How can cats be stopped from hunting birds?
There was devastation on the kitchen floor: blood mixed with small feathers. My Maine Coon cat Peig had been hunting again, and the battered cadaver of a small bird could be seen at the centre of it all. One of the paradoxes of cat ownership for many animal lovers is the fact that our precious “fur babies” are carnivorous predators beneath their friendly, purring facade.
It’s been estimated that there are between 300 to 500000 cats in Ireland, although nobody has ever carried out a cat census. If Irish cats kill birds and small mammals at the same rate as their UK cousins, this means that they may be killing over six million creatures every year. This may sound like a lot, but if you average the figures down, that’s like each cat catching prey once a month, which seems feasible. Studies show that cats only bring home around 20-30% of the prey they catch, so owners probably underestimate the killing rate of most cats.
Studies show that mice, rats and rabbits make up two-thirds of the total, garden birds like sparrows, tits and blackbirds make up one quarter, and the remainder comprises frogs.
From my own household, these totals make sense: that’s the proportion of kills that Peig brings back through the cat flap.
Many cat owners dislike the fact that their pets are so blood thirsty, and bird lovers are aghast at the death toll of their feathered friends. Over the years, different methods have been used to try to stop cats from taking so many lives. A recent study at the University of Exeter has come up with some new and interesting information about what does- and what doesn’t - make a difference.
The traditional answer was to place a small bell on a cat’s collar. The idea is that as the cat stalks their prey, the tinkling of the bell would alert the creature to the approaching danger, and they would flee before they could be hurt. In reality, cats turned out to be too smart to be outwitted in this way: they soon learned to creep towards their prey even more slowly and steadily than before: arguably, bells may have even taught them to do this more effectively than before.
A more recent innovation was called a Cat Bib: this is a brightly coloured silicone sheet that fits onto the cat’s collar that resembles the type of bib that parents put on children at mealtimes. The cat can walk around normally, but if they crouch down and pounce forwards (as they do when catching prey), the bib gets in the way, preventing a successful kill. These bibs seem to work reasonably well, but when I tried them, my cats learned to wriggle out of their collars, losing the bib in the process.
The Exeter study used another, similar type of device, called a “Birdsbesafe” collar (www.birdsbesafe.com), which is a brightly coloured bandana type scarf that fits around a cats normal collar. Earlier studies had already been shown that cats wearing this collar caught 87% fewer birds, but in this study, the reduction was only 42%, which is significant enough. Interestingly, the collar did not reduce kill rates of small mammals: the researchers explained that this is probably because while birds can see in colour, and they are out and about in the daytime, rats, mice and rabbits tend to have poor colour vision, and they are hunted when they are active, at nighttime, when collars are not so easily seen.
The study followed 300 cats while they also trialled three other interventions.
First, they gave cats a puzzle ball toy, which released dry kibble biscuit in small amounts as cats played with it. The idea was that this would mimic hunting, so that cats no longer felt like the real thing.
In fact, cats that played with the ball toy ended up hunting 33% more than before: the researchers believe that the cats were just hungry, after getting frustratingly little meals from the toy.
Second, cats were engaged in regular periods of play with their owners, using a feather toy on a wand, allowing cats to stalk, chase and pounce in the same way as they would do in a real hunt. When owners did this, the amount of hunting was reduced by 35%, a significant improvement.
The third intervention was the most interesting: the diet of the cats was changed to include higher levels of protein derived from meat than regular cat diets. Again, the cats in this group reduced their hunting rate by 35%. Nobody knows exactly why this is, but the theory is that cats, as obligate carnivores, enjoy eating meat, and if they don’t get it at home, they’ll go looking for it. Again, this tallies with my own experience: when I have stopped giving my cats as much moist food (tins and sachets), they seem to have caught more prey.
These studies are interesting, but they just provide part of the answer to this conundrum. The obvious, and ultimate, solution is to keep cats indoors all the time, and in some countries where native wildlife is vulnerable, cats are legally obliged to be kept indoors. But we know that cats get bored indoors, and they suffer from more stress-related illnesses, so it’s not an ideal answer.
Finally, we need to consider what happens if cats stop hunting rats and mice altogether: we could accidentally create an unwanted plague of rodents.
The best answer? A bit more play with our cats, some more meaty food, and after that, let’s just let nature run its course.
SPRING has finally sprung with a ‘grand stretch’ in the evenings. It’s wonderful to see people out enjoying the simple pleasure of walking and taking in the beauty around them.
As a result of lockdown, country roads have less traffic and people have more time which all add to making walking, jogging, and cycling a pleasant and accessible activity during lock down.
When taking fresh air there are plenty of signs of new life emerging.
Lesser Celandine (Grán Arcáin)
One of the earliest Spring flowers and one of the easiest wildflowers to identify is the widespread Lesser Celandine with its beautiful buttercup yellow silky petals and heart-shaped leaves.
It is a member of the Buttercup family and is not in the least fussy as to where it will grow. It is found in damp woodland paths, roadsides, by stream banks, ditches, meadows, and shady hedgerows.
The Lesser Celandine closes its petals before wet, windy weather. It is of huge value to wildlife as it is an important nectar source for queen bumble bees and other pollinators as they emerge from hibernation.
Wordsworth was so impressed with the Celandine that he wrote several poems to acknowledge its brightness, charm, and cheer:
One of the first flowers of Spring There is a flower, the Lesser Celandine That shrinks, like many more, from cold and rain;
And, the first moment that the sun may shine,
Bright as the sun himself, ’tis out again
(From The Small Celandine by William Wordsworth (1770-1850))
Winter Heliotrope (Plúr na Gréine)
The Winter Heliotrope with its heady scent and pale pink spikey flower is also in bloom.
It too, is easily identified with its large heart/kidney shaped leaves.
The Winter Heliotrope is not a native plant but was introduced by the Victorians as ornamental ground cover and to provide a source of winter feeding for hives of honeybees as it flowers through the darkest, coldest months (November-March).
It is now a garden escapee that is at home on waste ground, along roadsides, hedges, in ditches and alongside rivers. It is considered an invasive ‘alien’ and will spread from the tiniest part of the fleshy rhizome.
The name heliotrope refers to the way the flowers follow the sun during the day across the sky from the east to the west. In the evening the flower returns to face the east ready to welcome the sun the following day.
Nettle (Neantóg)
Nettles (also known as Stinging Nettles) are one of our most familiar and identifiable native plants. In February they are beginning to reshoot. Maybe because of its sting even the smallest country child knows the name of the nettle. Luckily when stung, a natural remedy will always be found close by in the form of a Dock leaf with its soothing properties. Nettles will grow in most places but are good colonisers of places enriched by human activities.
There is an old saying that nettles only grow on the best land of a parish.
Nettles are a very important plant for wildlife and supports many insects and butterflies. Ladybirds, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral and Peacock Butterfly all lay their eggs on the nettle.
Later in the autumn seed eating birds feast on the seeds.
Since ancient times the nettle has been used by humans for food, as a dye, for clothing and for its medicinal use. In 18th century Scotland, before the introduction of flax, nettle fibres were used to make cloth. In Germany during the First World War this skill was again used to make army uniforms as cotton was scarce. During the same period of history British school children were encouraged to pick nettles to produce dye which was used for camouflage clothing.
Nettles having a high nitrogen content make a perfect natural liquid plant food. Simply fill a bucket with nettles, top up with water, cover with a lid and leave for two weeks. You will have a rich brown liquid. Dilute in the ratio of ten parts water to one-part nettle liquid. It does however stink, you have been warned!
Nettles are rich in vitamin C, vitamin K, iron, calcium, and potassium. They are also a good source of vegetable protein. If you are interested in learning about foraging, nettles are a great starting place. They are difficult to confuse with other plants, easy to find and their taste lends itself to the modern palate having a flavour like spinach.
An old saying says one should eat four feeds of nettles during the month of May to keep the rheumatics away!
When foraging for nettles here are a few simple rules:
- Get permission from the landowner
- Pick during Spring before they flower in June
- Wear good quality rubber gloves! - Do not pick from roadside where there is heavy traffic fumes
- Pick the top tips of the nettles (more tender)
This is my recipe for nettle soup which I hope you enjoy. Please note, nettles no longer sting when cooked! The new shoots are ideal for cooking.
NETTLE SOUP
· A carrier bagful of freshly picked Nettle Tops (they will reduce when cooked)
· 50g butter
· 1 large onion peeled and finely chopped
· 1 litre vegetable or chicken stock, · 1 large potato, peeled and cut into cubes
· Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
· 2 tbsp crème fraîche
· Freshly grated nutmeg
NB Wearing rubber gloves, sort through the nettles. Discard any tough stalks or damaged leaves. Wash the nettles and drain in a colander.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the onion and cook gently for 5-7 minutes until softened.
Add the stock, nettles, potato. Bring to a simmer and cook gently until the potato is soft, about 15 minutes.
Remove from the heat. Using an electric hand-held stick blender, purée the soup and then season with salt and pepper and a grating of nutmeg to taste. Sieve if liked.
Ladle into warmed bowls and float a teaspoonful of creme fraiche on top.