Millions of years of evolution without predators populated New Zealand with flightless birds and other vulnerable animals that occur nowhere else in the world. Cats are wiping them out. One environmentalist suggested the country ban cats, because its wildlife isn’t equipped to handle cat predation.
Our wildlife is not equipped to handle cat predation either.
On Friday, I published a feature photo, “One Eye…Nine Lives” with a caption that cited a study published in Nature Communications. The study estimated the effects of cat predation—feral and outdoor house cats—on our country’s wildlife. Researchers estimated that cats kill 1.4 – 3.7 billion birds and 6.9 -20.7 billion mammals in the United States annually. That estimate does not include reptiles or amphibians.
Given a cat’s instinct to hunt and kill goes beyond its need for food; it is easy to see how large of an effect they can have on an entire ecosystem. While cats kill ‘pest’ animals such as rodents, they will kill more effective rodent predators, such as snakes, as well.
I referred to feral cats as an introduced invasive species. They aren’t all that different than the Burmese pythons in Florida, except for the fact that cats range across the entire country. Both started out as pets, and both established breeding populations. One has a hunting contest, and the other is nurtured. Why is it that pythons establishing in one area is a big news story, but when I acknowledge the cat as the predator it is, I am accused of being too harsh?
I don’t hate cats. I have two indoor cats of my own. I included recent data in my caption because it is hard to ignore. I wanted to get people thinking about the ecological implications of letting their cat roam free.
In my original caption, I failed to mention that the N.C. State feral cat colony is managed under a Trap-Neuter-Return Policy. Cats that can be caught are taken to a veterinarian, where they are vaccinated, neutered or spayed, and returned to live a feral life. This policy helps curb growth within these populations, but many feral colonies across the country are not managed. Besides the completely feral population, there is the additional population of ‘outdoor’ pet cats. Of the pets, many are not spayed or neutered, and contribute to a growing feral population.
You can make your cat wear a bell or have her spayed, but my best advice is to keep your cat indoors. If for no other reason, it is a very effective flea and tick preventative.