[TN-Bird] New ABC feral cat report

This is from Nick Winstead (state ornithologist of Mississippi).  Food for 
thought.
 
 
The American Bird Conservancy has released a report assessing cat predation on 
birds in 5 states.  The report is part of their Cats Indoors! campaign which 
seeks to educate people on the dangers outdoor cats pose to wildlife 
populations especially birds.  You can view the report and other cat-bird 
related information at http://www.abcbirds.org/cats/ (a link to the new report 
is on the left side of the page under Quick Links).  
     I received a call one day from a woman in Pearl who found a dead hawk in 
an abandoned trailer park where she feeds a colony of stray and feral cats.  I 
thought it was ironic that she was concerned for the welfare of the hawk, yet 
through her feeding she concentrates predatory cats in an area where they are 
probably wiping out many local birds.  
    There are at least 90 million pet cats in the United States.   A 1997 
survey found only 35% of these were kept exclusively indoors.  Additionally, 
there are approximately 60-100 million stray and feral cats roaming the U.S.  
Female cats can have 2-3 litters, each with 4-6 kittens, every year in warmer 
climates.  These large numbers of outdoor cats have devastating effects on 
local bird populations.  Biologists estimate cats kill hundreds of millions of 
birds and over 1 billion small mammals, including rabbits, squirrels, and 
chipmunks each year in the U.S.  Cats may be the most widespread alien predator 
in the world, and have been primarily responsible for the extinction of 33 bird 
species since the 1600s.  
    Many owners of outdoor cats are reluctant to believe their pets cause any 
harm.  Some owners put bells on their cats to help warn birds, but a study in 
England found cats with bells actually killed more.  Also, birds do not 
necessarily associate bells with danger, and cats can learn to stalk silently.  
Bells are completely useless in protecting helpless nestlings and fledglings.  
Some owners believe since they never see their cats harming birds they never 
do.  A Kansas study found that 83% of cats studied killed birds, and in all but 
one case (in which there were actually feathers in the cats feces) the owner 
was unaware of the event.  In the same Kansas study, a de-clawed cat was the 
one that killed the most.  Even well fed cats kill because the hunting instinct 
is independent of the urge to eat.  In one study of 6 cats each presented with 
a live small rat while eating their preferred food, all stopped eating to kill 
the rat, and then resumed eating.  The killing of
 small mammals eliminates food resources for many native predators including 
hawks and owls.  
    Allowing cats to stay outdoors is not only detrimental to birds and other 
wildlife.  The Humane Society of the United States says free roaming cats live 
on average less than 5 years, whereas cats kept exclusively indoors live up to 
17 years or more.  Outdoor cats are faced with car collisions, poisoning, 
animal attacks, human abuse, traps, overpopulation which leads to millions 
being euthanized annually, and numerous diseases and parasites many of which 
can be transmitted to other cats, wildlife and humans.  These diseases and 
parasites include feline leukemia virus, feline panleukopenia virus, feline 
infectious peritonitis, feline immunodeficiency virus, upper respiratory 
infections, cat scratch disease, rabies, plague, toxoplasmosis, roundworms, 
hookworms, and potentially the H5N1 avian flu.  The Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention reports cats are the most frequently encountered domestic animal 
with rabies.  Also, most human cases of the most lethal form of
 plague in recent years have been linked to cats.  Although many owners think 
their cats belong outdoors, cats are not a natural part of the environment.  
 


 
State Ornithologist 
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
P.O. Box 40747
Nashville, TN 37204
615-781-6653 (o)
615-781-6654 (fax)
 
"Keeping the rubber side down" - S.G.S. 
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