Lovely photos. Because we have had outdoor cats and dogs they often hurt other smaller wild animals even if they don’t mean to and taken many small birds, rabbits and voles to local vet to see if they can get better. Some with a fighting chance are sent to volunteers to recover.
But almost always a sad outcome.
Cats (even small ones) are instinctive predators, even when well fed. One solution to reduce impact on local wildlife (birds, lizards, amphibians) is to keep them indoors. We tried this with our last cat and the impact on us and our cat was huge but small mammals were 100% safe (from our cat) and our cat was safe from cars, disease and dogs.
Or fit them with special collars (‘Birdbesafe’) or bells but these might come off when they run through bushes.
Other suggestions:
- Construct a Catio/Enclosure: Provides safe outdoor time without access to wildlife ??
- Supervised Outdoor Time: Harness training for walks ensures cats are under direct supervision ?? (Some of our cats were little little fat and dont walk logically – their goal to remove the harness and you and climb smallest branches of big trees)
- Provide Indoor Enrichment: Regular playtime with toys reduces the urge to hunt.
- Restrict Night Roaming: Keeping cats inside at night reduces their impact, as many small animals are hunted during dawn/dusk. This means keeping them in after evening meal.
- Manage Outdoor Feeding: If feeding stray cats, do so at scheduled times and remove food, as leaving food out attracts more cats, squirrels, rats and big birds.
sunnypolarbear 