Should we regulate cat ownership to save birds? [View All]

[Liberal_in_LA]

I have 2 indoor cats. Although they are well fed, I can see from their behavior at the windows that they would gladly kill every bird and squirrel. But I'm surprised to see that cats wearing bells are still able to catch birds.

Should we regulate cat ownership to save birds?



While dog defenders point to the lack of evidence in the encyclopedic GGNRA proposal, there are several studies pointing to cats' predatory habits. Elsa Bonnaud of the Mediterranean Institute of Ecology and Palaeoecology has said that house cats may be responsible for "pose a significant threat to almost 10 percent of critically endangered birds, mammals and reptiles."

A study by the American Bird Conservancy attributes a billion small-animal deaths a year to cats. And the study is careful to point out that feral cats aren't the only culprits: Well-fed cats and even cats that wear bells hunt successfully.

The Conservancy compared two parks in the East Bay Regional Park District with similar habitat.

One park had no cats, but more than 25 cats were being fed daily in the other park. There were almost twice as many birds seen in the park with no cats as in the park with cats. California Thrasher and California Quail, both ground-nesting birds, were seen during surveys in the no-cat area, whereas they were never seen in the cat area.


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/green/detail?entry_id=88927#ixzz1NrV5wvMP