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The Catâs Me-OW



By April Overall There’s no doubt Fluffykins is the perfect feline in your home, but once you let him outside he could be terrorizing the neighbourhood. Every year in Canada, 140 million birds and small animals are killed by domestic cats. According to the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, 52 per cent of Canadians own pets, and 49 per cent of these owners have cats. These fluffy felines have big advantages over the competition. Native predators like owls, foxes, hawks and bobcats don’t have the luxury of protection from disease, predation or starvation. Moreover, domestic cats don’t play by the same rules as many native predators. Unlike many native predators, cats aren’t strictly territorial; they go where the prey is, upping their odds of catching more critters.

Not my Fluffykins!

“He eats all his food at home.”
Research shows the hunting instinct is separate from your cat’s appetite. In one study, six cats were presented separately with a small live rat as they were chowing down their favourite food. In each instance, the cat abandoned the food, killed the rat, then went back to his kitty chow.

“He wears a bell.”
While the ring-a-ding-ding of his collar might stave off small mammals like mice, it might sound like a supper bell to birds. Studies show that birds don’t usually associate the sound of a bell with danger. Moreover, cats are smart – so much so they’ve learned to outsmart their collars and silently stalk prey. Why not try a collar that’s for the birds? A sonic cat collar emits high-pitched signals every seven seconds, warning your feathered friends that your cat’s close by. According to a small field trial, using a sonic collar resulted in a 66 per cent reduction in the number of birds killed; however, there was no change whatsoever in the number of small mammals killed.

“He’s just playing.”
It’s not playing. It’s hunting. And even if the little critter gets away, a cat’s saliva carries various bacteria and viruses that can easily be transmitted to prey. According to wildlife rehabilitation centres, only 20 per cent of the small mammals admitted to their facilities for internal hemorrhaging or injuries to vital organs survive.

Bring ‘em in

Feeling guilty at the thought of depriving your fur ball of the great outdoors? Don’t. According to the Humane Society of the United States, indoor cats often live to celebrate 17 birthdays whereas outdoor rangers typically live less than five years.

The great outdoors pose many threats to your feline:

So, to ensure Fluffykins a healthy, happy life, keep him indoors. There are plenty of ways to turn your feral feline into a homebody: