Some accuse our cats of contributing to decline in bird populations in Franceand in turn attract the ire of cat owners who fear their favorite pet will be taken from them.
A house cat kept his hunter behavior. And when he has the opportunity, he will hunt, not for food, but simply by instinct, and therefore kill birds. So it is clear that a Siamese in an apartment will not kill many, but a cat in a suburban house or in the country is something else. It is estimated that an average cat is likely to kill 5 to 10 birds per year..
The problem is that the population of domestic cats has increased significantly these past years. In France there are almost 15 million, to which must be added stray cats, 8 to 10 million, and so-called “hare” cats, these former domestic cats returned to the wild, whose number we do not know.
We understand that in the end these three populations of cats are responsible for the death of millions of birds every year in France, and the first victims are, logically, the small birds in our garden: sparrows, titmice, blackbirds, redheads… .
It is the prevalence of cats that poses a problem. Yes, it is one of the reasons for the erosion of biodiversity in France, but we must immediately add that it is far from the only one. For researchers, the first reason is loss of natural habitats for wildlife.
What to do ?
A note from the Bird Protection Association is clear on the subject. It is based on work done in England. The birds of prey would be, above all, non-breeding birdsreproduction of survivors makes it possible to partially compensate for the number of birds killed.
The note nevertheless assesses that “in contexts of high density of cats, certain populations of wild animals are unable to compensate for losses caused by cats”. And this is where we see those who want to reduce the number of cats coming and where the controversy begins.
There is actually no question of attacking the owners of domestic cats. Especially since cats play an important social role with their masters and mistresses, and they also participate in controlling rodent populations.
Initially, we must control the spread of stray and feral cats. To do this, sterilization of them is an ethically acceptable and very effective means. Across France, town halls are organizing campaigns to sterilize stray cats. We must welcome these initiatives and hope that they develop throughout France.
For domestic cats, firstly, voluntary sterilization avoids many litters of kittens. The LPO also reminds us: There are very simple measures for our cat, such as guaranteeing him access to quality self-service food to reduce his need for predation, equipping his house with toys and playing with him so that he can practice his hunting skills at home and keeping him indoors during periods when young birds come out of the nests. Outside, a simple bell on the collar reduces the risk of predation by 60%.
In general, you can say that the more the owner is present in the cat’s life, the more the cat turns away from its predatory behavior outside the home. There are plenty of ways to limit our cats’ impact on birds. Let’s stop pitting bird advocates against cat lovers, there’s still room for everyone!
