If you have a cat, DONT feed birds!

Peace you can dwell in. But do you dare to read our further perspectives on birds and cats, then feel free to do so.

Indeed, we understand this myth; no one wants to make a mistake and deliberately lure birds into a trap. Because that is what it feels like. You feel like you are being kind to the birds while setting a trap with someone else you love (the cat). It's a situation of divided loyalties, and it feels like you are betraying your small feathered friends. But as usual, let's think beyond the immediate emotions and explore further.

A few tips first on how to facilitate bird feeding when there are cats around.
The most important thing is that the cat should not have any good hiding spots near the feeding area. This way, the cat usually cannot catch healthy birds that are out eating. Birds generally have a much better awareness of the cat than we think. They see the danger and warn each other. Particularly at a bird feeding station during wintertime, where there are no newly fledged chicks and the trees are leafless. So, the feeding area should ideally be a bit open, and try to feed on a larger area on the ground. Ensure there are no good hiding spots for cats within reach. This makes the birds feel safe. Birds also like having a bush or hedge near the feeding area. More about this in myth 18.

Bells and bibs for cats come in several variations, as reported by Natursidan. These definitely make a difference in hunting success, but the thing with cats is that they lie completely still, lurking until their prey is very close—then they strike in a flash. That's why robins are often overrepresented in cats' catches, along with some other birds like blackbirds, which slowly hop forward on the ground under bushes, searching for insects. If it's winter and you have a really lush garden that suits robins, there's also a high risk/chance that a new robin will take over your garden if the old one disappears. This is because they have their winter territories where they are not keen on sharing.

If you want to completely prevent your cat from catching birds, you need to think a bit extra. It's good for the cat to have activities outdoors, but this can be achieved in other ways as well:

- Teach your cat to walk with a harness and leash! It's easiest to start with younger cats, but older cats can often learn as well.

- Install netting - build a cat/bird-safe enclosure or net in your balcony! (Balconies over 5 m high must be netted.)

- Go for a walk with your cat!

- Stimulate your cat indoors! Indoor cats can get stimulation by watching birds eat from a window feeder. In Slåttergubben's bird feeder range there are several to choose from. (Keep in mind that cats should ideally fulfill their hunting behavior sometimes, so it's good for them to play hunting games too.)

Now we are thinking about the cat's well-being here. Salmonella, for example, can infect cats that eat sick birds, so if you see birds showing signs of illness (sitting still and fluffed up and appearing sluggish), there is even more reason than usual to keep the cat indoors and not let it hunt birds. Salmonella is found worldwide, but is not very common in Sweden. The SVA writes about diseases among small birds at bird feeding sites and another text on salmonella in cats for those who want to know more.

Another aspect of the welfare of cats (and also birds) is that there are an estimated over 100,000 homeless cats in the country that are suffering. They hunt to survive. Addressing this issue is important for the sake of both birds and cats.

To put things in perspective here a bit. Slåttergubben doesn't think it's something to get too worked up about if a cat catches a great tit or a robin during the period when you feed birds. Firstly, it is your initial choice to have or not have a cat that really matters. Once you decide to have a cat, this is the natural order of things if it is an outdoor cat. The birds caught by cats now in winter are not the ones that are truly struggling or endangered in nature. They are in fact in Africa during the winter. In the winter, the really common birds are overrepresented, the birds that might even be more common than they otherwise would be if we didn't feed them. This is what becomes a dollhouse, your cat which you feed is not a natural part of our ecosystem, catching birds that you feed and which in some cases may also be beyond the frame of a balanced ecosystem. And in Slåttergubben’s world, it is the natural ecosystems that we should be most careful about and concerned for.

Cats are cute and cozy, which is undeniable, and they also make us humans feel good. However, there is increasing criticism about the impact outdoor cats have on nature. This concern is especially prevalent among ornithologists. The argument is that they catch millions of birds, something that has been calculated. This is obviously not good news for those individual birds, but the impact is limited to those individuals and not the entire ecosystem they belong to. Most of the time, cats catch common birds and not those that are endangered or struggling, although exceptions certainly exist. What cats do during the summer is significantly worse than in the winter; they can empty bird nests containing chicks, and there is a greater risk of them catching more threatened migratory birds—though you often won't see this. There is a leash requirement for dogs during the summer nowadays—perhaps it's not so far-fetched to suggest there should be one for cats too?

What is also not talked about negatively is that cats catch mice and voles. On the contrary, this is considered “good” in everyday conversation. For us, this is strange - these are very cute small mammals that have just as much right to be a part of the ecosystem as our small birds do. (We do not consider houses and homes as ecosystems - there are mousetraps to use there, and indoor cats!). Furthermore, rodents are the most important food source for many of our birds of prey, owls, and a considerable number of mammals. If we allow cats to kill many rodents, it reduces the chances for others to find their daily meal. Contrary to the cat that calmly goes inside to eat cat food, an owl or kestrel, for example, is entirely dependent on finding live rodents during the harsh winter. According to this reasoning, cats' hunting could cause owl chicks to starve to death or an overwintering kestrel to die of starvation. Another aspect that is rarely discussed about cats is that their mere presence can most likely scare some birds so they choose not to nest in areas with many cats because the risk becomes too great.

Just Like Bird Seed is not produced without environmental impact, the same goes for cat food. Someone mentioned that 25% of the meat sold in Sweden goes to our pets. We unfortunately do not have a source for that figure, but the point is that a lot of resources are allocated to cats and dogs. Naturally, the production of pet food negatively affects the environment, and a great number of chickens must be actively killed to produce the food—viewed from an ecosystem perspective, it is much more negative than the birds that cats happen to catch.

Slåttergubben doesn't think there's any reason to feel shame about having a cat or to go around hating cat owners. However, just like with bird feeding, it's interesting to view the cat from a larger perspective and from different angles. The choice of owning a car, for example, will always have about 10,000 times more impact on nature than the choice of having a cat or feeding birds...
But we have a choice. And next time you consider getting a cat, you might make a pros and cons list and see what the result is!

Feel free to read more in a good article we've previously recommended on this page: Tips and advice for cat owners who want to prevent their cats from catching birds on Natursidan!

"Stop the Catastrophe" is a campaign organized by Animal Protection Sweden to increase requirements for cat identification to address the issue of homeless cats. Fewer homeless cats mean less suffering for the cats - and fewer cats hunting birds in nature.