Just one last comment, if I may.
I don't advocate taking 'pot shots' with a weapon at living creature.
Andy
I don't advocate taking 'pot shots' with a weapon at living creature.
Andy
-
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Chicks wiped out (AGAIN) (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter Jeff Taylor
- Start date
Kiki said:
Hi Kiki,
Couldn't find anything to disagree with in your post at all. Why is it that everybody says 'The birds welfare comes first' about twitchers, ringing, photography etc. but when Tiddles goes out and kills millions of birds for fun (not food-unless cat owners dont buy Kitty chunks or whatever) it's a case of 'how dare you say anything nasty about my Pussykins' and then trot out the line that hunting is natural... so that makes it OK and you must'nt do anything to stop them having fun! You've only got to look at big cats in the wild, they kill to eat and when they've eaten thay just lie around....chilling out to use the vernacular.
Perhaps a quick look at this website might give people a few ideas!!!!!!!!!
http://www.openallday.au.com/Opportunity/Feralcats.html
The only trouble is , I don't thik that they are serious.
jeff
Well-known member
If you want to blame anyone (and it sounds like you do) blame the Egyptians.
Sounds like its persecution time for the cat once more.
________________________________________________
The history of the cat is an interesting tale with twists and turns at every few hundred years. The cat has been worshiped, adored, loathed, and persecuted by humans throughout time. To understand cats' place in todays society, it is important to know how the relationship between cats and humans began.
It has been 5000 years since man domesticated the cat. The first cat made tame was the African Wildcat. The cat wasn't domesticated to make a pet or companion; the cat was domesticated by accident.
In the Valley of the Nile (which is now Sudan, but then was Upper Egypt), the cat was first domesticated. The people in Egypt at that time consumed large amounts of grain, and they stored this grain in large storage rooms. Many rats would draw to these rooms to eat the grain and breed. The rats attracted cats who would eat the rats, thus helping to eliminate Egypt's rodent problem. People recognized this fact and left food out for the cats to encourage them to "hang around." It worked. Many cats bred and lived happy lives in Egypt destroying the plentiful rats.
Now the Pharoah had much grain that needed protection from vermin. He wanted to consficate all of the cats in Egypt and keep them near the palace graineries, but he couldn't. Cats were so popular among his people that to remove all the cats from all the people in Egypt would have caused a revolt. So, instead he cleverly declared all cats "demigods." This means that they weren't gods equal to the Pharoah's status, but they certainly were more valuable than the average person. With this plan, people could care for the demigods (cats) while they remained the official property of the Pharoah. The status of the cat shot up overnight. If anyone killed a cat, they were sentenced to death. If a house caught on fire, the cats were pulled to safety first. If a cat died of natural causes, the family had to bring the dead animal to the priest to make certain the cat's death was natural. People would sob for their cat with outwardly displays of sorrow. Shaving their eyebrows or beating their chest was a good sign of this sadness.
In time, the cat became known for health, fortune, and marriage. To have many cats meant you were very lucky.
Cats spread to other parts of the world by ship. The crew members would always keep extra cats aboard the ship to kill any mice that might be aboard. Cats spread quickly, and soon were part of many religious beliefs and dieties. One such goddess, Freya, a Norse goddess during the middle ages, had the head of a cat and the body of a woman. The inclusion of cats with religious gods became the cat's downfall. When Christianity spread, it condemned false gods, and cats were viewed as a manifestation of the devil. This led to 100 years of pure torture to the cat. Many were killed, tormented, burned at a stake, or else roasted alive. Consequently, the cat population declined tremendously, and cats became scarce.
It is supposed that domestication of cats took place not only in Egypt but in other regions on the globe. The remains of animals discovered when excavating the ancient settlements of the Bronze Age and even late Stone Age on the territory of the Caucasus, Central Asia, India confirm this idea. At the beginning of AD a cat as a domestic animal, appeared in Roman Empire and according to Plutarchus, in I century AD, it was found in Europe. In the XIth century domestic cat spread over the whole Europe and became an ordinary domestic animal used in household first of all for catching rodents.
At the same time the spreading took place in Russia. According to excavations cats come to us not only from the west but also from the south. There were discovered the remains dating from the VIIth-VIIIth centuries AD in the south of Ukraine, and in central and northern regions of Russia (Moscow, Novgorod) - dating from the Xth-XIVth centuries.
Cat become the favorite domestic animal because of its features and habits, very specific, different from the features of other domestic animals: meowing resembling the crying of the child during the heat, changes of pupils of the eyes depending on the power of light, soft, noiseless step etc. And simultaneously it was chased and driven away. In convents cat was the only animal allowed to keep. In the Xth century in Great Britain cats were worshiped; for theft or killing of the cat one could be sentenced to death. In other countries, in France, for example, at the same time cats was considered to be a Satan, a monster. Often the owners of black cats were accused of agreement with a devil. In the Middle Ages many people were burnt with their cats. That's why in the ancient pictures cats are depicted together with the warlocks. The same image of this animal one can find in fairy-tales, but absurd and invented superstitions about cats have fallen into oblivion.
In other countries where Islam ruled, cats were held in respect. The legend says that Mohammed adored cats. When one of them was sleeping on his sleeve and he had to go out, Mohammed supposedly cut off the sleeve not to disturb his pet.
The cat was also common in China by 500 BC. At first the cat was given as gifts to Emperors. As time went by the nobility were allowed to own them, then the priesthood, and finally the commoners. A lot of the cats interbreed with the local wild cats and created some of the breeds we know today. The fluffy Persian came from the country of its name. Now called Iran. The Angora from Turkey. The Siamese from Siam, now Thailand. The Burmese from Burma, now Myanmar and the Bobtail from Japan. In Japan, cats are seen as lucky. One of the most known cat is the 'Beckoning Cat'. This cat is seen with one paw held up, and brings good luck to Japanese and Chinese homes and businesses that have one displayed. The story goes that a cat used to stand out the front of the Gotokuji Temple in Tokyo and hold up its paw and beckon people in. Due to the cat the temple became very rich. The temple still exists today and cat lovers go there to pray for the good health of there pets.
In Europe the cat was seen as evil and disciples of the Devil. By 1400 the cat was almost extinct due to bad press from the Church. This was because the Church felt that the cat had to much connection to Pagan churches and beliefs. This is one of the main reasons that The Plague got out of hand.
At first the People thought that cats and dogs were the bringers of plague. This led to the anilination of both animals. Later it was discovered that there was less of a problem with plague if there was a lot of cats around. This encouraged people to start keeping cats again.
________________________________________________
Sounds like its persecution time for the cat once more.
________________________________________________
The history of the cat is an interesting tale with twists and turns at every few hundred years. The cat has been worshiped, adored, loathed, and persecuted by humans throughout time. To understand cats' place in todays society, it is important to know how the relationship between cats and humans began.
It has been 5000 years since man domesticated the cat. The first cat made tame was the African Wildcat. The cat wasn't domesticated to make a pet or companion; the cat was domesticated by accident.
In the Valley of the Nile (which is now Sudan, but then was Upper Egypt), the cat was first domesticated. The people in Egypt at that time consumed large amounts of grain, and they stored this grain in large storage rooms. Many rats would draw to these rooms to eat the grain and breed. The rats attracted cats who would eat the rats, thus helping to eliminate Egypt's rodent problem. People recognized this fact and left food out for the cats to encourage them to "hang around." It worked. Many cats bred and lived happy lives in Egypt destroying the plentiful rats.
Now the Pharoah had much grain that needed protection from vermin. He wanted to consficate all of the cats in Egypt and keep them near the palace graineries, but he couldn't. Cats were so popular among his people that to remove all the cats from all the people in Egypt would have caused a revolt. So, instead he cleverly declared all cats "demigods." This means that they weren't gods equal to the Pharoah's status, but they certainly were more valuable than the average person. With this plan, people could care for the demigods (cats) while they remained the official property of the Pharoah. The status of the cat shot up overnight. If anyone killed a cat, they were sentenced to death. If a house caught on fire, the cats were pulled to safety first. If a cat died of natural causes, the family had to bring the dead animal to the priest to make certain the cat's death was natural. People would sob for their cat with outwardly displays of sorrow. Shaving their eyebrows or beating their chest was a good sign of this sadness.
In time, the cat became known for health, fortune, and marriage. To have many cats meant you were very lucky.
Cats spread to other parts of the world by ship. The crew members would always keep extra cats aboard the ship to kill any mice that might be aboard. Cats spread quickly, and soon were part of many religious beliefs and dieties. One such goddess, Freya, a Norse goddess during the middle ages, had the head of a cat and the body of a woman. The inclusion of cats with religious gods became the cat's downfall. When Christianity spread, it condemned false gods, and cats were viewed as a manifestation of the devil. This led to 100 years of pure torture to the cat. Many were killed, tormented, burned at a stake, or else roasted alive. Consequently, the cat population declined tremendously, and cats became scarce.
It is supposed that domestication of cats took place not only in Egypt but in other regions on the globe. The remains of animals discovered when excavating the ancient settlements of the Bronze Age and even late Stone Age on the territory of the Caucasus, Central Asia, India confirm this idea. At the beginning of AD a cat as a domestic animal, appeared in Roman Empire and according to Plutarchus, in I century AD, it was found in Europe. In the XIth century domestic cat spread over the whole Europe and became an ordinary domestic animal used in household first of all for catching rodents.
At the same time the spreading took place in Russia. According to excavations cats come to us not only from the west but also from the south. There were discovered the remains dating from the VIIth-VIIIth centuries AD in the south of Ukraine, and in central and northern regions of Russia (Moscow, Novgorod) - dating from the Xth-XIVth centuries.
Cat become the favorite domestic animal because of its features and habits, very specific, different from the features of other domestic animals: meowing resembling the crying of the child during the heat, changes of pupils of the eyes depending on the power of light, soft, noiseless step etc. And simultaneously it was chased and driven away. In convents cat was the only animal allowed to keep. In the Xth century in Great Britain cats were worshiped; for theft or killing of the cat one could be sentenced to death. In other countries, in France, for example, at the same time cats was considered to be a Satan, a monster. Often the owners of black cats were accused of agreement with a devil. In the Middle Ages many people were burnt with their cats. That's why in the ancient pictures cats are depicted together with the warlocks. The same image of this animal one can find in fairy-tales, but absurd and invented superstitions about cats have fallen into oblivion.
In other countries where Islam ruled, cats were held in respect. The legend says that Mohammed adored cats. When one of them was sleeping on his sleeve and he had to go out, Mohammed supposedly cut off the sleeve not to disturb his pet.
The cat was also common in China by 500 BC. At first the cat was given as gifts to Emperors. As time went by the nobility were allowed to own them, then the priesthood, and finally the commoners. A lot of the cats interbreed with the local wild cats and created some of the breeds we know today. The fluffy Persian came from the country of its name. Now called Iran. The Angora from Turkey. The Siamese from Siam, now Thailand. The Burmese from Burma, now Myanmar and the Bobtail from Japan. In Japan, cats are seen as lucky. One of the most known cat is the 'Beckoning Cat'. This cat is seen with one paw held up, and brings good luck to Japanese and Chinese homes and businesses that have one displayed. The story goes that a cat used to stand out the front of the Gotokuji Temple in Tokyo and hold up its paw and beckon people in. Due to the cat the temple became very rich. The temple still exists today and cat lovers go there to pray for the good health of there pets.
In Europe the cat was seen as evil and disciples of the Devil. By 1400 the cat was almost extinct due to bad press from the Church. This was because the Church felt that the cat had to much connection to Pagan churches and beliefs. This is one of the main reasons that The Plague got out of hand.
At first the People thought that cats and dogs were the bringers of plague. This led to the anilination of both animals. Later it was discovered that there was less of a problem with plague if there was a lot of cats around. This encouraged people to start keeping cats again.
________________________________________________
digi-birder
Well-known member
I wasn't going to get involved in this discussion, as I could see it was going to be one of those that never reaches a conclusion and people end up tearing their hair out in frustration, and as a cat owner of times past, I just knew that it is a waste of time arguing with cat-haters.
My thoughts last night on reading the responses is that a lot of people seem to think that the cat is the sole destroyer of birds (along with a few Magpies of course). Jeff's post shows that domesticated cats have been around far longer than most of us realise - longer than some of the birds probably. I wondered just how ANY birds have survived thus far with all those cats around for thousands of years!
We had three cats and the only male of the bunch used to be the worst hunter. He would bring in mostly mice and voles. I would agree with your previous post about the number of birds caught in a year - very few. Annoying, yes - but hardly earth shattering figures. Most of them were still alive and we nurtured most of them back to health or, if they were more seriously injured, took them to the local wildlife rescue hospital (and left a donation each time we visited). Maybe three or four a year wouldn't survive.
We did actively encourage the birds into the garden with feeders, but made sure that they were not in a position where a cat could hide and surprise the birds. They almost always saw the cats coming and fled. I did try collars once and one of the cats came limping up the garden one day with a front paw through the collar as well as her neck! Goodness know what would have happened if we hadn't been in. They were all thrown in the bin that day.
Having said this in the cat's defence, it would not be my wish to have any more. Although this is to a certain extent more for selfish reasons than for the sake of the birds. Hairs on clothing and furniture, vet's bills, cattery costs, etc.
My thoughts last night on reading the responses is that a lot of people seem to think that the cat is the sole destroyer of birds (along with a few Magpies of course). Jeff's post shows that domesticated cats have been around far longer than most of us realise - longer than some of the birds probably. I wondered just how ANY birds have survived thus far with all those cats around for thousands of years!
We had three cats and the only male of the bunch used to be the worst hunter. He would bring in mostly mice and voles. I would agree with your previous post about the number of birds caught in a year - very few. Annoying, yes - but hardly earth shattering figures. Most of them were still alive and we nurtured most of them back to health or, if they were more seriously injured, took them to the local wildlife rescue hospital (and left a donation each time we visited). Maybe three or four a year wouldn't survive.
We did actively encourage the birds into the garden with feeders, but made sure that they were not in a position where a cat could hide and surprise the birds. They almost always saw the cats coming and fled. I did try collars once and one of the cats came limping up the garden one day with a front paw through the collar as well as her neck! Goodness know what would have happened if we hadn't been in. They were all thrown in the bin that day.
Having said this in the cat's defence, it would not be my wish to have any more. Although this is to a certain extent more for selfish reasons than for the sake of the birds. Hairs on clothing and furniture, vet's bills, cattery costs, etc.
Surreybirder
Ken Noble
We had a high frequency cat scarer in the garden and it seemed pretty effective. The instructions say that it sometimes takes the cats a while to get the message! So don't give up, whoever it was who said that theirs hadn't worked.
Unfortunately we had to stop using our cat scarer 'cos we got a dog.
I read somewhere (sorry, can't remember where) that bells don't make much difference to the no. of birds killed by cats.
I've nothing against cats as such but I do object to our neighbours' cats hunting in our garden!
Unfortunately we had to stop using our cat scarer 'cos we got a dog.
I read somewhere (sorry, can't remember where) that bells don't make much difference to the no. of birds killed by cats.
I've nothing against cats as such but I do object to our neighbours' cats hunting in our garden!
Jeff, I found your history of the domestic cat quite fascinating. However one point rather confused me: that of how the cat was viewed by the early Christians.
In one paragraph you say, "When Christianity spread, it condemned false gods, and cats were viewed as a manifestation of the devil. This led to 100 years of pure torture to the cat. Many were killed, tormented, burned at a stake, or else roasted alive."
However, in a subsequent paragraph you also say, "In the Xth century in Great Britain cats were worshiped; for theft or killing of the cat one could be sentenced to death."
I'm not sure that I can square these two statements as I would call the 10th century fairly early on in the establishment of Chrisitanity in this country (which had some ups and downs). Am I missing something?
Alan Hill
In one paragraph you say, "When Christianity spread, it condemned false gods, and cats were viewed as a manifestation of the devil. This led to 100 years of pure torture to the cat. Many were killed, tormented, burned at a stake, or else roasted alive."
However, in a subsequent paragraph you also say, "In the Xth century in Great Britain cats were worshiped; for theft or killing of the cat one could be sentenced to death."
I'm not sure that I can square these two statements as I would call the 10th century fairly early on in the establishment of Chrisitanity in this country (which had some ups and downs). Am I missing something?
Alan Hill
The daft thing is I rather like cats and dogs, but what I object to is having them and there action imposed on me and mine.
Back to hard facts: the fact remains there are 10 million cats in this country each on average taking 33 prey items a year.
Seems a little hyprocritical to critisie the French or Maltese for their shooting, when we allow the slaughter to happen in our country too.
Re. dog fouling, I used report dog owner to the council that allowed their dog to foul areas open to the public on the reserve. Just took their car number. It did help that the Mayor of Faversham was a keen birder at the time, so he help push things through and Swale had a policy at the time of prosercuting people with as much publicity as possible.
Most councils have introduced a bylaw where it is an offence for a dog foul any open space open to the public, not just public rights of ways. Does not apply to grazed areas though.
Back to hard facts: the fact remains there are 10 million cats in this country each on average taking 33 prey items a year.
Seems a little hyprocritical to critisie the French or Maltese for their shooting, when we allow the slaughter to happen in our country too.
Re. dog fouling, I used report dog owner to the council that allowed their dog to foul areas open to the public on the reserve. Just took their car number. It did help that the Mayor of Faversham was a keen birder at the time, so he help push things through and Swale had a policy at the time of prosercuting people with as much publicity as possible.
Most councils have introduced a bylaw where it is an offence for a dog foul any open space open to the public, not just public rights of ways. Does not apply to grazed areas though.
jeff
Well-known member
Alan,alanhill said:
All the info comes from
http://www.catquotes.com/historyofcats.htm i just copied and pasted.
Last edited:
jeff
Well-known member
This is my last post on the subject..........................
Back to the facts!
Cats & garden birds: RSPB www.rspb.org.uk/gardens/cats/
Cats may take millions of birds every year, but from a conservation viewpoint, we need to consider whether this is causing bird populations to decline.
This article provides some information on the impact cats might have on birds in gardens, and some ideas on what can be done to review our knowledge.
Some Facts and Figures
The best estimate of the number of pet cats in the UK is 8 million, according to the Pet Food Manufacturer’s Association, plus an unknown number of feral cats (those living wild).
There is a species of wildcat, found in Scotland, which is native to the UK, but domestic cats are not part of our native fauna. They are maintained by humans and do not need to hunt to survive. Cats are individuals: their behaviour varies widely. Some will be prolific hunters; some may catch nothing at all. Town cats live at higher densities than country cats. Although each town cat will catch less prey overall than a country cat, their prey will include a higher proportion of birds. Most cats are opportunistic hunters – they will catch whatever they come across rather than actively hunting a particular species. This means whatever is most abundant or vulnerable is most likely to be caught. Cats will catch prey even if they are not hungry. According to a recent major survey by the Mammal Society, birds comprise a relatively small proportion (c 20 per cent) of all creatures caught by cats. Most of the rest of their catches will be mice or voles. Most of the birds are taken around dawn and dusk, during the breeding season and in mid-winter: It often seems that cats catch more birds than small mammals. This is because birds are mainly caught during the day, so you are more likely to see them, whilst mice and voles are mainly caught at night.
Estimates of how many creatures are killed by cats each year vary significantly. The most recent figures are from the Mammal Society, which estimates that the UK’s cats catch up to 275 million prey items a year, of which 55 million are birds. This is the number of prey items that were known to have been caught – we don’t know how many more the cats caught, but didn’t bring home, or how many escaped but subsequently died.
The most frequently caught birds, according to the Mammal Society, are probably (in order) house sparrows, blue tits, blackbirds and starlings.
Despite the large numbers of birds killed, there is no scientific evidence that predation by cats in gardens is having any impact on bird populations UK wide. This may be surprising, but many millions of birds die naturally every year, mainly through starvation, disease, or other forms of predation.
There is evidence that cats tend to take weak or sickly birds. We also know that of the millions of baby birds hatched each year, most will die before they reach breeding age. This is also quite natural, and each pair need only rear two young that survive to breeding age to replace themselves and maintain their population. It is likely that most of the birds killed by cats would have died anyway from other causes before the next breeding season, so cats are unlikely to have a major impact on populations. If their predation was additional to these other causes or mortality, this might have a serious impact on bird populations.
Those bird species that have undergone the most serious population declines in the UK (such as skylarks, tree sparrows and corn buntings) rarely encounters cats, so cats cannot be causing their declines. Research shows that these declines are usually caused by habitat change or loss, particularly on farmland. Populations of species, which are most abundant in gardens, tend to be increasing, despite the presence of cats. Blue tits, for example, the second most frequently caught birds, have increased by over a quarter across the UK since 1966. Of the birds most frequently caught by cats in gardens, only two (house sparrows and starling) have shown declines in breeding population across a range of habitats during the last six years. Gardens may provide a breeding habitat for at least 20 per cent of the UK populations of house sparrows, starlings, greenfinches, blackbirds and song thrushes – four of which are declining across the UK. For this reason it would be prudent to try to reduce cat predation, as, although it is not causing the declines, some of these species are already under pressure.
Cat predation can be a problem where housing is next to scarce habitats such as heathland, and could potentially be most damaging to species with a restricted range (such as cirl buntings) or species dependent on a fragmented habitat (such as Dartford warblers on heathland).
What can I do?
A range of relatively simple measures can be recommended to cat owners and non-cat owners which could help to reduce the risk of cats catching garden birds, especially where food is being put out for birds.
Put a bell on your cat’s collar – a recent study suggests that this may reduce predation of birds, and may reduce predation of mice and voles too. The collar must be correctly fitted and should have a quick release mechanism to allow the cat to free itself should it become snagged. There are commercially available ‘sonic’ collars that are designed to alert the potential prey to the cat’s presence. We do not yet know, however, how effective these collars are or how they affect the cat.
Cats should always be well fed and cared for, but this may also encourage them to stay near home and be less likely to wander where they are not welcome (although it will not prevent them catching birds).
Keep your cat indoors when birds are most vulnerable: at lease an hour before sunset and an hour after sunrise, especially during March-July and December-January. Also after bad weather, such as rain or a cold spell, to allow birds to come out and feed.
Consider having cats neutered to prevent them ‘wandering’ or producing unwanted kittens.
Bird friendly gardens:
Avoid putting food on the ground, but use a bird table where cats cannot reach it.
Place feeders high off the ground but away from surfaces from which a cat could jump.
Place spiny plants (such as holly) or an uncomfortable surface around the base of the feeding station to prevent a cat sitting underneath.
Place an upturned tin or cone underneath the table to prevent cats from climbing the post (squirrel ‘baffles’ are already commercially available).
Make the table-slippery using a metal post, or plastic bottles around non-metal posts.
Plant wildlife-friendly vegetation, such as prickly bushes and thick climbers in the garden to provide secure cover for birds. These should be close enough to where birds feed to provide cover, but not so close that cats can use it to stalk birds. See RSPB leaflets on Feeding garden birds, Gardening with wildlife, and Planting gardens for birds for more information. This kind of planting may also provide food and nesting sites.
Position nest boxes where cats cannot reach them or sit close to them (preventing the parent birds from getting to the box).
Cat deterrents such as ultrasonic devices and strong-smelling repellents are available. The effectiveness of these is probably variable, and there is little scientific evidence of their effectiveness. However, many people tell us that they have achieved good results with some of these techniques, so it must remain a matter of individual choice whether to use them or not. Domestic cats are protected by law and it is an offence to trap, injure or kill them. The welfare of cats must not be ignored. Remember that cats, even if they are unwelcome in your garden, may be someone’s much-loved pet, perhaps a child or elderly person living alone. Some people have called for legislation introduced to curb the freedom with which cats are allowed to roam. Whilst we understand why people feel this way, we are not able to urge the government to introduce such legislation, as we have no scientific evidence of the impact of cat predation on bird populations, which is strong enough to support such a call.
Back to the facts!
Cats & garden birds: RSPB www.rspb.org.uk/gardens/cats/
Cats may take millions of birds every year, but from a conservation viewpoint, we need to consider whether this is causing bird populations to decline.
This article provides some information on the impact cats might have on birds in gardens, and some ideas on what can be done to review our knowledge.
Some Facts and Figures
The best estimate of the number of pet cats in the UK is 8 million, according to the Pet Food Manufacturer’s Association, plus an unknown number of feral cats (those living wild).
There is a species of wildcat, found in Scotland, which is native to the UK, but domestic cats are not part of our native fauna. They are maintained by humans and do not need to hunt to survive. Cats are individuals: their behaviour varies widely. Some will be prolific hunters; some may catch nothing at all. Town cats live at higher densities than country cats. Although each town cat will catch less prey overall than a country cat, their prey will include a higher proportion of birds. Most cats are opportunistic hunters – they will catch whatever they come across rather than actively hunting a particular species. This means whatever is most abundant or vulnerable is most likely to be caught. Cats will catch prey even if they are not hungry. According to a recent major survey by the Mammal Society, birds comprise a relatively small proportion (c 20 per cent) of all creatures caught by cats. Most of the rest of their catches will be mice or voles. Most of the birds are taken around dawn and dusk, during the breeding season and in mid-winter: It often seems that cats catch more birds than small mammals. This is because birds are mainly caught during the day, so you are more likely to see them, whilst mice and voles are mainly caught at night.
Estimates of how many creatures are killed by cats each year vary significantly. The most recent figures are from the Mammal Society, which estimates that the UK’s cats catch up to 275 million prey items a year, of which 55 million are birds. This is the number of prey items that were known to have been caught – we don’t know how many more the cats caught, but didn’t bring home, or how many escaped but subsequently died.
The most frequently caught birds, according to the Mammal Society, are probably (in order) house sparrows, blue tits, blackbirds and starlings.
Despite the large numbers of birds killed, there is no scientific evidence that predation by cats in gardens is having any impact on bird populations UK wide. This may be surprising, but many millions of birds die naturally every year, mainly through starvation, disease, or other forms of predation.
There is evidence that cats tend to take weak or sickly birds. We also know that of the millions of baby birds hatched each year, most will die before they reach breeding age. This is also quite natural, and each pair need only rear two young that survive to breeding age to replace themselves and maintain their population. It is likely that most of the birds killed by cats would have died anyway from other causes before the next breeding season, so cats are unlikely to have a major impact on populations. If their predation was additional to these other causes or mortality, this might have a serious impact on bird populations.
Those bird species that have undergone the most serious population declines in the UK (such as skylarks, tree sparrows and corn buntings) rarely encounters cats, so cats cannot be causing their declines. Research shows that these declines are usually caused by habitat change or loss, particularly on farmland. Populations of species, which are most abundant in gardens, tend to be increasing, despite the presence of cats. Blue tits, for example, the second most frequently caught birds, have increased by over a quarter across the UK since 1966. Of the birds most frequently caught by cats in gardens, only two (house sparrows and starling) have shown declines in breeding population across a range of habitats during the last six years. Gardens may provide a breeding habitat for at least 20 per cent of the UK populations of house sparrows, starlings, greenfinches, blackbirds and song thrushes – four of which are declining across the UK. For this reason it would be prudent to try to reduce cat predation, as, although it is not causing the declines, some of these species are already under pressure.
Cat predation can be a problem where housing is next to scarce habitats such as heathland, and could potentially be most damaging to species with a restricted range (such as cirl buntings) or species dependent on a fragmented habitat (such as Dartford warblers on heathland).
What can I do?
A range of relatively simple measures can be recommended to cat owners and non-cat owners which could help to reduce the risk of cats catching garden birds, especially where food is being put out for birds.
Put a bell on your cat’s collar – a recent study suggests that this may reduce predation of birds, and may reduce predation of mice and voles too. The collar must be correctly fitted and should have a quick release mechanism to allow the cat to free itself should it become snagged. There are commercially available ‘sonic’ collars that are designed to alert the potential prey to the cat’s presence. We do not yet know, however, how effective these collars are or how they affect the cat.
Cats should always be well fed and cared for, but this may also encourage them to stay near home and be less likely to wander where they are not welcome (although it will not prevent them catching birds).
Keep your cat indoors when birds are most vulnerable: at lease an hour before sunset and an hour after sunrise, especially during March-July and December-January. Also after bad weather, such as rain or a cold spell, to allow birds to come out and feed.
Consider having cats neutered to prevent them ‘wandering’ or producing unwanted kittens.
Bird friendly gardens:
Avoid putting food on the ground, but use a bird table where cats cannot reach it.
Place feeders high off the ground but away from surfaces from which a cat could jump.
Place spiny plants (such as holly) or an uncomfortable surface around the base of the feeding station to prevent a cat sitting underneath.
Place an upturned tin or cone underneath the table to prevent cats from climbing the post (squirrel ‘baffles’ are already commercially available).
Make the table-slippery using a metal post, or plastic bottles around non-metal posts.
Plant wildlife-friendly vegetation, such as prickly bushes and thick climbers in the garden to provide secure cover for birds. These should be close enough to where birds feed to provide cover, but not so close that cats can use it to stalk birds. See RSPB leaflets on Feeding garden birds, Gardening with wildlife, and Planting gardens for birds for more information. This kind of planting may also provide food and nesting sites.
Position nest boxes where cats cannot reach them or sit close to them (preventing the parent birds from getting to the box).
Cat deterrents such as ultrasonic devices and strong-smelling repellents are available. The effectiveness of these is probably variable, and there is little scientific evidence of their effectiveness. However, many people tell us that they have achieved good results with some of these techniques, so it must remain a matter of individual choice whether to use them or not. Domestic cats are protected by law and it is an offence to trap, injure or kill them. The welfare of cats must not be ignored. Remember that cats, even if they are unwelcome in your garden, may be someone’s much-loved pet, perhaps a child or elderly person living alone. Some people have called for legislation introduced to curb the freedom with which cats are allowed to roam. Whilst we understand why people feel this way, we are not able to urge the government to introduce such legislation, as we have no scientific evidence of the impact of cat predation on bird populations, which is strong enough to support such a call.
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Bird Nut
Well-known member
I had two cats. One was a hunter and the other was not. I did not start feeding birds until the hunter died because I knew he would catch them. I didn't have the heart to keep him inside because he would go to the door and howl to be let out (and yes, he was neutered). He mostly caught mice, chipmunks and rabbits, but one day he left a mockingbird on my doorstep. I'm not saying he slaughtered the wildlife wholesale, just a few each year. Twice he left headless rabbits on the doormat; I never did figure out what he did with the heads. Another time there was a dead mouse on the carpet beside my bed; don't know how he got it past me; after that I looked closely before I let him in.
The other cat is very docile. She is declawed and shows no interest in catching any kind of wildlife. She does not spend much time outdoors but she does like to sit on the deck with me and watch the birds and squirrels. She never makes a move to catch one even when the bluejays come right up on the deck after peanuts, though she will pick up her ears and watch them closely. So she's the perfect cat for a birder to have.
The other cat is very docile. She is declawed and shows no interest in catching any kind of wildlife. She does not spend much time outdoors but she does like to sit on the deck with me and watch the birds and squirrels. She never makes a move to catch one even when the bluejays come right up on the deck after peanuts, though she will pick up her ears and watch them closely. So she's the perfect cat for a birder to have.
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steve_nova
Well-known member
Like everything Lawman, some are and some are not. One that definately was, was our cat 'Tonka' who often did "naughty" things. Once he was heard charging around upstairs so we ran up to see what he was doing. Everything was quiet and when we peeped into the bedroom, there he was "asleep". (well it just couldn't be him now could it?) We waited for about thirty seconds or so until suddenly he sneakily opened one eye to see if the coast was clear! We just burst out laughing at his cleverness.
birdsbirdsbirds
New member
jeff said:
Hi!
I'm a newbie here! As long as your 3 cats stay in YOUR yard and stay OUT of your neighbors yards, that's fine. As for your cats killing mice and rats, buy mice/rat traps! Cats are supposed to be pets, and rodents can transmit diseases. I have 2 wonderful cats that we got at a humane society. Our cats have been trained to stay in their own fenced-in back yard. The cats are now 12 years old and have never left their yard. We also have a couple little dogs and a dog-door which allows our dogs and cats to go in and out to the fenced-in yard whenever they want to. At night all pets are called indoors ( cats too!) and the pet door is closed for the night. I am also an avid bird lover, and I get terribly upset when uncontrolled cats in the neighborhood come into my yard and kill birds and destroy the nests. If my dogs went into neighboring yards I would be told about it immediately. But I must endure their cats?? ALL pets are the responsibility of their owners and should be kept on their own properties, or don't have them. We all pay good, hard earned mortgage money or rents for our homes plus high taxes and we desreve to enjoy our own yards without a neighbor's pet dogs OR pet cats ruining this! One question..Where can I purchase this "CatWatch" that I read about in this forum? Thanks!
