Cats and Birds information on net.

Some of the information contained herein may cause widespread civil unrest, or worse, among cat lovers and others fascinated by felines.

Before me is a neatly, professionally printed booklet titled "Cats and Wildlife A Conservation Dilemma."

Its authors are Scott Craven, wildlife ecologist and extension wildlife specialist at the University of Wisconsin's College of Agricultural and Life Sciences; John Coleman, a biologist with the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission; and Stan Temple, a wildlife ecologist. If you love cats, and millions do, you won't like what the writers have to say, which is, mainly, that kitty is a killer of uncommon ability and success when it comes to wild birds and other small creatures. There is a hint of suggestion, as a matter of fact, that if cats carried knives we'd all be in big trouble. City dwellers who own cats can take some heart because it is mainly the free-roaming rural variety that does the most damage, according to the authors. But no matter. A cat is a cat is a cat. The booklet makes this point right up front: "Estimates suggest that about a million rural free-ranging cats in Wisconsin kill from 8 million to 217 million birds a year, with 39 million the best guess." A particularly skilled free-ranging house cat may kill more than 1,000 wild animals a year, the book proclaims. While some of the kills are mice, rats and other pests, many more are native songbirds and mammals whose populations are already stressed by habitat loss and other factors, according to Craven, who also adds that urban and suburban cats contribute to that toll, but rural cats do the most damage because they have access to the most wildlife. Craven also notes that the estimates used in the booklet are broad because researchers used a range of estimates for both kill rates and numbers of cats. Even considering that, the booklet offers significant evidence that the playful, purring, fuzzy, affectionate, seemingly loyal little animal to which many are eternally devoted is a killer of great skill. From the booklet: "Nationwide, cats probably kill over a billion small mammals and hundreds of millions birds each year." And it also says this: "Worldwide, cats may have been involved in the extinction of more bird species than any other cause except habitat destruction. Cats are contributing to the endangerment of populations of birds such as Least Terns, Piping Plovers and Loggerhead shrikes. In Florida, marsh rabbits in Key West have been threatened by predation from domestic cats." Craven and the other authors say this: "Free-ranging cats are abundant and widespread predators. They prey on large numbers of birds and animals. They harbor a variety of diseases. Yet cats are popular pets. In order to have and care for our pets and still protect our native wildlife, we must make an effort to limit in a humane manner the adverse effects free-ranging cats have on wildlife." And so the obvious question is this: How? The authors make these points: Keep only as many pet cats as you can feed and care for. For the sake of your cat, or cats, and local wildlife, keep your animals indoors. Neuter your cats or prevent them from breeding. Locate your backyard bird feeders in places that do not provide cover for cats to wait in ambush for birds. Don't dispose of unwanted cats by releasing them in rural areas. Eliminate sources of food, such as garbage or outdoor pet food dishes, that attract stray cats. Don't feed stray cats. There is also this, but you won't find it in the booklet. Cat lovers who may want to form a lynching party after reading this should remember that this poor country boy is just the messenger.