Amanda Yancey - To Kill a Mockingbird




Amanda Yancey - To Kill a Mockingbird


The debate going on between cat and dog people is a never ending argument, consisting of pet owners who believe their pet is superior. However, science is showing how dogs may have the edge over cats environmentally: cats are killing a devastatingly large amount of North American birds every year.

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Most cat owners probably have experienced their cats bringing in dead bird or leaving them on their doorstep. This isn’t only a gross inconvenience but it’s also disturbing bird populations and altering the food web. Cats kill on average 1.4 to 3.7 billion birds a year. Considering that there are only 10 to 20 billion North American land birds, cats are eliminating 5-15% of the bird population every year. The magnitude of bird deaths suggests that cats are causing significant declines to bird populations in some regions. Additionally, threatened and endangered wildlife species are the most susceptible to the effects of cat predation. At the rates that cats are killing birds, these birds are on the brink of collapse and possible extinction. To combat this problem where there is a large cat population close to endangered bird populations, Trap Neuter Return Colonies, or TNR colonies, are arising to help diminish the amount of bird deaths. These colonies work towards limiting feral cat populations and humanely returning the cats back to where they’re from, while also providing opportunities for these cats to be safely adopted.

Image result for cats kill birds chart

In addition to birds, cats are known for also killing mammals. Cats kill an estimate of 6.7 to 20.7 billion small mammals a year, which is quite frightening when considering that the human population on Earth is around 7 billion. Many argue that cats are just working within food webs to regulate smaller mammal populations. While this is true to an extent, cats can have devastating effects on native species populations, altering the food web to an extreme.

Some may argue that cats can’t be that detrimental to the North American bird population because other things, such as windmills and buildings, also contribute to the deaths of birds. However, windmills only kill around 140,000 to 328,000 birds per year and buildings kills around 1 million birds per year. Compared to the 1.4-3.7 billion deaths attributed to cats, cats are the most detrimental force on bird populations.


Questions:
Can anything actually be done to prevent cats from killing as many birds as they currently do, considering that people have cats as pets?
Should there be more TNR colonies to help control the number of feral cats?
What other consequences do you think the death of birds creates?

Sources:

Comments

Anonymous said…
Cats have historically been one of the most destructive invasive species. They are elite predators capable of easily taking out small, unsuspecting animals, and have led to multiple extinctions. Considering cat-owning isn’t stopping any time soon despite the calamities they cause, owners should keep close watch on their cats to make sure they don’t kill. Also, nations should implement stricter laws for dealing with feral animals, as these are the ones that must kill in order to survive.
May 7, 2019 at 6:21 AM
Anonymous said…
Clash between species have been quite an issue, for our responding actions may impact the balance within our natural environment. However, such issues cannot get better without our management and control and they may worsen as time proceeds. We as individuals simply have to support and spread the idea that our government ought to come up with a viable solution for problems across different types of species.
May 7, 2019 at 6:33 AM
Anonymous said…
Cats, from what I remember, were really not supposed to be brought into all of these food webs because they were not here naturally. Additionally, when seeing the amount of impacts that they leave on the bird populations and small mammal populations, is labeling them an invasive species that far-fetched? I’m not fresh on ideas on how to fix this problem, but the organization that you mentioned I think will work and make and size-able difference.
May 7, 2019 at 6:44 AM
Anonymous said…
Since most people are probably not willing to part with their feline friend because of the possibility to that it may eventually kill a bird or two, the best course of action is to try and prevent the cat from ever killing a bird in the first place. Obviously, the best course of action is to make your cat an "indoor cat", meaning that it stays inside a majority, if not all, of the time. This can sometimes be easier said than done, sadly. Another option you could use is to implement and in-ground electric fence to try and contain your cat. Another option is to put a Birdsbesafe collar on your cat if they are an outdoor cat. These collars have lots of bright colors on them, making the cat easy to spot for the bird to fly away from.
May 7, 2019 at 6:58 AM
Anonymous said…
The decline of bird populations will have detrimental consequences on the food chain in the environment if nothing is done to address the amount of birds killed by cats annually. Since cats prove to be essential companions to many families in America and across the world, it is important to have more organizations like the TNR colonies to help control the number of feral cats. By working to reduce the amount of feral cat populations, relocating the cats humanely, and encouraging the rise of indoor cats to consumers, these organizations can greatly contribute to controlling the impact of cats on bird deaths.
May 7, 2019 at 7:12 AM
Anonymous said…
I think that cats are completely in the right here. If the birds are dumb enough to be caught they deserve to die. Reducing the amount of any feral or stray animals on the street (cats, dogs, ferrets or crocodiles) is a good idea, but maybe a more enforceable solution would be to encourage people to keep their cats inside, and not breeding with the feral populations.

But cats are great.




Dogs too, but cats are great.




I mean it.
May 7, 2019 at 7:24 AM
Anonymous said…
As someone who has only ever had indoor cats, I’ve never experienced my own cat killing a bird. Cats often times kill smaller animals, such as birds and rats. One way to stop this is to make sure your cat is an indoor pet and not an outdoor cat, but that won’t fully stop the problem. Feral cats have nowhere to go, and there isn’t enough space in adoption facilities to take in every cat on the side of the road. Despite the ongoing problem of cats killing birds, it shouldn’t be completely stopped. Sometimes, cats are needed to control a population.
May 8, 2019 at 6:28 AM
Anonymous said…
I have no experience with cats, and have no plans to get one, but I think that they make great pets and human reap many benefits from cat ownership. It can be inferred that the cats’ natural inclination is to attack small prey like birds, and we should not penalize the cats for responding to their instincts. However, since house cats are not natural members of the food webs that wild birds are, they could be considered an invasive species. I lack ideas on good resolutions to this issue, but moving forward I hope that we can find ways to decrease this interaction.
May 8, 2019 at 6:42 PM
Anonymous said…
It is interesting to learn that cats are this detrimental to the North American bird population. I think that there should be more TNR (Trap Neuter Return Colonies) in North America; it seems like an efficient program that effectively and humanely cuts down on the feral cat population. However, I think we should invest more of our time and resources to ensuring that cats who are pets don’t have a detrimental impact on th environment. Additionally, I don’t think that cats have a monopoly on hurting the environment; dogs often engage in multiple acts that also harm the environment.
May 9, 2019 at 7:16 AM
Anonymous said…
This was a very interesting blog post. I had no idea that feral cat populations had such a detrimental effect on bird and small mammal populations in the United States. An increase in the TNR programs may help solve part of the problem but perhaps we should take a greater interest in increasing bird populations. A combination of TNR programs and bird sanctuaries where birds can freely reproduce and live safely may bring the food web back into balance.
May 9, 2019 at 9:04 AM
Anonymous said…
This was a very interesting post! I did know how detrimental cats could be to bird populations in the US. However, I do think it is just the circle of life. It is in cats’ nature to kill birds and even if they are domesticated as pets. They cannot change their innate ways and there is not really much of a solution as people will always have cats, but TNR seems to be a viable option. But let’s not forget, cats are better than dogs!!!
May 10, 2019 at 12:53 PM
Anonymous said…
This is a very interesting topic! Many of the responses have said that either that it is natural selection or that it is just the nature of cats, but it is one to think that cats are domestic animals that we have breaded and increased the population. This problem is partly our fault too by favoring this what seems like a detrimental species. If we do want to continue having pets like this, we have to make sure that they don’t have negative effects on other animal species.
May 10, 2019 at 6:29 PM
Anonymous said…
You'd think that our domesticated pets wouldn't have much of an impact on the environment, but like anything man-made, they do. I never thought about how outdoor cats could drastically affect wildlife. It makes sense, though, as they like to hunt small animals like rats and birds. I've always heard the stories from cat owners of how their cat brought them a "gift" the other day, and how distraught they were about it. It's good to hear that we have been taking action on a problem that we've caused, and I hope that in the future the problem will soon be eliminated or drastically reduced.
May 10, 2019 at 7:13 PM
Anonymous said…
This is why dogs are better than cats. In all seriousness, I love cats and I think you can’t really change an animals instinct, whether it’s donesticated or not. Considering the lineage of the house cat can be traced back to their wild counterparts, as in lions, tigers, etc. it’s going to be in the animals nature to hunt. If this is really a concern, limiting feral cat populations seems like a humane and viable option as both the cats and birds are benefitting from it. This is was an interesting post nonetheless, however, I don’t think there is much we can do to keep cats from following their animal instincts.
May 11, 2019 at 9:55 AM
Anonymous said…
It is shocking and concerning to read about the impact of cats on food webs and the ecosystem, but ultimately, we can't do much about the innate predatory instincts of cats. We can't significantly reduce the amount of birds or small mammals that domestic cats might kill, but using more TNR colonies to limit feral cat populations is a viable option that will have a far greater impact on decreasing the death rates of birds and small mammals.
May 11, 2019 at 2:36 PM
Anonymous said…
Since domestic cats seem to be a large part of this problem, people can try to train their pets to not kill birds. I never considered domestic pets like cats and dogs as part of a natural food web and it's weird to think that humans breeding so many of them can start to have a large impact on the environment. Such a disruption in the food chain can have drastic unexpected consequences on the environment, and it is important to stop this problem before it gets out of hand.
May 11, 2019 at 5:38 PM
Anonymous said…
Although both cats and dogs may be cute both have characteristics that may be a negative when comparing. Even though cats may be easier to care for, since cats can clean themselves and are able to bathe themselves and clean themselves, they do pose some difficulties when it comes to them attacking other birds. Since cats can attack other birds and are capable of doing so, they pose a great threat to not only birds but to our environment. owners need to take closer care and watch for their cat’s activity if they ever step outside.
May 12, 2019 at 9:11 AM
Anonymous said…
I have seen many cats chasing birds or small mammals, but I didn't realize just how many animals cats kill annually. As others have pointed out, cats are an invasive species that was not supposed to be introduced to the natural ecosystem, so naturally, cats will disturb the equilibrium just by existing in a place where they should not. I think that if owners were aware of what their domesticated cats were doing, more would be done to control their cats natural impulses. But, since I doubt very many cat owners realize how much death their cat brings, nothing is being done about it.
May 12, 2019 at 10:40 AM
Anonymous said…
As a owner of a cat it is a unfortunate fact to point out that cats in fact are an invasive and overpopulated species. I however own an indoor cat and love her very dearly. <3 other outdoor cats however can become a problem and kill many birds and animals like this post says. It is up to the owners to make sure they train their cats well and maybe make them indoor cats instead. However, since cats are such an overpopulated species, containing our cats wont do much. There are several feral cats in communities all over the world and it can be very hard to try and put a stop to their ever growing population. Even when I went to South Korea, I had seen several feral cats in neighborhoods and communities, knowing that they are feral since many Koreans see cats as pests. This is a growing issue and hopefully our government can come in to regulate their population and educate others on how to prevent the dying of small animals and birds.
May 12, 2019 at 2:45 PM
Anonymous said…
This post was very interesting to me. I was very surprised to learn that domesticated cats had such a negative impact on the environment by harming the small bird population. I think cat owners should be aware of this problem and supervise their cat's behavior when outside. I think TNR is a viable solution to this problem that could cut down the feral cat population.
May 12, 2019 at 8:47 PM
Anonymous said…
This was an interesting post! It's extremely unfortunate to think that creatures that we know and love could be such a destructive force to bird populations! Most cats that we keep as pets tend to stay indoors, and thus aren't contributing much to the death toll that you talked about in your blog post. I don't know if there's much we could or should do about our own cats, but we can encourage the passing of legislation that secures the safety of birds in the face of natural predators, as well as developments such as windmills. It is urgent that we address this issue, as cats could potentially disturb the intricate balances already established in ecosystems.
May 12, 2019 at 9:04 PM
Meredith Miller said…
This was a very interesting topic to bring up! Although it seems like there is nothing we can do to prevent cats from hunting birds and other animals and bringing them in the house, if an owner is especially Squamish or just wants unexpected guests to stop being dragged into the house, there are some simple measures they can take. Putting a bell on your cats collar will make it harder for them to sneak up on prey such as birds.
May 13, 2019 at 11:59 AM
Anonymous said…
There is no real solution to this issue after accounting for the massive number of birds killed, though there may be small ways to mitigate some deaths. Is it justifiable to shelter all house cats indoors and take feral cats into custody? No. And ethics aside it’s not even feasible. No pet owner is going to listen to a central authority commanding them what to do, as the pet owner is accountable for the pet, not the government. It is impossible to change the behavior of these pet owners, therefore the real change must lie in consumer consciousness: when buying a cat, customers should be informed by the seller of the cats’ propensity to kill other animals.
May 13, 2019 at 2:17 PM
Harrison Cui said…
I'm guessing you're more of a dog person... LOL just teasing. Is this really that big of a problem though? It seems it can be easily avoided by keeping domestic cats inside your house instead of letting them roam outside. Or what else do we do? Start killing cats, both domestic and wild? When pointing out these problems, you should provide an idea of a solution too.
May 13, 2019 at 6:49 PM
Anonymous said…
This was a very informative blog post, but it seems that sometimes, a solution may be much more simple if we think about it. By keeping our domestic cats inside of our house instead of letting them go around wherever they want, this problem could be avoided. Moreover, there's not a lot we can do to stop this problem if the cats continue to roam around, except for just keeping a closer watch on our pets.
May 13, 2019 at 8:42 PM
Anonymous said…
This was a very interesting post, bringing to light a very present, but not very obvious problem. However, cats are very present and domesticated, and pose a great threat if they are simply released into the wild. One remedy for this problem includes increased regulation of these pets. For example, domesticated cats could be restricted from going outside without proper supervision. Additionally, cats could be limited from being owned by people if not properly trained.
May 13, 2019 at 10:01 PM
Anonymous said…
I must say it: this blog post is unfairly targeting cats. Now, don’t get me wrong, I think dogs are great, but they certainly contribute to the destruction of native species as much as cats, albeit in some different ways. Dogs damage wild populations as well, in more ways than one. The most common type of damage they do is through predation, and they can kill more than just birds. They can go after smaller animals like hares and badgers, but they will also kill large animals like boars, deer, and even livestock. According to a 2016 study by Tim Doherty at Deakin University in Australia, dogs threaten 156 species and have caused the extinction of about 10. While the death count may not be as much as cats (or rodents, who take first place in the most destructive invasive mammalian predators), dogs can damage wild populations in other ways. Dogs can spread diseases, primarily rabies and canine distemper virus, to wild, livestock, and human populations; can interbreed with other canids; and compete with wild populations for resources. In fact, the presence of dogs can cause both wild predator and prey populations to change their behaviour to avoid encounters with feral dogs. And the impact of both cats and dogs (individually) is still behind the damage caused by rats, which are considered the most damaging group of invasive mammalian predators. Certainly cats have a negative impact, but if we’re going to address the issues domesticated animals pose to native wildlife species, we need to address all the domesticated animals contributing to the destruction of native wildlife populations.
May 13, 2019 at 10:18 PM
Dixie Westbrook said…
Who knew this would end up being the most controversial subjects to come out of the blogs?
Fascinating!!
I have a friend in Dallas who runs a non-profit spay/neuter/release for feral cats. It's called Feral Cat Friends. They have done a lot to help control the population of feral cats in Dallas but much work and education needs to be done. I think one of the biggest issues is that people are unaware of just how many millions of cats roam free. I see people feed them thinking that they are helping out wild cats. I don't think that actually helps. If we stop them from breeding, then the numbers will go down... eventually. Question is - can we wait that long?
May 14, 2019 at 11:19 AM
Anonymous said…
This was a really interesting post! I never knew that cats, a simple household pet, could pose such a risk to the environment. An easy way to prevent this issue would be to simply keep cats indoors. This eliminates unwanted reproduction, predation on wild animals, the spread of disease, and possible injury. The best times to keep the cat indoors would be during the night or at sunrise as this is when cats most fall into their predatory nature. Personally, I do not have a strong like towards cats but I still feel like they are an amazing household pet.
May 14, 2019 at 8:23 PM
Anonymous said…
When I was little, my family had a little black cat. An outdoors cat. She was so sweet, except for the time she brought in dead birds. As a cat owner, I can say that cats kill a lot of birds. The decline of the bird population will have a detrimental effect on the bird population. I think a viable option to this could be to put a bell on your cats collar. This could make noise when the cat tries to sneak up on the bird, and scare the bird away.
May 15, 2019 at 6:24 PM
Anonymous said…
Cats have always been viewed as destructive and invasive. They re capable of taking out small, helpless animals. Although cats are okay to have a specs, it s the owner’s responsibility to keep a close watch on the cats and ensure they do not harm other animals. Additionally, local community can implement stricter laws on dealing with feral animals that tend to kill.
May 15, 2019 at 11:56 PM
Anonymous said…
I actually enjoyed reading your post! It was really eye opening to read that cats could pose as a environmental threat.As a pet owner myself, I believe that it’s the owner’s responsibility to keep the cat indoors and ensure that they don’t build a habit of leaving whenever they feel. I think cities should pass stricter laws and regulation regarding such animals and fines for the owners as well to prevent further damage.
May 16, 2019 at 6:32 AM
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