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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tony Knight" data-source="post: 1405894" data-attributes="member: 3371">fascinating debate.I always hated cats for the many reasons noted above ......until I met my wife and her cat !  Never met a more affectionate creature in my life (the cat i mean!).  Its never taken a bird in 12 years (mice are a different matter) and happily trots off down the garden completely disregarding any bird life.  The "the cat goes or I go" conversation I feared never materialised. Instead I spend my time worrying about a completely "natural born killer", the local sparrowhawks. I'm racked with guilt whenever a bird I've attracted into my garden becomes sparrowhawk dinner.  And that doubles once you've heard the screams of a collared dove being plucked alive !  Local sparrowhawks have had at least 6 birds in the last 6months despite careful positioning of the feeders.Interested to see above that robins, blackbirds and thrushes which must suffer from cat kills more than most are showing good increases.  However the growth in sparrowhawks must be considerably higher as they adapt their behaviour to the growth in garden bird feeders !  A rare sight 20 years ago, now seen most days in my garden !  Not suggesting we cull sparrowhawks but i wonder how many goldfinches they pluck from niger seed feeders !</blockquote>