Pet Cats V. Birds.

[sapelesam]

The RSPCA estimate there are 8 million cats in the UK. I have 20 bird feeders in my garden and the decline in once common birds is disturbing. I record species and numbers for one hour every week. I can usually see about four feeders at once. The domestic cat is widely reported, along with changing farming practices as the reason behind this decline. Should a law be enacted to force cat owners to keep their pets indoors. I know this will be tough but maybe give five years notice of the change for cats to be acclimatised. What do you think?

[sapelesam]

I have some web cams in the garden, I use many deterrents but have still counted 6 different cats, and I live in the boondocks.

[Toorak]

I don't want to get into an argument here - just to say that we are totally aware of the issues around cats and predation and try to minimalise the risk from ours

[ladybirder]

It's the human population 237 got wrong, not the cat population.

[sapelesam]

I have deliberately avoided inflamatory language as I'm an animal lover although not a cat person. I just hope that some action can be taken to stop the loss of so many of our wild birds. Where have all the sparrows gone?

[sapelesam]

237SJ does not believe there are 8 million cats.

[mazie]

We have them all Sam. We have shrubs outside the kitchen window that are full of sparrow, I'd say about 50+ We live in the sticks adjacent to another cottage. Next door feed all the birds, of which there are hundreds. We have a murder of crows in the trees at the bottom of the garden that attack both our two cats and the two cats next door. Hence, all the cats leave the birds alone, they are scared of them, the crows made sure of that. The only time we lost a yellowhammer was to a Rat!. I'm pleased to say that family have now departed.

[Toorak]

To be honest - I doubt whether cats are solely responsible for the demise of birds ( ours are pretty hopeless in this respect)

[sapelesam]

Toorak, if you re-read my OP I mention change in farming practice as well. There are probably many reasons I am not aware of.

[gness]

I've never tried to walk a cat on a lead but I did once attempt to walk two vicious, homicidal white rabbits on leads....rabbits are stronger than you think and they run really fast... :-(

[Toorak]

Yes, you mention farming practices - but I'm not sure why that should mean that domestic cats should be kept under control : responsible owners
aleady do that

[Mamyalynne]

The cats near me get terrorised by the Magpies, there are larger animals too, maybe that makes them wary - lots of wildlife.

I guess it varies fro area to area.

[pastafreak]

I live in a city, near a large park. One house I pass in a close is a magnet to both cats...the lady feeds them all...and birds. She feeds them also. I'll frequently see both in her garden at the same time.
In fact...many of her neighbours do the same. Only once in 12 years have I seen a local cat go after a bird. Is this unusual?
My cat stays in because he is deaf. But even if he wasn't, he'd be kept in at night. I've lost cats on country roads at night...during harvest time when the fields are full of mice. I'd not wish that on anyone.

[kvalidir]

Our cats have got bells on, you can hear them coming for miles, they sound like Quasi Modo, and we have lots of lovely native bird breeds in our grounds, but then we live in a very rural part of Herefordshire and we have all manner of undisturbed wildlife here, however there is no statistical evidence to suggest that cats are at all responsible for the decline in birds-you say you're a gardener and 'not a cat person' so I think perhaps your views are also perhaps coloured by that? https://ww2.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bird-and-wildlife-guides/gardening-for-wildlife/animal-deterrents/cats-and-garden-birds/are-cats-causing-bird-declines

[sherrardk]

I like birds, we have robins, green woodpeckers and a sparrow hawk (until the army went mental and totally hacked down someone's tree) but we have a kitten. I don't encourage the birds and I discourage the cat from going out (because we're worried he won't come back - but he's spoilt rotten so he doesn't stray far). It's a delicate balancing act, probably depends upon the environment you live in.

[sapelesam]

kvalidir, at no point have I concluded that cats are the problem. My concern is based on the number of bird species that have visited my garden over the last 30 years. Some species have declined by over 70%. I am most anti cat when I am filling a bucket with their little presents. I would like all cat owners to train them to a litter tray.

[kvalidir]

''The domestic cat is widely reported, along with changing farming practices as the reason behind this decline. Should a law be enacted to force cat owners to keep their pets indoors.''
Sorry I took that to be that you HAD concluded cats were in some way responsible, if not then what exactly is the question, as clearly cats AREN'T to do with the decline in native species, it's more the loss of habitat as you also acknowledge somewhat? I'm just interested to know how cats figure in your question if you're agreeing they're not relevant to the problem?

[hereIam]

This is the reason why I would never have a cat, I would hate it bringing half dead birds home. saplesam, I have a flock of sparrows that feed in my small garden, I call them the rat pack because they are a noisy lot, always fighting !!

[Islay]

no no no no no

[mccfluff]

murphs an indoor cat now, she was an outdoor cat and had numerous bells as i got tired of rescuing wildlife from my bed as it got dropped in my in the wee hours. baby rabbit was the final straw, after that she couldn't move without clanking.

now she's old and sleeps all day, dreaming of catching rabbits no doubt...

[campbellking]

Campbellcat has long since given up hunting birds at the age of 14, but does like to sleep on the roof outside during the day. Robbie cat has never caught a bird in his life (zero hunting instinct and not enough brain to work out any from of method to catch them, and now he's eleven I don't think that's about to change). For many years I had numerous blue tits flying into the garden, this has stopped now the next house has been restored and their trees chopped down, so I suspect environmental factors have more to do with it.