Comments on: Fuzzy math on cats, birds clouds highly questionable ‘study’

By: Judith

Judith — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 02:54:00 +0000

I like cats. But please don’t let your love for your own cats blind you to the situation that we humans have, once again, created: an introduced species having a huge impact on native species of wildlife. Yes, there are MANY human-related causes of deterioration of animals and habitat, and all need to be addressed, but raising defensive hackles about domestic or feral cats and blaming everything else does no good. I was a wildlife rehabilitator for many years and saw first-hand the damage caused by cats and dogs. If people would keep their cats indoors, building outdoor “catteries” adjacent to their houses and taking the cats for walks on leashes, that would make a huge difference. I do not let my dogs roam, and would love to see the same attitude extend to all cat households. Please don’t forget that it’s not only the birds, snakes, reptiles, and amphibians that are being decimated—many well-fed cats are competing with wildlife for their natural prey species. Owls, hawks, foxes, and so many other animals don’t have a full food bowl to go home to. And don’t think letting your cat out only at night is OK—besides the dangers to the cats themselves, they will prey on fledglings perched low in trees and ground-nesting birds. The trap neuter release thing is a whole other big complex issue—I would just like to encourage cat guardians to take responsibility for their pets’ actions, recognize the impact they have on other creatures, and step up and change things.

By: dotlit

dotlit — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 02:37:00 +0000

This kind of reporting is outrageous! They totally did not mention the largest predator of all – the humans! We constantly destroy habitat with our subdivisions, our mall, our office complexes, and then complain that the cats are killing the birds! Better they advocate the spaying/neutering of our pets! But, no! Blame cats.

By: Eva

Eva — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 01:16:00 +0000

I have had cats all of my life and cared for ferals, living in the area. To this date, I have NEVER had one of them kill a bird. They have brought me mice and rats, one gopher, but that is it.

To have an aged/sick bird killed by a cat/dog is natures way to weed out the weak. I love all creatures (except fleas, roaches & mosquitoes) but birds have no natural enemies to help keep the breed strong. Lay off of our cats!

By: Robert Cruder

Robert Cruder — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 20:05:00 +0000

Check out the Supplementary Information in : http://www.nature.com/ncomms/journal/v4/n1/extref/ncomms2380-s1.pdf
That should put to rest any concern that the sources have been cherry-picked to support a hypothesis. The methodology is credible although one could ask for more sources in the U.S.

With that said, the “Supplementary Table S3 | Average proportion of total bird mortality caused by cat predation for individual species.” shows only two species for which cats are responsible for more than 10% of deaths and only four for which cats are responsible for more than 5% of deaths. None of the four are threatened and two (House Sparrow & Red-winged Blackbird) are considered by many to be pests. The take is no worse than what one would expect from small feral canids such as foxes.

Those percentages overshadow philosophical arguments from both the pro and anti cat positions. If cats are taking that small a percentage of a bird population, especially from species that should double their numbers with each breeding season, they earn no great priority for intervention.

Regardless of the methodological merits of the study as a whole, that one percentage of deaths table negates the author’s conclusion. Factors that interfere with breeding success offer a far more beneficial area of study.

By: Surika M.

Surika M. — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 16:08:00 +0000

Cats are lovable animals. Why should these people target cats based on something that probably isn’t 100% accurate? I think we all know that cats can bring home a dead mouse occasionally, but does that really make them killers? No. If you think about it, dogs can kill just as many small critters as cats can, if not more. Cats are the only culprits in this and they shouldn’t be accused of mass-murdering birds and other small animals, because they are not the only animals out and about on this planet. Francis, your post is great. It is sufficiently supported and well put together. Thank you for sharing this. I look forward to reading more posts from you!

By: annie

annie — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 00:18:00 +0000

I do know of a recent DC study using cat cams, however no fledglings were dropped in front yards, back yards, or anywhere but their own nests after they were banded.

By: Annie

Annie — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 00:14:00 +0000

Which study was that?

By: zeitentgeistert

zeitentgeistert — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 16:44:00 +0000

maybe it should also be clarified that in the “systematic review” the authors are using:

1. estimations of the overall feral cat population (which includes large numbers of managed city cats with no access to songbirds + all unfed country felines whose survival depend on catching protein & calories with the least amount of effort and no time to waste on a small prey with relatively little meat and feathers it can not swallow),
then multiplying this number with
2. the reported hunting behaviour of managed (fed) cats in suburban centres (with access to song- and other birds species and a much greater likelihood for a specialization on birds)

this must have led to an inflation of the actual numbers and i wish marra et. al would have collaborated with a behavioural ecologist who could have pointed out some errors in (animal) ‘logic’.

By: llida

llida — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 22:22:00 +0000

what county / state is that?

By: llida

llida — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 18:45:00 +0000

dave – you are absolutely right about the issues with pesticides, clearing brush, wetlands, etc. And as a resident and homeowner – I work on minimizing all of the above as much as it is within my control (don’t use/buy pesticides, support local wetlands and attend conservation meetings regarding their status, complain to Public Works about brush cleanup, leave brush in my own yard, etc. So as a responsible citizen – I AM already playing a role with these factors. But when the cats are free-roaming, or when no ownership is claimed, that is something that I am not responsible for controlling, and can only *react* to something when/if needed. And if there are no bylaws in place in our town, that means I am free to trap the cats on my own or via a private company; would that be a preferred scenario? I think not….. So many cat owners/keepers fear that bylaws would be the path to damnation for cats, when in actuality – they can be also used for their protection along with satisfying the needs of non-owners….