Keeping pet cats indoors or allowing them to roam free, there’s more to the decision than managing fleas. Consider the fact that cats – domestic and feral – kill up to 3.7 billion birds each year, as well as 20 billion small mammals.
While owners may think cats belong outdoors, it’s important to remember that domestic cats are not native to the United States – while many of the birds, mammals, and reptiles they’re feasting on are.
Outdoor cats turn natural areas that would normally provide shelter for native wildlife into danger zones filled with feline predators. It’s estimated that, of the 84 million pet cats in the U.S., as many as 70 percent spend some of their time outside.
Working with the National Geographic Society, scientists from the University of Georgia outfitted 60 outdoor housecats in Athens with ‘crittercams’ that recorded their outdoor activities. They found many of the animals spent a good portion of their free time hunting, with a third killing several animals a week. Among their bounty: birds, lizards, voles, and frogs.
If protecting wildlife isn’t reason enough, consider that indoor cats, on average, live longer than their outdoor counterparts. Outdoor cats are vulnerable to being hit by vehicle traffic, and they can also contract a plethora of diseases and fall prey to predators of their own, like dogs and coyotes.
Hungry feral cats represent a much larger threat to wildlife than pampered pets; we will be exploring this issue in a future Earth Wise. But, as evidenced by the University of Georgia study, keeping pet cats indoors can still have a measurable, positive impact on local wildlife.
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Web Links
Kitty Cam Photos & Videos
http://www.kittycams.uga.edu/photovideo.html
http://www.emagazine.com/earth-talk/cats-and-bird-populations
Indoor Cats vs. Outdoor Cats
“KittyCam” Reveals High Levels of Wildlife Being Killed by Outdoor Cats
http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/releases/120806.html
Photo, taken on January 12, 2009, courtesy of Pete Markham via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Support for Earth Wise comes from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY.