Claire asked; We have moved to our new house and have a fantastic variety of birds in our garden, we would like a cat but would this scare off our lovely feathered friends ?
Domestic cats are one of the most popular pets and having kept cats before I can understand the appeal. However, across the world our feline companions have caused many problems with wild animals. Their natural hunting prowess has hit many species hard, especially in places where they have evolved without the threat from such types of predation. In gardens here in the UK, whilst cats are not threatening any species with extinction, they do kill in excess of 50 million birds each year as well as frogs, slow worms and various small mammals. Given these facts there are a few points to consider if you are thinking of bringing a cat into an area where birdlife is thriving.
It is possible to love cats and birds but your cat will never appreciate them in the same way you do. In the eyes of the cat its instincts take over, birds are prey and the cat will try to get them at some point no matter how much fuss is made of it or how well fed it is. The birds will also fear the cat and if it is seen prowling outside, they will not wait around to find out if its friendly or not. If you are looking to get a cat and you don’t want it to hunt, the best approach is to get a housecat.
It is worth sparing a thought for your neighbours too, they may also like the birds and introducing a cat and allowing it to roam in the area may result in friction with anyone who isn’t so keen on our feline companions. Make no mistake, if your cat is allowed outside, it will roam, they can cover much more ground than you think and with that also comes their toilet habits, which can lead to neighbourhood hostilities. An indoor cat that uses a litter tray rules out this conflict.
Many birds nest in our gardens and baby birds are highly vulnerable. Many species have young that stay on the ground for days after leaving the nest, robins and blackbirds being the most common. These species will breed numerous times throughout the summer and a roaming cat can cause mayhem. This is often the reason you hear frantic alarm calls from agitated parent birds. Again, keeping the cat indoors is the ideal solution. People will resort to great lengths to keep cats out of gardens by using water pistols, prickly shrubs and fence toppers as well as ultrasonic deterrents such as the CatWatch system.
As a former keeper of housecats in my opinion, apart from not impacting on the local wildlife, the benefits of having them as indoor pets include preventing road accidents, preventing unwanted litters and reducing the risk of your cat contracting diseases.
Getting a cat is a big commitment, it will change your life. If it goes outside it will change the lives of the neighbourhood wildlife and those that live near to you. If they roam then they should be fitted with a collar and loud bells at the very least to give the local wildlife a warning that they are approaching. However getting a housecat gives you the benefits of being able to enjoy the companionship of a cat whilst you also have the joys of being able to feed and watch the local birds, which bring hours of entertainment.
For more information on cats and garden birds, check out our website here
Warden Intern at Otmoor.
You'll very often hear the argument that it's cruel to keep a cat indoors. I think this can be true - in particular if the cat in question is young and active and is used to going outside. But I believe cats that grow up as indoor cats can be completely happy, ditto more senior cats who would rather laze around all day than chase wildlife.
Cats are intelligent animals and need a certain amount of excitement and novelty to be happy, as well as exercise. So keeping a young indoor cat fit, happy and entertained will take some time, energy and imagination. As long as you involve your cat in some active playtime every day, and try to keep his/her environment varied and stimulating, there's no reason an indoor cat can't be perfectly happy and content. It can actually be easier with two cats (provided they get on) as they will play together.
Another option is to put a cat run in the garden, or (a bit more ambitious, and impossible in some cases) make your garden completely cat-proof so your cat cannot roam - probably wise not to encourage the birds if you go down this route, though.
About the unwanted litter point. All cats that aren't to be used for breeding should be spayed/neutered, whether they are indoor or outdoor. Intact cats of both sexes will be desperate to get out and mate - the males (toms) will spray and the females (queens) will come on heat every few weeks and drive you nuts with their 'calling'. Spaying/neutering can also prevent a host of health problems.
My blog: http://mazzaswildside.blogspot.co.uk/
My Flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/124028194@N04/
I've got 3 cats. Two are ex ferals that now prefer domestication and central heating. I also put down food out in a barn for a feral that visits the farm most days. It first turned up in pathetic condition in winter about 4 years ago. After a year I managed to trap that one and had it tested for feline leukaemia and AIDS and got it neutered and just groin it back and it just lives a wild nomadic life. The hedgehogs also eat the food I put down for that cat.
Obviously I like birds or I'd not be on this web site. We also have lots of variety of birds and I've 5 feeding stations in the garden. I am careful to site feeding stations where the cats don't get the benefit of the element of surprise and they're up high.
My domesticated cats go out regularly. In my opinion its wrong to have a cat and not let it go outside. We don't have a cat flap so they don't have total freedom and they're always in overnight to avoid dessimating the dawn chorus! They do take occasional birds but rather than adults or at the feed it's ordinarily fledgelings and young ones learning to fly.
In the grand scheme of things they don't take that many and there's much worse things than cats!
I always freeze anything they catch and in winter when we've a lot of snow I put it put for the owls and birds of prey.
I have a couple of feeders fairly near the house windows and I've wrens and goldcrest that regularly land on my dining room windowsill to peck among the moss for insects. The cats ordinarily sit there watching and get quite excited but the birds treat them with total disdain!
A bird in the hand can make an awful mess!
So, 'In the grand scheme of things' 100 million small animals, including up to 50 million songbirds annually, mostly during the breeding season is not that many..?
Cats were 'domesticated' and introduced to Britain by the Romans. In evolutionary terms 2000 years is the blink of an eye. It will be millions of years before birds evolve to nest higher and only in dense thorn trees - if cats haven't already hunted them to extinction. Cats evolving into toothless, clawless pussies will take the same time.
I don't blame cats, I blame human interference and thoughtlessness.