Forget the Birds and the Bees; Think about the Birds and the Cats

Sometimes birds and cats just don't get along

Being a cat owner and bird lover are not two mutually exclusive states of being.  Much controversy swirls around about whether domestic cats should have access to the outdoors, especially with respect to bird populations.  While I see both points of view, there are some particular cautions cat owners and bird lovers can take during spring and fall bird migrations.

Hundred of thousands of birds travel through Central and coastal Virginia during their annual spring and fall migrations.  This large swatch of "migratory pathway" from Florida to Canada is called the Atlantic Flyway.  Virginia sits smack in the middle of it--which means cats that live in Virginia can significantly impact the bird population!  .

This cat is ready to pounce!

Cats are instinctively nocturnal.  They prefer to hunt at dusk, throughout the night, and in the early dawn.  While it is best to keep your domestic cat indoors--extending their lifespan and protecting birds--it doesn't always work.  If your cats need to spend time both indoors and outdoors, I recommend that you keep them indoors at the very least from 7:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m.  There are several types of cat doors and cat windows with locking mechanisms that have enter and/or exit only settings, timers, and ID systems.  Outdoor cat owners should NEVER hang bird feeders!  Remember, some municipalities require cats to be on leashes at all times.

Under no circumstances should you feed stray cats.  While it seems the humane thing to do, you are prolonging their suffering and making them dependent on an unpredictable food source.  While stray cats kill many birds--sometimes the birds end up injuring the cats.  The best thing to do is either trap the stray animal and adopt it or trap the animal and place it with your local SPCA for evaluation and adoption. 

This cat has "tipped" ears most likely due to bird attack.  

If you are camping with your cat at one of our Virginia State Parks, we highly recommend that you keep your cat inside your RV.  We do not recommend tent camping with cats.  Feral cats that invade our parks often start out as domestic pets that escaped from their camping families.  While our job is to protect wildlife, we also want to protect your pet, too.  Keep them home or inside your RV so they don't fall prey to larger predators such as bobcats, bears, or eagles.

The American Bird Conservancy has excellent downloadable materials about the Cats Indoors campaign and the impacts domestic and stray cats can have on wildlife populations.