Page 10 | If you have a cat you have to stop it scaring and eating birds

Chan9eusername · 10/11/2024 18:45

I bought my cat an extra loud bell for her collar

It didn't stop her catching loads of stuff.

Herewegoago · 10/11/2024 18:44

HousefulofIkea · 10/11/2024 18:15

Why is it ridiculous. All the people feeding vast numbers of birds from bird feeders in their garden are just contributing to healthy bird populations who then decimate the worms. Its only as ridiculous as asking those who feed cats to ask them to stop eating worms

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This was kind of my point when I said that some people are all up in arms about birds being caught by cats, but are perfectly happy to have other species they feel less warm and fluffy about being kept under control.. worms, slow worms, mice, rats for example… but we must save the baby birds!

K0OLA1D · 10/11/2024 18:41

AlpacaMittens · 10/11/2024 18:40

So if they're not threatening anything with extinction, then what's the issue? They do the same as eg magpies do when they attack small bird nests. Etc etc etc

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And have done for centuries

PyreneanAubrie · 10/11/2024 18:41

letthemalldoone · 10/11/2024 17:59

That's such a shame! I love my garden - it's filled with mature trees and shrubs that I planted when we moved here nearly 30 years ago, both front and back. I'd never cut any of it down.

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Ours is too. That's what makes us scared to move even though we'd love to relocate to a less urban area; we couldn't bear to think that someone would cut all our trees down and rip everything out. So many trees already lost here but nobody seems to care.

AlpacaMittens · 10/11/2024 18:40

lasagnelle · 10/11/2024 16:15

"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."

https://community.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/f/ask-an-expert/96132/ask-an-expert-cats-and-wild-birds#:~:text=In%20gardens%20here%20in%20the,worms%20and%20various%20small%20mammals.

So if they're not threatening anything with extinction, then what's the issue? They do the same as eg magpies do when they attack small bird nests. Etc etc etc

Blue444 · 10/11/2024 18:40

Quintette · 10/11/2024 16:11

I’ll have a word with mine, explain the problem. See what he says.

I'll try with mine too 😂

ShortNTall · 10/11/2024 18:40

lasagnelle · 10/11/2024 18:35

Why does an American human make so much more?

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I'm guessing larger homes (more expensive to heat/cool/light), use of aircon, larger engined vehicles + more mileage on average (because things are further away), probably different farming and food production practices mean higher co2 per capita, more flights (internal flights v common in the USA).

JustinThyme · 10/11/2024 18:39

lasagnelle · 10/11/2024 18:34

That's because they probably have collars put on when they keep killing everything

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You really are posting some uninformed nonsense.

stormsandsunshine · 10/11/2024 18:39

lasagnelle · 10/11/2024 18:35

Why does an American human make so much more?

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Because they are likely to do more driving and own more cars, and potentially do more flying as it is such a huge country. Also consume more red meat, especially beef which is the worst meat for its carbon footprint.

AlpacaMittens · 10/11/2024 18:38

lasagnelle · 10/11/2024 16:10

Get a bell collar or something. Give the wildlife a chance. Can you train cats to leave birds alone?

OK but then also dogs will never be off their lead and will be muzzled outside if they have poor recall. Oh what was that? They need to run? They can just run on a lead.

Tomorrowillbeachicken · 10/11/2024 18:38

We have a multi generational feral cat population here (most are neutered then rereleased here) and they are definitely wild.

Original poster

lasagnelle · 10/11/2024 18:36

HousefulofIkea · 10/11/2024 18:15

Why is it ridiculous. All the people feeding vast numbers of birds from bird feeders in their garden are just contributing to healthy bird populations who then decimate the worms. Its only as ridiculous as asking those who feed cats to ask them to stop eating worms

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Worms are wild animals cats aren't. Control them

OP posts:

Original poster

lasagnelle · 10/11/2024 18:35

RogueFemale · 10/11/2024 18:26

Cat - 310kg of CO2e per year
UK Human - 5 tonnes
USA human - 16 tonnes

I'd suggest not having babies.

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Why does an American human make so much more?

OP posts:

Tomorrowillbeachicken · 10/11/2024 18:34

Sunnysundayicecream · 10/11/2024 18:30

The main reason for the decline in wild birds is intensive farming accourding to the RSPB. The use of fertilisers, pesticides etc as well as a reduction in hedgerows is a major cause of of the depletion of wild birds. This is a man made problem, nothing to do with cats.

Also people replacing their gardens will fully paved yards or plastic grass won’t help and also the councils allowing building everywhere in urban and suburban areas won’t help

Original poster

lasagnelle · 10/11/2024 18:34

Wantitalltogoaway · 10/11/2024 17:53

My vet told me that cats with bell collars actually kill more wildlife than cats without. Fun fact.

That's because they probably have collars put on when they keep killing everything

OP posts:

Mrsgreen100 · 10/11/2024 18:33

collar !!!

Mrsgreen100 · 10/11/2024 18:32

multi cat owner neighbour who works in bird a
Bird reserve said cats need two bells on their colour because they learn how to stalk when there’s only one

U13579 · 10/11/2024 18:32

TriesNotToBeCynical · 10/11/2024 18:27

A proposition with no evidence. The ones who enter my garden mainly kill healthy fledglings. And I am not sure how one would recognise a weak or sick slowworm.

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There is evidence provided by the RSPB themselves. I've already quoted it in this thread

U13579 · 10/11/2024 18:30

Sawlt · 10/11/2024 18:26

My cat catching perfectly healthy birds by stealth, speed … not catching crippled weak birds.

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Did you measure the size of the spleen compared to other birds and also the protein mass of the bird your cat caught? I dont think we are talking about noticeable differences at the time of catching. It is true it is mainly sick birds they catch, RSPB themselves have stated this.

Sunnysundayicecream · 10/11/2024 18:30

The main reason for the decline in wild birds is intensive farming accourding to the RSPB. The use of fertilisers, pesticides etc as well as a reduction in hedgerows is a major cause of of the depletion of wild birds. This is a man made problem, nothing to do with cats.

Herewegoago · 10/11/2024 18:27

oakleaffy · 10/11/2024 17:16

Cats can and do catch fledgelings out of nests.
They catch native Wildlife in Australia and reach enormous sizes-
It's not at all ''just the old and the sick''. That's complete nonsense.

Cats are efficient predators.

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Apologies, I should have specified that I am in in the UK, where this information comes from the bird protection outfits thenselves.

TriesNotToBeCynical · 10/11/2024 18:27

Herewegoago · 10/11/2024 16:15

Cats don’t actually upset the bird population, if anything they help to strengthen it. They only catch the weak/sick birds that wouldn’t survive anyway. YABU.

A proposition with no evidence. The ones who enter my garden mainly kill healthy fledglings. And I am not sure how one would recognise a weak or sick slowworm.

RogueFemale · 10/11/2024 18:26

FloralGums · 10/11/2024 16:37

Consider a carnivorous pet’s impact on the climate emergency too.
phys.org/news/2021-03-carbon-pawprint-friend-planet-enemy.html

Cat - 310kg of CO2e per year
UK Human - 5 tonnes
USA human - 16 tonnes

I'd suggest not having babies.

Sawlt · 10/11/2024 18:26

Herewegoago · 10/11/2024 18:20

Source?

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My cat catching perfectly healthy birds by stealth, speed … not catching crippled weak birds.

Daisyb1080 · 10/11/2024 18:25

Mine stalks and catches socks and small toys, I don’t think she is much of a threat 🤷‍♀️