Summary

Join Ivan as he wades into the conservation quagmire surrounding house cats and their effects on wild birds.

First, we’ll look at the status of house cat and feral cat populations around the world. How are all these free-ranging cats affecting our wild birds? 

Many scientific studies of this issue gives us some answers. Research also provides guidance for how best to solve the problems that cats create for birds. Some approaches are more severe than others.

We’ll also go over a few ways that responsible cat owners can help protect their local birds as well as keep their kitty happy.

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Links of Interest

• Further Reading: The Moral Cost of Cats
• Catio Tours in Portland, Oregon

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Research Citations

• A global review of the impacts of invasive cats on island endangered vertebrates
• Birds be safe: Can a novel cat collar reduce avian mortality by domestic cats
• The impact of free-ranging domestic cats on wildlife of the United States
• Cat eradication significantly decreases shearwater mortality
• Estimates of wildlife killed by free-ranging cats in China
• How Effective and Humane is Trap-Neuter-Release TNR for Feral Cats?
• Quantifying free-roaming domestic cat predation using animal-borne video cameras
• Review of feral cat eradications on islands (PDF)

Photos of some birds mentioned

Attributions

• Arctic Tern Sounds (Xeno Canto XC432747)
• Piping Plover Sounds (Xeno Canto XC433082)

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