Cats’ soft “meows” and lovable grazes make them one of the most popular house pets. But the little balls of fur have an ulterior motive many people tend to ignore.
Purring in your lap, your pet cat is sweet and lovable. But left along in the backyard, it can be the terror of the turf!
When unrestrained, cats take to the backyard or outdoors where they can prey on songbirds, quail, rabbits and other wildlife. Cats occur in far greater numbers than natural predators. In fact statistics show that cats are the number one predator of songbirds.
Recent estimates tell us there are 50 to 60 million cats nationwide. If only one in a hundred cats killed a bird each day, that would still tally a half million birds every day–and millions and millions of birds each year.
Why would well-fed, family cats kill if they’re not hungry? They can no more resist the urge to hunt than a kitten can resist batting a ball of yarn. It’s a natural instinct. As people attract wildlife to their yards by planting trees, shrubs and flowers–or by providing birdfeeders and birdbaths–songbirds become easy targets for house cats on the prowl.
Next time you let your cat outdoors, don’t leave it unattended. Keep a constant watch, and make sure your cat doesn’t terrorize the turf.
House Cat Stats
Are domestic cats nature’s deadliest game? The New York Times reports that the house cat could be one of the single greatest human-linked threats to wildlife in the nation. Among the findings via a study by Nature Communications:
- Free-roaming pets account for about 29 percent of the birds and 11 percent of the mammals killed by domestic cats each year.
- 2.4 billion birds are killed by cats annually.
- 12.3 billion mammals including mice, rats, voles, squirrels and rabbits are killed by cats each year.
- Approximately 80 million stray or feral cats commit the bulk of the wildlife slaughter.
Find out more about cats as predators in Nature Communications.
Find out more about all of nature’s predators with MDC’s Field Guide.
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