Should cats be banned near areas with endangered birds?

Question

Should cats be banned near areas with endangered birds?

Answer 1

No, not at all. Although some cats seem to have the knack of bird-hunting and kill lots, most of them have to work long and hard to get one - a treat they love, but don't often get.

In the meantime, a good cat will keep his territory free of other cats. He will keep it free of predators like magpies, crows and small carnivorous mammals. Other birds, especially corvids, are responsible for the deaths of more birds than any cat. In any case, bird fertility is normally high. If something did not eat most of the babies, song-birds would become a pest. It's a question of balance.

We have always kept big, fierce unneutered tomcats. Our garden is alive with birdsong, and always has been. Last week I counted 8 songbird species in an hour. Wrens and robins nest in our hedge, blackbirds in the clematis on the terrace and song thrushes in one of the trees. I suspect there is a goldfinch's nest somewhere, but have not located it.

On the other hand my son-in-law, a bird fanatic who refuses to let my daughter keep a cat, is saddened every year by the absence of birds (apart from magpies and pigeons) on his bird table. No birds, no nests, no song.

Let the cats live, and the birds will too.

Answer 2

Cats perform an important function for humans by killing mice and rats.  In the olden days, killing birds was also to the benefit of humans because the birds ate the seeds, the farmer just planted in the fields.  

Cats in this question probably refer to our domesticated cats, not wild cats.  The domestic cat has been the friend of humans for thousands of years, ever since humans started growing grains and needing a place to store them.  At that time, and even now in some remote places, if the humans did not have cats to kill the mice and rats, they would be in danger of starvation in the winter because the mice and rats would eat all the grain ..... and that would have been disastrous for the people because that's what they had been depending on for the winter.

Now, cats are our beloved pets.  And they deserve the honor because they have saved our lives time and again over the years.

However, birds are important too, and we humans have to think of ways to stop allowing hundreds of species of birds and insects to go extinct from our activities (our footprint).

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Answer 3

Well, living where I live, cats can be an issue unless they are kept indoors as the pets that they are supposed to be.  If they are taken outside, tie them up or walk them like you would a dog.  Pets are a responsibility.  It could be very unsafe for your cat to just run free outside for several reasons.  Cars hit them.  Diseases that they can get.  Diseases that they can transmit.  Hawks will catch them and eat them.  If your cat is not spayed or neutered, well I am sure that you see the ads in the paper about 'Free Kittens' and if you visit your local humane society, they probably have more cats than people to take them in.  That sickens me.

Cats can cause serious problems with nature, too.  In the area that I live in, cats are NOT a natural aspect of the scenery, just like dandelions and purple loosestrife.  They might catch a few moles, voles and mice, but they also put a big damper on the wild bird population, including the young of turkeys, grouse and quail.

For the responsible pet owners out there, kudos.  For those that let your cat run free, well, I sure hope that you take it to the vet.  Cats can carry some diseases that are fatal to humans.

Answer 4

cats like any animal are going in after prey so to ban one that would only lead to other Bans and pretty soon would not even have the animals you eat.

Answer 5

Thats an interesting idea but a little unrealistic.  

I have got a cat - what do I do if an endangered bird lands in my garden?

Answer 6

Nothing a good rifle would cure,Don't get me wrong nothing wrong with wildlife just to many domestic cats who's owners don't care.

Answer 7

yes they should, if its your cat you could go to jail for being responsible for the killed bird.and if the cat kills to many of the birds it could become instinct.

Answer 8

Definitely . Cats would kill all the birds. Letting cats near endangered birds, is absurd!

Answer 9

yes

Answer 10

I'm not arguing, but wouldn't it be difficult to ban a cat? Independent types, cats.

Answer 11

Along with the cats should also be- Foxes,stoats ,weasles, all corvids,all raptors, mink, squirrels ,badgers and rats. There used to be a bounty on some of the above,but nobody bothers to control (shoot) them anymore,now that it has been removed.

Answer 12

I disagree. Cat's serve an important function in keeping the pest & rodent population in check ~ without them, we'd see fields teeming with rats, mice, and squirrels.

But, if you are concerned about cats killing endangered birds, the problem is easily solved by placing a bell around the cat's neck.

Answer 13

Why ban them?  Keep them indoors.  

Besides, feral cat populations pose a more serious threat.  Businesses and cities alike should be educated to make sure they're doing all they can to remove these poor animals from the wild so they don't have to fend for themselves at the expense of birds, endangered or otherwise.

I'm a cat lover, a birder and a naturalist, and balancing all 3 interests can be very delicate sometimes.

Answer 14

Every animal is just food for another animal. It is nature. Nature is brutal and has no conscience. Nature does not care about endangered species.

Answer 15

That would cover the whole of the UK...if a cat is caught out after a certain time it should be issued with a CATBO

Answer 16

No! There is only a small problem as birds have been known to fly much higher than the most stealthy cat. Now if you are asking about the nesting areas of these birds then certainly protect the nesting areas from cats as baby birds are not near so cleaver and may become dinner.

Answer 17

yes yes yes and shot if seen within a mile, that may sound a bit harsh but these vermin kill everything

Answer 18

Depends on how many of the birds are left, and if it is a naturally present feline species.  

If that feline is present in that area naturally then no, don't ban them.

If there very few of the birds left, then perhaps, no many predators can wipe out the food supply after all.

Answer 19

uh,,,,yep

Answer 20

What are you going to do?hand them out warrants?

Answer 21

Duh boo boo

Answer 22

wild birds ,,,, wild cats.... its all nature leave things alone!!!!

humans seem to think that they can control everything when in truth they only make things worse!!!!

only the strongest survive !!!! thats the rules !!! leave it be ,,,,

Answer 23

Cats shouldn't be allowed to wander free anywhere.

Answer 24

This will probably ruffle a few feathers but I'd go further and say in the UK all cats should be licensed and controlled, with owners being responsible to stop them straying and causing a nuisance.

And to really put the cat amongst the pigeons I'd suggest there is an argument that says letting cat's stray and putting the cat out at night is actually illegal. Why, because a domestic cat is not an indigenous native species and it is illegal to release a non domestic animal into the environment. This is to stop any non native species breeding in the wild and endangering our native wild life so why should we continue to pussyfoot around, lets enforce the law. ( NB had to put pussyfoot in as all one word as the spell checking made it p***y foot when left as two words, is this a new Yahoo monitoring watch dog )

In addition to their bird napping crimes, screaming toms and queens upset the neighbourhood at mating time, and they scratch up the garden.

In Canada cat licensing legislation is wide spread in lots of individual townships within the various provinces. EG: Calgary recently passed the legislation, by a wisker of one extra councillor's vote in favour and charges $15 - $30CAN ( approx. £7 - £15. ) Edmonton has had cat licensing since 2000, and householders can trap trespassing cats in their garden and take them to the animal pound. Now that's a good idea surely, in 2005 4,4000 were trapped and 1,700 of them put down, the rest rehomed. A $100 fine ( approx. £50 ) concentrates the mind wonderfully.

There are loads of other examples, the charges vary depending upon the numbers kept etc. There are reduced fees for seniors and neutered, the first I assume is the age of the owner the second, hopefully, only relates to the gender of the cat !

We are only just starting to scratch the surface in the UK in recognising irresponsible cats are a nuisance, lets start working away now because with their nine lives it'll take a long time to sort the problem out.

Answer 25

You cant ba cats from anywhere as they are regarded as feral, unlike dogs who have to be controlled

Answer 26

Absolutely they should.

Answer 27

We have already interfered too much. It is just by the laws of nature that a predator hunts and the prey dies.

However it is our responsibility to maintain/restore the balance, so I think it is a wise advice.

Answer 28

Domestic cats should be banned-full stop.

You may well think as I do when your garden gets turned over by other peoples vermin.

We have a bird table in our garden which is visited by all sorts of birds. It is quite a job keeping crows and seagulls off it, but cats sneak up on the birds on the table.

Water cannon, hose pipe, air gun can all be effective, but who wants to guard a garden all day/night?

Answer 29

Outdoor cats should be banned everywhere! They destroy the wildlife and it isn't safe for them.