In response to the letter from Feb. 2 regarding outdoor cats.
I am a cat owner. I am on their side, BUT I adore birds, too! Nothing is more heartbreaking than when a cat brings a bird and drops it on your doorstep.
Many cats have been raised as indoor/outdoor cats. This was the case with a cat I adopted from the SPCA. For weeks, I tried to make him into an indoor cat. He clawed relentlessly at the door, meowed incessantly. We were both miserable.
Birds are preyed on by other birds as mentioned in the letter, but those birds are not invasive species. Cats are not part of our natural ecosystem.
Cats definitely help with rodents. That’s how they got here! Brought on ships to keep the rats onboard under control.
My cat wears four bells (one bell – not loud enough) on his stretchy collar. Most cats I see are not wearing any. Bells on a cat after dark make them more vulnerable to coyotes, so bring your cat in as soon as dusk hits. If you must let your cat out at night, take the bell collar off. Birds are not usually out then and this keeps your cat safer from the coyotes. Larger brightly coloured fabric collars have been shown to help birds see cat movement – I made one, but there are “bird-safe collars” available online. My cat looks like a clown cat and sounds like an Christmas sleigh, but it saves some birds!
If you own your property, consider a cat enclosure. This can be done relatively inexpensively. Lots of ideas online.
Birds are more active at dawn, so let your cat out a bit later in the morning.
If cat owners would be more proactive about their outdoor cats, we could save more birds – but we have to be willing.
Wanda Nowicki, Gibsons
