September 25, 2009
If You Love Wildlife, Keep Your Cat Inside
If you love your cats, keep them inside
Free-roaming cats kill millions of wild animals each year. Studies show that most of the animals killed are small mammals such as chipmunks and field mice, and approximately 25 percent are birds. Well-fed house cats kill wildlife because of their instinct to hunt prey, not because they need the food. Domestic cats, which were introduced to North America via European colonists, are not a part of natural ecosystems, and their predation causes unnecessary suffering and death to wild animals. This can cause conflicts among neighbors, pitting gardeners and bird lovers against cat owners who allow their charges to roam.
Even animals who appear to have escaped unscathed from a cat often die. Birds may fly away, for example, but they may die later from infection caused by bacteria on the cat's teeth or claws. Birds can also succumb to the stress of having been captured.
Some people put bells on their cats, thinking the jingling sound will alert wildlife and give them a chance to flee. But cats with bells on their collars can learn to stalk their prey silently. Even if they don't, wild animals do not necessarily associate the ringing of a bell with danger.
If you still want your cat to enjoy the privacy of your backyard, you can purchase or build a specially designed fence or enclosure that will allow your feline to go outside but keep wildlife out of paw's reach. Because a fence may not prevent animals from entering your yard, you should always be present when you provide your cat with this opportunity.
So take care of your cats and your neighborhood wildlife by keeping your pet in his or her natural habitat—your house—and by leaving the wild animals to theirs.
Print out our Safe Cats PDFs:
A Safe Cat Is a Happy CatThe Uninvited Cat
Cat Care Basics
Generous support for the Safe Cats campaign was provided by The Kenneth A. Scott Charitable Trust, a KeyBank Trust, and the Frances V.R. Seebe Trust.