Save the birds, and keep your cat safe, too

The weather is warming, which means many people are leaving their stuffy houses to enjoy the outdoors. But people aren’t the only ones leaving their houses to enjoy the fresh air — pets, especially cats, can also be found roaming around more frequently in the spring and summer months.

While outdoor cats are an adorable surprise for many on their neighbourhood walks and a relatively low-demand pet for many cat owners, unfortunately they are a serious threat to wildlife, especially birds.

Cats are the No. 1 cause of death for birds, killing an estimated 100 million to 300 million birds in Canada every year.

This includes some of Ontario’s species at risk, like barn swallows and golden-winged warblers. While many argue that predation of birds by cats is natural, this is not true. Domestic cats are not wildlife. Just like domestic dogs do not fill the same niche as wolves, domestic cats do not act the same as wild cat species.

Cat predation adds to the many other human-caused threats birds face, such as habitat loss, pesticides and mortality caused by window and building collisions. Together, these threats are responsible for massive declines in North America’s birds. A recent report estimated we have lost 25 per cent of birds in North America in the past 50 years alone.

While all of this is not the impact of one person’s cat individually, it is important to know that all outdoor cats contribute to the problem of declining bird populations.

The good news is the argument to keep cats inside doesn’t pit the well-being of birds against the well-being of cats; it helps both birds and cats stay safe. Keeping your cat indoors protects them from many deadly threats such as cars, animal attacks, disease and parasites.

I know that finding information on how to enrich life for indoor cats can be overwhelming and not everyone has a large home or big backyard where they can monitor their cat’s play. There are many ways to keep your cat physically and emotionally healthy indoors.

What’s important to remember is that domestic cats, like domestic dogs, are adapted to live with humans, so you don’t have to perfectly mimic the outdoors to keep your cat happy.

If you can afford it or have the carpentry skills, put a secure cat enclosure, also known as a catio, in your backyard. There are free guides online showing how to build these outdoor enclosures to fit your space.

But building an outdoor enclosure isn’t necessary. As long as you give your cat a place to rest that’s free from stressors like loud noises, and provide places for them to perch so they can look around and feel safe, they will be happy.

There are many other affordable and accessible options for keeping your cat enriched. Training your cat to walk on a leash and harness is a safe way to provide outdoor exercise.

Scratching posts, laser pointers, even twist ties or bread tags, are all great ways to keep your cat stimulated and let you and your cat get closer.

Whether you’re in the downtown core, the suburbs, or rural areas, keeping your cat indoors, or separated from wildlife when outdoors, is an important way to protect both local wildlife and your cat. As the weather warms, I encourage all cat owners to do their part.