Keeping cats indoors best for felines, birds

Now that spring is here it’s the season for birds and fledglings.

Sadly, we also see cats in our yard and abundant evidence that the cats have been very successful in killing birds.

Scientists estimate that nationwide, cats kill hundreds of millions of birds, and more than a billion small mammals, such as rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks, each year.

There are more than 77 million pet cats in the United States. A 1997 nationwide poll showed that only 35 percent are kept exclusively indoors, leaving the majority of owned cats free to kill birds and other wildlife at least some of the time. This is despite the fact that almost all birds are federally protected, both from humans and cats, and it is illegal to kill them or cause them to be killed.

National organizations such as Audubon and the American Bird Conservancy ask cat owners to put effort into converting their outdoor cats to indoor cats.

It’s well known that domestic cats are healthier and live longer if kept indoors (statistically about 1 years versus 4 years). Indoor cats are less likely to either contract or transmit disease.

Keeping cats indoors is crucial when young birds are fledging in the spring but would be very valuable at any other time of the year. At the very least, putting a breakaway collar and a bell on your cat would be better than doing nothing.

For more information visit the American Bird Conservancy’s “Cats Indoor” page at www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/cats/.

STEPHEN AUGUSTINE

Sandpoint