Cats kill birds and other wildlife. Why doesn’t anyone seem to really care?
© 2025 Marlene A.
Condon
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| The author with one of the family’s cats in 1973 (© Marlene A. Condon) |
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 was enacted to provide federal protection to birds that travel between the United States and Canada. "The statute makes it unlawful without a waiver to pursue, hunt, take, capture, kill, or sell nearly 1,100 species of birds listed therein as migratory birds. The statute does not discriminate between live or dead birds and also grants full protection to any bird parts, including feathers, eggs, and nests"
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Migratory_Bird_Treaty_Act_of_1918]
You might wonder why these birds were given so much
attention. As stated in the Act, “Whereas, many of these species are of great
value as a source of food or in destroying insects which are injurious to
forests and forage plants on the public domain, as well as to agricultural
crops, in both Canada and the United States, but are nevertheless in danger of
extermination through lack of adequate protection during the nesting season or
while on their way to and from their breeding grounds; His Majesty the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the
British dominions beyond the seas, Emperor of India, and the United States of
America, being desirous of saving from indiscriminate slaughter and of insuring
the preservation of such migratory birds as are either useful to man or are
harmless, have resolved to adopt some uniform system of protection which shall
effectively accomplish such objects...”
It's a shame that this law hasn't been amended to address free-roaming cats. As it is currently written, a human cannot harm a migratory bird, but no such restriction exists for your cat which can hunt these birds 24/7 if so inclined.
It’s easy to look up how many birds are killed by cats. For eye-popping statistics, you should visit “How Many Birds Do Cats Kill? 13 Statistics to Know: 2025 Update (Vet-Reviewed)”
[https://www.catster.com/statistics/how-many-birds-do-cats-kill-statistics/]
All told, we are talking billions of birds
around the globe. Yet, Albemarle County, which prides itself on being “green
and environmentally conscious”, remains complicit in this avian destruction as
though the 1918 treaty does not exist.
In 2026, Albemarle will increase its support of the
CASPCA to 1.1 million dollars, assuring the continued dispersal of cats to
every corner of the county and the concurrent killing of migratory birds and
other native animals that comes with it.
[ https://www.albemarle.org/Home/Components/News/News/1083/]
I grew up with cats and can personally vouch for
their ability to kill or maim numerous other critters.
I vividly recall when one of our cats (we often had
several at a time) brought home an injured baby Blue Jay. I was horrified and
immediately put the cat inside the house. The next thing I know, here comes the
cat with yet another baby Blue Jay. Someone had let her out! There were seven
people in my family and no one (except for me) would think they should keep a
crying cat inside. Thus, that cat climbed the big tree across the street again
and again until she had brought back every immature Blue Jay in it. I was
devastated.
Unfortunately, it has never occurred (apparently)
to the folks running the SPCA or our government officials that it is not
environmentally friendly to try to save every cat in the world, because when
you do, native wildlife is extirpated and lost. There is a finite amount of
space that constitutes the natural world—especially as more and more humans
move into and alter it—and it is not meant to be solely populated and patrolled
by domesticated and feral pets.
Still, CASPCA feels proud of its
Trap-Neuter-Return program, in which cats are returned to the community to try
to eke out a living as a stray. It is especially these animals that should be
caught and put to sleep because this program is, on its face, inhumane. Feral
cats are hugely susceptible to getting run over or sick, or being needlessly
exposed to freezing temperatures although they are warm-climate creatures, having originated in Egypt and other Near-eastern areas.
The exceedingly strange thing
about this situation is that it’s entirely preventable by way of sterilization,
yet just recently a post was on social media site Nextdoor about the need for
someone to take 6 young kittens off the poster’s hands. Isn’t it an owner’s
responsibility to neuter his/her female cat to prevent this kind of situation?
Even male cats can be sterilized, but few people bother to get it done so
unwanted felines could become a thing of the past.
Obviously, no one wants to euthanize innocent creatures, which is why laws need to be enacted that either demand sterilization of people’s cats, or keeping them inside or in outdoor enclosures to prevent reproduction. This would also benefit cats and their owners who love them by assuring that their pet is never in danger.
Please speak up, for cats’ sake!
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