The cat, a danger for wildlife?

The cat is a domestic predator, all owners experience it one day if their feline has access to the outside. However, does it endanger small wildlife?

Domestic cats: billions of birds and mammals killed each year

According to some sources, the only stray cats in the world are responsible, over the last 500 years, for the disappearance of 63 species of mammals, reptiles and birds. Our domestic cats are not left out. Thus, a study in the United States in 2012 estimated between 1.4 and 3.7 billion the number of birds killed each year by domestic cats and between 6.9 and 20.7 billion the number of small mammals that suffer the same fate. Other studies, however, show that prey is only a minimal part of the diet of house-fed domestic cats, averaging around 4%.

The cat and the hunt: rather to play Thus, even if he goes out, the cat will prefer his croquettes to mice.

This demonstration was made by measuring the stable isotopes of nitrogen and carbon in cat vibrissae. More than consumption, it is therefore a question of hunting and playing for the cat who does not hunt to satisfy his food instincts. To prevent this risk for small fauna, animal protection associations, such as the League for the Protection of Birds, market various anti-predation devices: collars, sleeves to put on trees to prevent felines from climbing, distancing systems, etc. Other useful measures: dissuade the cat from looking outside for an activity that it can practice at home. For this, it is important to enrich his environment with various toys, cat trees, laser pointers… All the devices that help him exercise and exercise his hunting instinct will be useful to him.

Night confinement: an effective measure to protect small fauna Faced with particularly hunting cats, it may be wise to lock them up at night, when they are most active

Another particularly effective measure is based on preventing the abandonment of pet cats by making owners responsible, sterilization and of course identification, which is also mandatory.​​​​​​​ All about the identification of domestic carnivores in France