Cats and the environment: Is Fluffy really a major threat?

Cats come in many colors, but they are not very green.

Fluffy, it turns out, is a serious threat to birds and other wildlife. But especially birds, which are in steep decline, according to a recent State of the Birds survey, which lists among factors predation by non-native animals and house pets (mostly cats).

As a kid I used to watch my family's two Siamese cats stalk alongside a short brick wall in the backyard. They'd wait for a sparrow or jay to land and pounce with about a 3% success rate. We did not consider them to be threats to the avian population, but apparently they were not helping.

Today, backyards are increasingly important as bird havens — even as human populations, the most serious threat  to all wildlife, swell and pave and construct and pollute. But as the Seattle publication Crosscut points out, there are 77 million pet cats in the United States alone.

Crosscut cites a New York Times op-ed piece that implies cats, with their insatiable appetite for fish, represent a threat to fish stocks. "The pet food industry now uses about 10% of the global supply of forage fish," the piece states.

Lastly, cats are believed responsible for spreading disease to wild animals and even marine mammals, which can become affected by parasites found in cat poop delivered to the ocean, along with kitty litter, via sewer systems and storm runoff.

All of this is certainly worth considering, when seeking your next pet.

-- Pete Thomas

Photo is a handout from the 2000 Orange County Fair

Comments

[DS]

What's the point of this piece? Should we stop adopting cats? Cats don't belong outside anyway - we've domesticated them to the point where they belong at home with us where they are safe from cars and people who attack certain colors and breeds on Halloween, and general abuse (my rescue was shot by a group of young men who thought she was a nuisance). Cats are lovely creatures who bring a lot of families joy, particularly since they don't require as much attention and work as other pets.

[Kris Kendall]

This article is hopelessly myopic when it comes to the decimation of native wild bird populations in North America. My wife spent several years of her education and post-education work studying native wild bird/songbird populations and specifically, why they're in decline. So I feel confident in the following rant ...

Guess what the no. 1 threat to bird populations in North America is? Habitat reduction as a result of development by human populations.

Yes, cats come along with that human encroachment, but they’re hardly the largest problem. That’s like lamenting that pneumonia is the top killer of HIV+ patients. Mr. Thomas is not only attacking a symptom, he’s over-simplifying in a ridiculous manner.

Like all environmental decline issues, the causes are myriad, just like the symptoms. But nearly all the acceleration can be looped around to point back at us. Losing song birds, and other native bird species, is going to hurt in ways we can’t imagine, not even with computer modeling.

And here’s a funny (both strange and ha-ha) addendum to the bird-death epidemic. Know what other animal kills a LOT of birds, especially native song birds, around the United States? Crows. Now, I love crows dearly, but like cockroaches, rats, pigeons, seagulls and many other lambasted “vermin,” crows succeed as well as they do because of (say it with me) humans! They eat our trash.

Crows, and relatives of crows, aren’t nearly as successful in the wilderness because there’s more competition for less food. But those on the fringe of human civilization quickly adapted to city life where there are fewer predators bigger than crows, and where humans leave abundant food for crows -- who aren’t scavengers as much as they opportunists.

So yes, cats are trouble. But we can reduce cat predation of birds the same way we can limit crow predation of birds, and all other behaviors humans engage in that reduce both habitat and population: By being more responsible ourselves.

[Pablito]

"What's the point of this piece? Should we stop adopting cats?"

DS, if the LAT has done its job well, then the point of the piece isn't to tell what you to do at all. Rather just to present you with factual information you can consider if you have to make a decision about adding a cat to your life. It's still up to you and your conscience when all is said and done.

[Jason V.]

I love birds and fish but I don't think anyone can stop their cats from chasing birds. I don't believe as long as he have had domesticated cats, that any species or bird or fish has died out from the cause of cats alone. I believe pollutants and climate change is more endangering to wildlife than cars. The article seems to imply thinking twice about owning a cat. I would suggest adopting a cat from your local shelter. Unless someone wants to stage a massive "cat hunt" to control the population.

[mmmk]

Yes, outdoor cats eat birds, but only the ones that aren't quick enough. Most birds are healthy enough to fly away. Pesticides are killing the birds. Would the author of this strange article like to know what else outside cats eat? Rats and mice.

[Tehachapian]

My 5 cats are all of the indoor type, but I'd give up the woodpeckers and starlings in my neighborhood long before I'd give up ANY cat.

[M. Silva]

The post below me said it right - what is the point of this piece?

How about addressing human overconsumption and overpopulation, rather than pointing a finger at a pet?

[Steve Lackow]

What is that last sentence about, not to get a cat as a pet? Nonsense. No issue with cats impact on birds, even those of us who are devoted to cats as companions know all about this and need to own up to the impact they do have and try to reduce it, and try to reduce conflict with our bird friends too, human and avian. I love both. I sat heartbroken with an injured bird in my hands all Saturday night last month, waiting for help that never came. I'm an Audobon member and a generous one, but it's not enough. One cares for both the cats and the birds and one does what one can to protect them all.

[Carolyn]

I have recently lost 2 cats to hawks. I'm trying to hate the hawks, but they're part of nature.

[Sonni]

Cats rule! Best pet to have. Nothing better than a warm, purring kitty snuggling up beside you in bed.

[Joe]

My lazy cats are no where near 3%. They also pick off the occasional rat. Do they get any credit for reducing the spread of disease?

[sparkey]

You have to wonder if Pete Thomas got anything from the pesticide companies to blame cats instead of the real culprits, the pesticide companies themselves. This is also why the bees are dying. As to why this isn't being made public, all you have to do is look at the fat wad of cash that is being put into the pockets of congress and the senate by the pesticide lobbyists.

[Karen]

Although I think that cats can have an effect on the wildlife population, this article still irritates me. Why not write an article on the environmental impacts of dogs? Too many people already discriminate against cats, and I don't think that questioning why people adopt these beautiful animals is helpful, especially when dogs also eat plenty of pet food.

[sarah]

This is a really ridiculous article. What is the point of this? Are you really going to blame the cat? Not the humans? You, Pete, sound completely ridiculous. I agree with the other posts - this article COMPLETELY misses any point whatsoever. I can't believe this post was on the front of LA Times.com. What's wrong with you LA TIMES?!?

[JT Guy]

I love my two cats and wouldn't trade them for the entire bird and fish population of North America.

[Jon K.]

Cats are super-predators which really screw up any environment which they over-populate. That's common environmental knowledge. I know people love their fluffy detached, self-centered pets, but you can't deny that cats are super-predators. They decimate a localized area of small animals.

If your cat is an indoor cat, it's not a problem.

If your cat is an outdoor cat, well, it's going to do what cats do. It's going to hunt and... well... cats are really good hunters.

[Crash Burn]

I don't think there are many species extinct because of cats. There are thousands and thousands extinct because of homo sapiens.

[Jane Henson]

The point is well made, no choice is without impact. When I discovered that my current feline companion was 1) very attached to spending time outdoors and 2) actually capable of capturing a bird, he was immediately BELLED. He can't twitch a whisker without his bell sounding. It took effort to find a bell that sensitive.

That doesn't save the lizards though. I have to provide them with good hiding places, dense foliage where the cat won't go. Next on my cat's hunting list is grasshoppers which I encourage him to hunt, toy with and kill. I do not use insecticides in my yard so I consider this natural pest control. I would be happy for him to find any rats or mice but I do not appear to have a rodent problem at this time.

It concerns me that there are so many cats ...so I only adopt adult abandoned cats, one at a time. They are allowed outside, tagged and belled during the day and stay inside during the most active times for birds, early morning and evening. I stopped feeding birds in my own yard and instead donate money to a local botanic garden/bird sanctuary. I have a decent seasonal population of birds anyway because I design my landscaping to attract birds and insects.

Life can balance the needs of many; information is good and there is no need to be defensive. Domestic cats are here to stay but there is a lot to be said for helping our feline companions lessen their own impact on species eradication at their own scale. What are friends for?

[ray]

FROM WHAT I HEAR FROM THE RESPONSES, ARE THE SAME THINKING THAT S GOING TO KILL THIS PLANET AND EVERYTHING ON IT . ITS NEVER ANYTHING I DO THATS THE PROBLEM, NOT MY CATS , NOT MY CAR ,NOT MY WASTE , ITS ALL EVERYBODY ELSE PROBLEM, IF EVERYBODY WOULD DO THERE BIT TO HELP WILDLIFE, THE ENVIRROMENT, AND OTHER PEOPLE ON THIS PLANET ,WE WILL GO A LONG WAY ON SAVING US AND EVERYTHING AROUND US