This picture was taken in Cambridge, Massachusetts on the lawn in front of the town hall. I was just relaxing in the sun and eating my lunch when this little bird hopped right up to me. I decided to put some rice into my fork and offer it to my new friend. We shared a nice little moment together before the bird flew away with a mouthful of rice. I was amazed by how trusting it was, just coming right up to me. I bet people feed them all the time so this was nothing new, but it was my first time experiencing it. I was thinking about it all day and it ‘made my heart sing.’
Anyone who has had/known an outdoor cat knows that they like to bring you “presents” sometimes- usually some sort of dead animal that they have just recently killed. It may not seem like this cat has a huge impact on the area because maybe you only see one or two kills every couple of days or so, but cats are responsible for killing billions of wild animals every year. It is estimated that they kill 1.4-3.7 billion birds every year, as well as millions or even billions of other animals including rabbits, frogs, rabbits and snakes.
Cats are incredible hunters- they have the speed, skill and precision. Even if they are well fed, cats will kill animals just because they can. They often do not consume their prey. Billions of animals are dying for no reason other than the fact that the cat was quicker.
It is easy to say that your cat doesn’t contribute, but you do not know that. If you are convinced that your cat does not hunt, I encourage you to attach a GoPro or another small camera to them to see what they do. You may be surprised with the results.
During a time of environmental chaos where species populations are steadily declining due to a number of factors, the impact of cats is detrimental to many populations. With the high rate that birds are dying at, many species may soon be endangered to become extinct.
What can you do?
keep cats indoors
leash train your cat
put a bell on your cat’s collar-these are not very effective, but their intent is to alert animals of the cat’s presence so they have a better chance of getting away
Teach other people about this and encourage them to not let their cats outside
Recent Comments