I’ve never really understood why people can let their cats roam free to shit in people’s flower beds and kill whatever they find, but I have to keep my dog on a leash at all times, even though I can call her back to me from 200yds away, or get her to stand down from chasing a deer.
We had farm cats as a kid, maybe to control mice it makes sense, but they multiply like flies if not neutered and no one truly commands them, just like any true predator…
What’s the statistic about how many days until your house cat will eat you post-mortem? 24hrs? No thanks…
That's all nicely said. My sense is that dogs are restricted because they can pose a threat to people, whereas cats are seen only as a threat to wildlife, which we're far less concerned with. This ignores the threats from toxo, etc., but so it goes. And other than the savings in funeral costs, the post-mortem issue does seem like a downside.
Funnily enough a client (I build homes) told me today they might get a cat for mice (it’s rural) and I had your statistics on hand of 6m cats in Canada killing 350-400m birds a year!
I get that dogs are more dangerous to people, but often it’s the thing you aren’t afraid of that gets you in the end…
Glad to be of service... And it's not just that birds are collateral damage, it's that research says that outdoor cats aren't particularly good at mice/rat control, in part bc of the breeding capacity of those animals, and in part it's easier (or more fun?) to hunt birds, etc.
Such a long, long list of things we should be afraid of but aren't.
Wonderfully written article! Thank you for creating a rich resource that I can share with others (and for including my comment from your “For the Birds” essay!). So many people are entirely unaware of the staggering number of deaths caused by cats. Getting the numbers out there is so important. Having that data inside this brilliantly written essay will only help the cause.
Also, this is a powerful sentiment: “We’ve decided that our love for cats does not extend to ignoring their capacity for unnecessary death and destruction.” This hits the core of responsible cat ownership, especially since, as you point out, they are companion animals that we choose to introduce into our lives.
As for your future essay on the feral cats, that is where I find myself fully overwhelmed and conflicted. The scale is massive, the “solutions” are complex and uncomfortable but again, the discussion is necessary. I look forward to reading that essay though I’m glad I’m not the one writing it!
Thanks very much, Summer. Great to hear from you again. It seems to me you could certainly be the one writing the feral essay... but I'll take the hit for the team. Overwhelmed and conflicted are two good words for it.
Thanks, Emil. I'll be looking more at Australia for next week. I'm more familiar with the NZ predator control story, so it will be interesting for me to look across the Tasman. But it's a difficult topic wherever we look.
This is such an important conversation, Jason. One that should really be happening on a far larger and louder scale, but I’m grateful for you speaking to it and especially in a way so nuanced that it really becomes inarguable! Whenever I get called to somewhere in the village because someone’s cat has caught a bird, David always tags along and, while I never ask him to, I always hear him casually reeling off the devastating figures of deaths caused by roaming cats each year. It’s an extraordinary blind spot.
Thank you, Chloe. I feel like I'm threading a needle with the writing, even moreso with next week's focus on ferals, but yes, it's delicate because of the blind spot. We're willing to manage, or at least to discuss the management, of so much that we do to nature, but our love for cats is a tough hurdle. I do hold out hope that we'll get to a place sooner than later regarding cats, and that it will be an enormous boost for wildlife.
Good essay and very important - I dislike cats, love dogs and have many cat friends. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard that their cat does not kill birds. It is simple. Keep cats inside during nesting season.
Thanks, Mike. The more I look into the topic, the more evidence I see that cats are killing far more often than we realize. That study that showed that only 23% of kills were brought home was eye-opening. I think the nesting season strategy is good, but really they need to be inside all year round.
Totally agree - I also love cats, and have three of them, all indoors. It keeps them safe in addition to the birds.
But too many cat owners who keep their cats indoors don't provide them with any kind of enrichment - especially if there's only one cat and the owner is gone most of the day, so the cat ends up bored, overweight and sick. We have all sorts of cat toys, installed shelves on walls so they can climb, large windows so they can watch the birds and we spend time with them. They're part of the family and we have made adjustments to keep them as happy as possible.
Thank you, Ruth. You make some great points. I wish I'd had more time to discuss the enrichment idea. I pointed to the American Bird Conservancy page which does discuss it at length - catios, climbing shelves, wheels, etc. - but some pictures and examples would have been better. It sounds like you've really gone to great lengths to treat your cats well and, as you say, to keep them safe.
I’ve never really understood why people can let their cats roam free to shit in people’s flower beds and kill whatever they find, but I have to keep my dog on a leash at all times, even though I can call her back to me from 200yds away, or get her to stand down from chasing a deer.
We had farm cats as a kid, maybe to control mice it makes sense, but they multiply like flies if not neutered and no one truly commands them, just like any true predator…
What’s the statistic about how many days until your house cat will eat you post-mortem? 24hrs? No thanks…
That's all nicely said. My sense is that dogs are restricted because they can pose a threat to people, whereas cats are seen only as a threat to wildlife, which we're far less concerned with. This ignores the threats from toxo, etc., but so it goes. And other than the savings in funeral costs, the post-mortem issue does seem like a downside.
Funnily enough a client (I build homes) told me today they might get a cat for mice (it’s rural) and I had your statistics on hand of 6m cats in Canada killing 350-400m birds a year!
I get that dogs are more dangerous to people, but often it’s the thing you aren’t afraid of that gets you in the end…
Glad to be of service... And it's not just that birds are collateral damage, it's that research says that outdoor cats aren't particularly good at mice/rat control, in part bc of the breeding capacity of those animals, and in part it's easier (or more fun?) to hunt birds, etc.
Such a long, long list of things we should be afraid of but aren't.
Thank you I had no idea!
It's been eye-opening for me as well, esp. once I dug into the research. Thank you.
Wonderfully written article! Thank you for creating a rich resource that I can share with others (and for including my comment from your “For the Birds” essay!). So many people are entirely unaware of the staggering number of deaths caused by cats. Getting the numbers out there is so important. Having that data inside this brilliantly written essay will only help the cause.
Also, this is a powerful sentiment: “We’ve decided that our love for cats does not extend to ignoring their capacity for unnecessary death and destruction.” This hits the core of responsible cat ownership, especially since, as you point out, they are companion animals that we choose to introduce into our lives.
As for your future essay on the feral cats, that is where I find myself fully overwhelmed and conflicted. The scale is massive, the “solutions” are complex and uncomfortable but again, the discussion is necessary. I look forward to reading that essay though I’m glad I’m not the one writing it!
Thanks very much, Summer. Great to hear from you again. It seems to me you could certainly be the one writing the feral essay... but I'll take the hit for the team. Overwhelmed and conflicted are two good words for it.
Thanks for sharing this.... major issue, including where I grew up in Australia so I was pleased to see you call out what's happening there as well.
Thanks, Emil. I'll be looking more at Australia for next week. I'm more familiar with the NZ predator control story, so it will be interesting for me to look across the Tasman. But it's a difficult topic wherever we look.
Thanks for spreading this info, Jason. Looking forward to it. Unbelievably high numbers when it comes to bird and mammal deaths!
The numbers are staggering, indeed. Thanks, Emil.
This is such an important conversation, Jason. One that should really be happening on a far larger and louder scale, but I’m grateful for you speaking to it and especially in a way so nuanced that it really becomes inarguable! Whenever I get called to somewhere in the village because someone’s cat has caught a bird, David always tags along and, while I never ask him to, I always hear him casually reeling off the devastating figures of deaths caused by roaming cats each year. It’s an extraordinary blind spot.
Thank you, Chloe. I feel like I'm threading a needle with the writing, even moreso with next week's focus on ferals, but yes, it's delicate because of the blind spot. We're willing to manage, or at least to discuss the management, of so much that we do to nature, but our love for cats is a tough hurdle. I do hold out hope that we'll get to a place sooner than later regarding cats, and that it will be an enormous boost for wildlife.
Good essay and very important - I dislike cats, love dogs and have many cat friends. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard that their cat does not kill birds. It is simple. Keep cats inside during nesting season.
Thanks, Mike. The more I look into the topic, the more evidence I see that cats are killing far more often than we realize. That study that showed that only 23% of kills were brought home was eye-opening. I think the nesting season strategy is good, but really they need to be inside all year round.
I went for nesting since all the cat owners seem convinced their little cuddly assassin would not kill anything except mice. My compromise.
I agree, it's an excellent place to start. Kind of a cuteness vs. cuteness compromise...
Totally agree - I also love cats, and have three of them, all indoors. It keeps them safe in addition to the birds.
But too many cat owners who keep their cats indoors don't provide them with any kind of enrichment - especially if there's only one cat and the owner is gone most of the day, so the cat ends up bored, overweight and sick. We have all sorts of cat toys, installed shelves on walls so they can climb, large windows so they can watch the birds and we spend time with them. They're part of the family and we have made adjustments to keep them as happy as possible.
Thank you, Ruth. You make some great points. I wish I'd had more time to discuss the enrichment idea. I pointed to the American Bird Conservancy page which does discuss it at length - catios, climbing shelves, wheels, etc. - but some pictures and examples would have been better. It sounds like you've really gone to great lengths to treat your cats well and, as you say, to keep them safe.
I love cats but i agree with you totally....
Thank you, Juliet.
Some good we CAN do,
cat, bird lovers/friends, us all.
Read, meow, tweet, pass on?
Thank you, Marisol. I appreciate you being here every week to distill my work down to its essence.
Your work, ‘essential.’
May our extract efforts help
spread seeds far, wide, deep.