colony will disappear. Without reproduction, with kittens being socialized and gotten homes, this is the best thing we can do for these cats. For feral cats with little human contact, they can have a better life.
Yet some elements are agitating for eradication of free roaming cats. This blog post sums up the problem when a community made an effort to reduce their cat population in an effort to protect a rare bird species. But, the attempt backfired spectacularly: Removing cats to protect birds backfires on island
Seems like the Law of Unintended Consequences to me. Cats do far more hunting of rodents than they do birds. It’s undeniable that cats are predators, and birds are simply another form of prey. However, when we watch our cats’ behavior, we see that their range of behaviors are far more suited to mice than birds.
They notice small openings where rodents might hide, they lie in wait, and they have far more strategies for chasing prey on the ground. This is why SongBird Survival, a British organization for the protection of songbirds, protest that cats are frequently singled out as the primary reason for the disappearance of Britain’s songbirds. They find the label unjustified.
Bird populations are dropping in some areas. But are we blaming cats, when we should be blaming ourselves?
Urban sprawl, fragmentation of forested ecosystems, the increase in motor vehicles and the related increase in roads, and the use of pesticides, fertilizers and poisons do much more damage to bird and small vertebrate species than do domestic and/or feral cats.
Predation Studies Examined: “Feral Cat Predation and Its Effects on Wildlife-Searching For the Truth”
So the next time someone is cruel to an outdoor cat because of their supposed bad effect on songbirds, correct their misconception. People who wish to enjoy both can do their part; site bird feeders in open spaces where birds can have time to react, support humane efforts to reduce feral cat colonies, and, most of all, keep cats indoors.
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