Cats killing all the baby birds

[paperdollar]

There are so many cats in the neighbourhood the baby birds don’t stand a chance. I don’t understand how people can’t take responsibility for their cats and keep them inside during nesting season (at the very least) to stop them butchering all the local wildlife. All that time and energy spent by birds tending to their nest and providing food for them to be killed without even having a chance. One cat in particular has been stalking mine and my 2 neighbours gardens and taken most of the baby birds that have come this year, this is the least we have ever seen. Despite shooing it, chasing it, using water pistols/jugs of water, dogs chasing it, lions poo, high up feeders, removing feeders etc. I have been to the owners door to ask her to keep it inside for a bit to give the birds a chance but she said it is an outdoor cat and it is “nature” and nothing she can do about it. It is nature for birds and other wildlife to prey on baby birds as a means of survival, not your overbred, overfed domesticated cats. One cat owner has 9 cats with a nest in her gutter, next door to that has 3 with a nest also. One of them has a feeding pole in her garden low to the ground, so my stopping feeding the birds means they will be going there to take their chances. I can’t believe foxes are put down for killing cats for survival but nothing can be done about this. It is making me ill to witness, these irresponsible owners are not animal lovers. I post at the end of my rope having just chased one with a screaming baby in it’s mouth and dropping it only once it stopped. I’m wondering if anyone else has ever suffered the same and found something to do about it.

@titchy

Maybe you could do something about the jays and magpies eating baby birds too?

Indeed. Haven't seen a single cat in my garden since moving in - but the magpies have been harassing the nesting birds - lots of alarm calls yesterday and I looked up to see them in action - and the other day a crow attacked a pigeon's nest in next doors tree.

The sheer number of magpies around shows how successful they are, they were not common birds in my youth in the 60's.

Make your garden as unfriendly to cats as possible.
Squirt them with water, a non dangerous sticky substance even. Make it so the nuisance doesn't return.
Cats are basically a pest to many of us introduced and to predators to keep numbers down.
Birds are a lovely and natural indigenous creature. Cats are introduced and vastly over bred and damaged the environment in multiple ways.

@Slippy78

It's a myth that cats do any noticeable damage to bird populations. The ones that they catch are usually the injured and weak ones that wouldn't have survived anyway.

Rubbish

I'm not anti cat and have also heard that cats don't actually threaten bird populations due to hunting, but am a bit surprised by all the disingenuous claims that keeping pet cats, especially in large numbers, constitutes "nature". As soon as animals are domesticated they are no more part of nature than humans are. People will be claiming hedgehogs and badger getting hit by cars, or fox hunting with hounds, is "nature" next! Whatever the justification, "its nature" isn't any truer than claiming that dog shit everywhere, not cleaned up by owners, is "nature"...

After my cat tried to kill a bird yesterday ( I got him off and the bird eventually flew away once it had got back some energy) I've got Him a bell collar. It's really upsetting seeing the birds being killed for fun

@June2021 - it's not rubbish, it's research done by the RSPB. Follow the many links to their website up thread.

The RSPB also point out that the species in most decline are those which cats rarely access - like skylarks.

I think people sometimes get confused between “it’s nature” and “natural instinct”.

It might not be nature/circle of life for those that are domesticated cats. But for freaks/farm cats it most definitely is nature. And for all of them, it is hard-wired natural instinct, it’s built into them, you can’t train it out. Same way it’s natural instinct for my cat to “paw” around his food bowl when he leaves it - “covering” it up until he’s ready to come back to it.

Mine doesn’t kill anything - but I’ve had years of birds, mice, voles being brought in without a scratch on them. He then presents them to me and I have “fun” catching them and releasing them. He doesn’t free-roam, only stays in my back garden, so doesn’t bother anyone else.

As others have said, the jays, magpies and crows (we have loads round here) are vicious. And watching/listening to a sparrow hawk in action is awful.

Not freaks - feral! Stupid iPad autocorrect.

My cat was lying in the garden the other day and a tiny bird landed right next to her. She turned her head to look at it and that was about the extent of action she could muster up. Lazy fucker.

The neighbour's cat's a killer but he's unneutered and quite aggressive with other cats too

I agree to an extent and I’m a cat owner.
My cat found a nest of baby birds this year and brought back 2 out of the nest in quick succession.
I kept her in once I realised for 8 days until they had fledged.
But.. it was a nightmare 8 days. She pooed on the floor as didn’t like the litter tray. I was on guard for 12 hours a day when anyone went in or out because she makes a dash for the door every time she hears it open.
I had to shut her in various rooms constantly depending on what was happening - I have children and they are in and out all the time when not at school.
It was a very stressful week so it’s not just as simple as ‘oh keep the cat in’ sometimes that is very hard to maintain for the length of time needed

There was a program about this on R4 years ago & even the man representing the RSPB had to concede cat predation wasn’t a huge issue. They said without cats, birds of prey we’d be knee deep in birds.

Baby birds, mice etc are basically nature’s all you can eat Buffett.

Maybe you could do something about the jays and magpies eating baby birds too?

Excellent idea, what do you suggest? Keeping them inside during the nesting season.

I saw a magpie eating a duckling that was pretty much alive when it started ripping off parts of it. incredibly upsetting, but the magpie killed to eat it, not to play with it.

I would not complain about a feral cat eating birds, but a fat one who is fed 3 times a day... is not the same and is not nature.

Dogs go for cats as well but nobody ever says “that’s nature” when they do.

I totally agree. The RSPB had to say nice things in order to keep cat owners memberships, but the British Ornithological Society is more direct. Honestly, the only thing you can do is cat proof your fences and any access points to the garden so that they can't get in, Google cat fence deterrents there's all sorts for all budgets but wire mesh angled on brackets is probably most cost effective if you source them.all cheaply all the way round the perimeter, then make your garden into a wildlife haven with hedges and trees and nesting spots. It sickens me that some cat owners coo over and laugh off their 'presents' of baby birds and wildlife as their 'natural' right, please follow some.bird and wildlife rescues local to you and see what they have to deal with on a daily basis. Cat saliva is also toxic even if they don't kill the birds in the first.place

We had 9 great tits fledge around 7.30am last week, 7 made it to the tree, 2 on the ground, I kept an eye until I left for work and they were gone when I returned, the tree ones definitely were around until the weekend (by which time they would be dispersing) I suspect the gulls or cats got the ground ones. but that's why a pair have around 20 young a year!

I've read through more comments about cat owners releasing birds back. are you aware cat saliva on claws and teeth is toxic and the birds need antibiotics from a rescue?

It's what cats do. If this is making you ill I would seriously suggest a visit to your GP

A collar with a bell on usually fixes that. Are you aware of whose cats they are, and made the suggestion to them?

Asuch as I enjoy cat cuddles, people saying "it's nature".
There is nothing natural about the amount of cats here. If any other predator population (or many other animal populations actually) grew into levels like that causing havoc, they would be culled...
Note, O am not suggesting a cull.

But owners really have to start controling their predators. Since more cats appeared in my neighborhood frogs disappeared, along with some birds. The remainer of birds congregates in mine because I am now brutal about keeping the cats out.

I don't get it. A dog attacks and kills a seal, and there is nationwide outrage. Meanwhile, cats kill tons of wildlife on a daily basis and nobody bats an eyelid. They also get away with roaming freely into neighbouring gardens, fighting, shitting where they please. If dogs were allowed to behave like cats they would be rounded up and euthanised.

Cat owners - please consider a bird be safe ruff that goes over the normal collar. They are amazing and stopped my cat catching any birds. Doesn’t work for rabbits / mice etc. But means the birds see her.

They are expensive for what is a tube of material. Would take 5 mins to make on a sewing machine. So simple but so effective.

Even if cat owners kept their cats in (which they do not legally have to) there are £9m stray cats and £1.5m feral cats, according to cats protection. This is partly caused by cat owners not neutering them. But in my experience only cat owners care enough about stray cats to call a rescue centre if they find one. Everyone else just assumes they will look after themselves or ignores them.

I am sad about cats killing baby birds too (which the RSPB does not see as a particular issue), but as a pp said, I am also sad about cars killing deer, badgers and foxes on roads. Shall we ban cars too, or keep them in at dawn and dusk? Which is more 'natural': cats or cars?

Also, those saying the RSPB is glossing over facts to keep cat owner memberships, I think that is unlikely.

@yogz1976 but they do. Dogs are have a massive environmental impact. They kill birds and disturb ground nesting birds who then abandon their chicks. It’s a huge problem in the U.K. . They chase roe deer and worry snd kill enormous amounts of livestock but nothing is being done about this either. If you condemn cats, you also have to condemn dogs. I’m afraid they are no better.

I’ve owned cats all my life and we’ve never had a bird brought in.

A lot of ignorance on this thread. There is nothing "natural" about the concentration of feline predators in urban areas. If people really want their cats to be part of nature then they need to stop feeding them so that they starve when the populations of their prey falls. Oh and no taking them to a vet if sick/injured.

Cats are pets and it's long past time that cat owners are told to stop them straying. Want a cat? Then keep one on your property.

Totally with you OP I wish they would make put restrictions on cats as they have in some countries like curfews or stopping their right to roam and making owner’s responsible for them. They are a menace.