Protect Songbirds from Pet Cats
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Posted by Jamie McIntosh Sep 12, 2008 |
As I was drifting off to sleep last night, I heard a squealing sound that raised the hairs on my neck: it was a rabbit, falling prey to some predator. If you’ve never heard a rabbit’s scream, its piercing tone can take you by surprise. This morning, when my sons awoke at dawn, I overheard their conversation by the front door:
“It’s a rat!”
“It’s dead!”
“No, it’s sleeping!”
Ah, the innocence of a three year old, where it still might be possible for a decapitated victim to be merely “sleeping.” I don’t relish the predatory habits of our indoor-outdoor cat, but I do try to limit his hunting. Although I feel only a little bit sorry for the plant-munching rabbits and voles he drags up on the porch, I take great care to prevent him from bagging any songbirds in my garden. If you have a cat that goes outside, implement these steps to protect your native bird population:
- Keep your cat indoors at dawn and dusk, when bird-feeding activity is at its peak.
- Clear the brush away from any birdfeeders that are within pouncing distance of your cat, to deny him a hiding place.
- Place a bell on your cat’s collar.
- Trim your cat’s claws.
- Consider using a CatBib device to disarm cats that only go outside for brief visits.