Keep cats inside

International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD) is held annually in May to focus on protecting migratory birds and their habitats. This year it is on May 13.

In honor of IMBD 2017, please consider this: The number one mortality factor for birds in the United States isn’t power lines, wind turbines, buildings or pesticides. The number one killer of birds is domestic cats. Many studies from organizations such as the Smithsonian Institute and the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology estimate that domestic cats kill about 2.4 billion birds each year, some of which are becoming endangered.

Why should you care? A world without birds is not just less beautiful or less melodious. Birds play a critical role in our ecosystem by pollinating plants, dispersing seeds, protecting crops from insects and recycling nutrients back into the earth. They also are part of the natural food chain. When their numbers decrease, it causes a negative chain reaction for many other species.

Each of us must be responsible for protecting birds and their habitats. Keeping cats indoors (or only allowing them outside on a leash or in an enclosure) is critical to birds and is also safer for cats. Cats allowed to roam outdoors pick up and transmit diseases, get hit by cars or preyed upon by other animals.

Karen Niessing Hales Corners