Call to halt spread of feral cats in the US

‘This is a human-caused tragedy'November 2011: American Bird Conservancy (ABC) is calling on US mayors to stop the epidemic spread of feral cats that threaten national bird populations as well as scores of other wildlife.

Letters have been mailed to mayors of the fifty largest cities in the Unites States, urging they support responsible pet ownership and oppose Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) programmes that promote the feeding of outdoor cats.

‘Cat overpopulation is a human-caused tragedy that affects the health and well-being of cats, our native wildlife, and the public,' says Darin Schroeder, Vice President for Conservation Advocacy for ABC in a letter to the mayors. ‘Numerous published, scientific studies have shown that trap, neuter, re-abandon programmes do not reduce feral cat populations and that outdoor cats, even well-fed ones, kill hundreds of millions of wild birds and other animals each year in the US, including endangered species. Birds that nest or feed on the ground are especially vulnerable to cat attacks.

'About as fair as shooting of fish in a barrel'‘The domestic cat is an extremely effective predator that has been introduced by modern man into an environment whose species have evolved few, if any natural cat defences. Non-native, well-fed, inoculated, healthy cats versus defenseless prey is about as fair in the world of nature as the proverbial shooting of fish in a barrel,' he said.

Studies indicate that there are 95 million outdoor and feral cats in the United States that kill at least 532 million birds, and possibly significantly more. Given the well-documented impacts of cat predation on wildlife, ABC urges the mayors to oppose TNR programmes and the outdoor feeding of cats as a feral cat management option.

Through the Cats Indoors! campaign, ABC and its many partners encourage people to keep their cats indoors, train them to go outside on a harness and leash, or build outdoor cat enclosures. Cats should be spayed or neutered before they can produce an unwanted litter, and should never be abandoned. Abandoning cats is illegal in many areas, is extremely cruel to cats, and is harmful to birds and other wildlife.

‘TNR is not humane to the cats or the wildlife. Free-roaming cats are in constant danger of being hit by cars, contracting diseases and parasites, or being attacked by other animals or people,' said Schroeder. ‘Colonies often become dumping grounds for unwanted pets, thus continuing the inhumane cycle.'

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