Hi Tweets,

Jeff Kruse writes:

> I need some help. I have two cats. They may be killing birds. I
> have put bells on their collars and put garden fence under the feeders
> I have. They still manage to get one now and then. They have a cat
> door and come and go. What can I do other than locking them indoors.
> Thanks for the help

Jeff, I hope this is going to be helpful, because reading your request, it's
clear you want to the right thing.

>I need some help.

As do the birds, small mammals, insects, amphibs and reptiles which cats
prey on.

>I have put bells on their collars and put garden fence under the feeders
>They still manage to get one now and then.

I'm not surprised that your cats overcome the obstacles which you have
placed around the feeders: when it comes to hunting, they're smart and
adaptable. Put bells on us so the birds can hear us coming? That's cool.
We'll just watch where Mr Chickadee goes to work on his sunflower seed then
we'll just head on over there to wait for him. Aggressive or still-hunting,
they're genetically primed for hunting even though they're well-fed.
Perversely, the best-fed cats are the most proficient hunters.

>They have a cat
>door and come and go. What can I do other than locking them indoors.

Eventually, nothing. Keeping them indoors---in spite of all their moaning
and sulking and psychological warfare--is all you can do to turn your yard
into a cat-free zone. Not quite all: I've heard that cats will not
hunt--even with prey available--in a yard they know or remember a dog to be.
I don't know how true that is. But I can't help the wicked thought that it
would be easy enough to find out.

Of course, you do not live in an urban vacuum: the neighbors' cats will move
in to exploit the suddenly-open territory, thereby laying the basis for some
interesting interactions between you and your neighbors at first, but if you
can persuade them of the value of a.) saving urban wildlife and b.) being
able to enjoy their pets longer (the American Humane Society has looked at
life expectancy differences between indoor and free-roam cats and has found
that indoor cats live longer, healthier lives than those allowed to roam),
you may be able to get some community conservation going.

>Thanks for the help

Probably not what you wanted to hear, but keeping cats indoor--and maybe
walking them outside on a leash (if anyone thinks that's silly, consider
people walking their dogs)--is the only way to stop them killing birds:
they're just too good at it to give them the chance.

Hmm. Consider dogs.... Why *not* muzzles instead of bells for cats? Combined
with declawing them, this would neutralise their lethality while outside. I
wonder if that's not a way to stop their depredation while allowing them to
free-roam. **And we'd never have to descend into the Dreaded Cat Thread ever
again!** Everyone wins! Of course, for the cats it would really mess up what
passes for their minds, but most cats are halfway-psycho anyway, so who'd
notice? '-)

Michael Price
Vancouver BC Canada
mprice at mindlink.net