Pet cats ‘should not be let outdoors’

PET cats should not be allowed outside as they kill too many birds, the Conservation Officer for the Royal Parks in London has said.

Tony Duckett, who has been in charge of the rare birds in Regents Park since 1978, said cats are the cause of many avian deaths.

His comments came after two Suffolk farmers hit out at the new ban on shooting birds without a licence and said the pets were now more of a threat to birds than farmers.

Mr Duckett agreed with and said: ‘These socalled pets shouldn’t be allowed to roam freely, s******g in other people’s gardens, killing birds or just putting them off. As well as killing millions of birds they have brought the Scottish Wildcat to the edge of extinction.’

Cats kill 27million birds a year, estimates The Mammal Society, with the most common victims being house sparrows, blue tits and starlings.

If owners who are concerned about their pet harming the local bird population, the RSPB suggests putting a bell on their collar.