Cats Kill Birds - Should We Keep Cats Indoors?

It is estimated cats kill hundreds of millions of birds each year in the U.S. If you love your cat and you love your backyard birds,Cats Kill Birds - Keep 'em inside! then don't mix the two. Keep your cats indoors. They will live longer, healthier lives and so will the birds!

Make sure to install feeders where cats don't have easy access to them.  Because even if you keep your cats inside, there's always the neighbors & other strays looking to play predator-prey.

We highly recommend visiting The American Bird Conservancy page about the Cats Indoors! Campaign to increase awareness of the problem.

Outdoor cats commonly have a life expectancy of fewer than 5 years, while indoor cats is up to 17 years.

Your outdoor cat is more susceptible to life-threatening diseases from other cats and animals, ticks and other parasites. They can become lost or get hit by a car (over 1 million cats are killed by autos annually), become injured in fights or poisoned.

Indoor cats don't have this kind of stress on their health. Indoor cats can be happier, healthier and longer-lived which should make cat-owners happier too! Just remember to give your indoor cat plenty of exercise with toys. We play "chase- the-string" everyday...that's good for both of us!

Why Cats Should Be Allowed To Roam Free As Quoted By Cat Lovers

Attention all cat lovers and all defenders of wild and free cats that have contacted me after reading this page. I have heard your arguments. Some valid, some not so valid.  But to be fair, I am posting your arguments for why cats should be left to roam free and wild outside here. This way you know that I know what you know. :)  I have left them anonymous, but if you want your name posted, just let me know. Just FYI, the data on this page is from the Cats Indoors Campaign, not from my personal insights or guesstimates.

Cat Defender #1

"Your recommendations to put bells on outside cats or de-claw them are dangerous and cruel. An outdoor cat with a bell cannot evade predators such as coyotes. And declawing a cat is cruel for any reason. The fact is that people kill far more birds than cats ever could, with pollution and destroying their habitat, so let's put the blame where it belongs. But at least have the decency stop recommending the barbaric practice of declawing. To mutilate one living creature in the name of protecting another one is insane."

Cat Defender #2

"This article you write recommending that cats are kept indoors, actually made me angry. First. I put my hummingbird feeders where my cats cannot reach them. That is just common sense.

Life expectancy info for outdoor cats is WRONG. I have had indoor/outdoor cats for more then 30 years. They have lived anywhere from 19 years up to 23 years.

Your suggestion to de-claw cats is down right cruel. Out door cats are much happier then indoor cats. It is against their innate nature to be kept indoors 24/7. It is comparable to jail... do you not know anything about the mental, emotional, physical needs of cats??

I live in the country, and have NEVER had one of my cats hit by a car. I see that they receive good veterinary care; I have a cat door, and they come and go as they please. My sister lives in a condo in city, and aside from brief visits on porch, they are kept indoors and her cats are sick off and on (one of her beloved cats just died from urinary problems.)

Anyway, your article was full of mis - information, and  cruel suggestions. I was amazed at your uneducated, stupid information!!!"

Cat Defender #3

"Highly disagree with your cat indoor policy.  Heck, if we all went to jail,(even a really nice jail) no more murder..in fact, no more crime, no more traffic fatalities, industrial accidents, or natural caused fatalities!  well, you get my drift.
I am an avid bird watcher and photographer of all sorts of wildlife, and I also have 4 cats and a dog which I love as much as the wild animals I spend so much time around. My domestic animals will never be locked inside!  And by the way they will live and have ALWAYS lived more than 5 years. 

What do you mean by outside cat?  A city feral cat might live 5 years but you do an injustice to yourself and your readers to even hint that a spayed and vaccinated cat that is non feral will only live 5 years if let outside.  I have had at least one cat of one type or another for 40 years and I have never had a cat live less than 14 years and ALL HAVE BEEN LET OUTSIDE DAILY! 

This type of obvious untruth Makes everything else you say suspicious and lacking in credibility.  My daughter tried an "indoor cat" and by the time it was 4 years old it was crazy as a loon and after $1,500 had to be put down with the vet saying that "some cats were not meant to be inside all the time.

By the way, got any statistics on how many birds are killed by cars every year?  Add that to the 50,000 human deaths and 250,000 serious injuries caused by automobiles every year and maybe you should be trying to get us all to be "indoor only Humans!

Well, there is my rant.  Got here looking for bird feeder plans but your Cat incarceration drive got me all riled up."

Phew, that was all pretty harsh. But if you got something to say, use our contact form and we'll put it up. Just keep it clean for our family friendly site."

Cat Owners, Defender of Keeping Cats Indoors

"I'm sorry- but I live with 5 feral, spayed cats in the area. If I let my house cats out, there would be fur flying! Also, two of those outside cats sit under the bird feeder or the birdbath and just wait for the birds to land. Yes, I have often seen them take birds. We haven't seen a Northern Flicker or a Towhee in months- both are ground feeding birds. We used to have them, but not since the cats showed up!

Cats will hunt, even if well fed. They're great around barns and storage areas where mice are a problem, but I don't need them hunting the birds and using my mulch as a bathroom."

Maybe - Personal Choice for Cats Indoors/Cats Outdoors


"It's a personal choice...all of my cats over the years have been strictly indoors and lived long happy lives...they are spoiled with all the attention they could have ever wanted and places to sit in the sun ...my cats whenever they have "escaped" have panicked and come right back inside...it's all they have ever known.

Feral cats, stray dogs, raccoons,coyotes etc. are all a grave danger to pets (including dogs)and quite frankly i would never put a beloved pet in that kind of danger.

Feral cats are part of the ecosystem meaning that as much as we might not like it...predators of mice,rats, and birds...
Domesticated cats are NOT part of the ecosystem and only hunt because of the innate instinct built in to their evolutionary past...you can take the cat out of the hunt but not the hunt out of the cat.

I grew up on a farm...our farm cats were indoor outdoor and kept the rodent population in check very well..we did however have a couple that were indoor only...they were the ones that lived the longest healthiest lives...the indoor/outdoor cats were constantly @ the vets for one ailment/injury or another and generally died at much younger ages and sometime rather brutally at the hands of other wild critters or cars.

Some of the folks who have posted rebuttals to your articles are just plain rude and based on their reactions have taken what you posted as personal attacks on their way of doing things...again it goes back to personal choice for your pets...
mine stay indoors...safe and happy. my choice,period.

I also have dogs who are NEVER outdoors without my wife or i present. They are my responsibility much in the same way a child would be. That's all i got ! -Steve (Fayetteville, NC)

Cats Indoors or Outdoors: It Depends on Where You Live


"I use to live at the Grand Canyon Village and had two cats of which I never let outside. That was just because I lived in a location where outside cats became part of the food chain. If you had an outside cat for more than 5 years you were lucky and that cat was smart.

My indoor cats were leashed trained and walked daily, they were allowed to have monitored playtime outside. I would bring in outside things like snow, and pine needles for them to play with. They loved this and one cat looked forward to the snow in the tub.

The argument for cats being in door, or outdoor, depends on the location of the cat. We (humans) can affect the environment in which we live in. Cats cannot and just adapt to their environment.

I now live in a location where they will be let our during the day for a few hours, but made to come inside as dusk approaches. This is to reduce their likelihood of disturbing the wildlife feeding time, and to keep them from joining the food chain. (Not as many mountain lions here as the Canyon)." - Anonymous

Keep Cats Indoors or Restricted


"I not only dislike having my bird feeders turned into a buffet for the neighborhood cats, I also have to protect my dog from them. I've had a very nice Doberman blinded by a cat who had no business in our yard where the dog belonged. I also hate having my black car covered with cat foot prints which will etch the paint in time.
Cats should be just as restricted as dogs, my dogs are only allowed outdoors on my property or on a leash as all times, so why should cats be different?" -Anonymous

 

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