Cats kill 2.8 billion birds per year in the US.optik1

Hasn't seemed to hurt the bird population though has it? I wish they would get after all the grackles here in central Texas. Add to that that during the middle ages through superstition + ignorance that cats were viewed as evil creatures + killed in great numbers, allowing the rats to thrive thus causing the black death.

Feral cats have a very short life expectancy around here.

Grizz

Feral cats need to go, I agree. So do the folks that dumped them, even more so. They do have a new program in force now called CNR (catch, neuter, release) that is a non-killer. I know, I know, just because they are 'fixed' doesn't mean that they don't have to eat. Heaven knows I am no Babiest, but eradication of a group does not set well with me. By the same token, we all know that culling of a species increases the intelligence of the survivors.

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Originally posted by optik1:
Cats kill 2.8 billion birds per year in the US.optik1

Always wondered how they come up with numbers like that. Who is
observing to make the count? Someone could say cats kill 4 billion
mice each year and who's to know the difference? (By the way, there's
still too many billions of mice.)

People can + have done many things to strengthen their own cause by using "statistics", most, as you say, unable to prove.

2021 US Dept of Agriculture report states ferral cats kill 4 billion birds and 22 billion mammals per year in the US. Optik1

Proving my point. I have not seen any reduction in the bird populace + by using the generalization of "mammals", I think we can safely assume rats + mice, which I don't think anyone is sorry for their demise.

We always had a cat or two around the house growing up. Caught a lot of mice, some birds, but mostly mice. I recall one evening that one of the cats was in the house and immediately went over to one of the cupboards. We opened the cupboard, the cat dove and and came out with a mouse. One of ours did catch and bring home a full grown rooster pheasant one afternoon! Damn, the biggest bird I have ever seen a cat catch!

quote:

2021 US Dept of Agriculture report states ferral cats kill 4 billion birds and 22 billion mammals per year in the US. Optik1

Remember the old saying "figures don't lie but liars figure."

We'd be up to our arm pits in birds and mammals if there were no cats.