A Cat by any Other Name

 There is a small mammal that is responsible for substantial ecological damage.  It has caused 13% of all worldwide extinctions (Scott Loss, 2012), kills between 100 and 350 million birds (Trouwborst et al 2019), 6.3–22.3 billion mammals (Scott Loss, 2012), and 228 to 871 million reptiles annually.  Though it should have remained in Egypt for the past 10,000 years, this entity is now unleashed, plaguing every continent except the Antarctic (Trouwborst et al, 2019).  Yet the popular media informs people that this mammal is harmless, and many nonprofits have come to its defense.  This killing machine is a cat.

🐸Outdoor Cats Cause Problems For Native Species🐿️

When cats are let outside by their owners, they stress out native species, hunt them, compete for resources with them,  and mate with similar species (Trouwborst et al, 2019).  Consequently, veterinarians and cat adoption agencies have been urging owners to keep cats inside.  As a result, 81% of owners leave their cats indoors 100% of the time. 

🚘Owners That Let Their Cats Roam Are Exposing Them To Danger⚠️

It’s the other 19% of owners that are causing the problems. These owners don’t appear to accept the idea that cats are harmful, even when presented with ecological information to the contrary (Trouwborst et al 2019). Accordingly, these owners are responsible for the 30 to 40 million feral cats roaming around the United States (Sarah Tan et al. 2020). Even those owners with a myopic view of their cat surely must acknowledge that allowing the cat outdoors is dangerous. 

Cats allowed to roam outside unimpeded are at risk of exposure to feline leukemia virus (FeLV), feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), bartonellosis, and rabies (Sarah Tan et al. 2020).  Plus, cats are prone to bringing back fleas.  Then there is the additional risk of being hit by a car. Trauma is the cause of 39% of sudden deaths in cats, with 87% of those cases due to motor vehicle accidents (Sarah Tan et al. 2020).  So it’s safer for the entire ecosystem if cats stay inside.

👩🏻‍⚕️Feral Cats Must Be Spayed Or Euthanized💉 

Cats allowed to roam can become disoriented and not return home.  Then they turn into feral cats.  Cats mature at five to six months old (Nutter et al, 2004). These cats can breed two times a year and produce 1-6 kittens each litter (Nutter et al, 2004).  They live up to 10 years (Nutter et al, 2004).  So that one cat can produce a colony of feral cats.  These cats form packs that kill native species with impunity.   Plus, they can carry and spread disease to humans.

🏡Keep Cats Inside🐈

Unfortunately, the problem with cats is not easily solved simply by getting cat owners to keep their pets inside.  Addressing the feral cat population requires effective management and stabilization.  Some cities have programs that spay feral cats and release them back into neighborhoods (Trouwborst et al, 2019).  These programs have been successful in reducing feral cat populations. However, as long as owners keep letting their unneutered cats into the built environment, there will always be a feral cat population.  So these programs can only reduce but not eliminate the problem.

🐀With Feral Cats Eliminated The Rat Population Will Increase🐀

This environmental catastrophe is further complicated by the proliferation of an introduced organism. Removing feral cats from an ecosystem can lead to a rapid increase in the rat population. Rats kill and eat native species with impunity.  Plus, they spread disease.  Out of the frying pan into the fire.

🦉Use Natural Predators Instead Of Cats🦊

There is a Barn Owl movement in Europe and America that is spreading to other parts of the world..  Barn Owls are native to South America, Australia, Africa, North America, and Europe. They have large hunting ranges, primarily eat rats, and don’t mind the company of other owls.  The only expenditure required is a barn owl box or two.  

Working together, this movement and cat population reduction efforts could avert a potential ecological disaster.  There are some ecosystems in which barn owls are not native, and/or they are not one of the largest native predators of rats.  In these areas, other native species would have to suffice.    Other predators of mice and rats include skunks, foxes, and hawks.

🐁Last thoughts on cats☠️

The biggest difference a person can make is not to let their cat outside. Those without cats should control rats and mice through ecologically friendly control measures rather than poisons.  These poisons go up the food chain and end up killing natural predators of rats like owls and hawks (for more information on keeping poisons out of your yard, read War of the Weeds or A Bluebird on my Shoulder).   Lilies and tulips are poisonous to cats, and they avoid these plants.  By planting these native species, you’re not just adding beauty to your yard; you’re actively supporting the intricate food web that sustains birds and other creatures. Hopefully, with enough public pressure, cat owners will start listening to the ecologists, and the feral cat population in cities will cease to exist.