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Wildlife Conservationists

Mr. Whiskers, you have some explaining to do..

Loss, Will, & Marra (2013) estimate that domestic cats in the contiguous United States kill between 1.3 and 4.0 billion birds per year.  31% (approximately 403 million – 1.24 billion) of these annual bird kills are caused by owned indoor/outdoor pet cats alone.

Truths about Cats and Birds

"We all know that cats don’t have nine lives. There are three other myths about cat predation we’d like to dispel.

1. “Belled” cats do kill wildlife. Cats with bells on their collars can learn to stalk their prey silently. Even if they don’t, wild animals do not necessarily associate the ringing of a bell with danger.

2. Even well-fed cats kill wildlife. The urge to hunt and the urge to eat are controlled by different portions of the cat’s brain.

3. Once caught by a cat, few birds survive, even if they appear to have escaped. Infection from the cat’s teeth or claws or the stress of capture usually results in death."


Primary Source: “Keeping Cats Indoors Isn’t Just for the Birds,” a publication produced by the American Humane Society, American Bird Conservancy and the Humane Society of the U.S. - Above text directly quoted from "Facts on Cats and Wildlife: A Conservation Dilemma" (link below).

Please explore these fact sheets, created by conservation organizations, for more information on how domestic cats significantly impact the environment:

Wildlife Conservationists: Service
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