Editor:
Cats are domesticated and are not part of the great outdoors.
I love cats and have been a responsible cat owner for years. Our cats are happy, healthy indoor cats, and we have always enclosed an existing area like a deck or porch or built an enclosure onto the house and covered it with chicken wire.
With the use of a cat door, the cats can go in and out whenever they want. They are safe from being killed on the road, poisoned, or getting eaten by predators. The birds, small mammals and insects are safe from senseless slaughtering. And those mice and rats are much needed food for owls, hawks and other wildlife.
As reported in The State of Canada's Birds 2012 Report, outdoor cats kill an estimated 100 million birds each year in Canada. In the U.S. it is even higher - in the billions!
Why not fence in your yard to keep your cat[s] at home so your neighbours can feed the birds in their own yard?
Cornelia van Berkel, Sechelt
