Domestic cats (Felis catus) can make wonderful pets, but they can also take a serious toll on wildlife when they’re allowed to roam outdoors. Cats are expert hunters with strong prey drives, and their unnatural introduction by people to new environments around the world threatens native species, disrupts ecosystems, and spreads disease. They pose a major threat to birds, killing an estimated 2.4 billion birds each year in the U.S. alone, making cats the top source of direct, human-caused bird mortality in the U.S. – American Bird Conservancy
Keeping cats indoors is a major benefit to cats as well. The average lifespan of an indoor cat is 12 – 20 years (according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) which is much greater than the lifespan of an outdoor cat.
If you are both a bird lover and a cat lover, you might be interested in joining a new effort by South Sound Bird Alliance to encourage cat owners to contain their pets in their homes and “catios”. A committee is now forming and we can use your help. Our first efforts will focus on producing an informational brochure and reaching out to potential partners in the veterinarian, pet food, and animal shelter world. After that, we want to get the word out through staffing booths at public events and, hopefully, sponsoring a “catio” tour which would also promote native plant landscaping.
Our committee meetings will be via Zoom and we especially need representation from Lewis and Mason counties. Our first meeting will be in January. You can contact me, Kathleen Snyder, at ksnyder75@gmail.com for more information.
