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cali

(114,904 posts) Tue Jan 29, 2013, 12:56 PM Jan 2013

More news about murderous kittykats: They kill billions- every year. [View all]

Cats that live in the wild or indoor pets allowed to roam outdoors kill from 1.4 billion to as many as 3.7 billion birds in the continental U.S. each year, says a new study that escalates a decades-old debate over the feline threat to native animals.

The estimates are much higher than the hundreds of millions of annual bird deaths previously attributed to cats. The study also says that from 6.9 billion to as many as 20.7 billion mammals — mainly mice, shrews, rabbits and voles — are killed by cats annually in the Lower 48. The report is scheduled to be published Tuesday in Nature Communications.

"I was stunned," said ornithologist Peter Marra of the Smithsonian's Conservation Biology Institute. He and Smithsonian colleague Scott Loss, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Tom Will conducted the study.

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http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/01/29/cats-wild-birds-mammals-study/1873871/

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More news about murderous kittykats: They kill billions- every year. [View all] cali Jan 2013 OP

well its in their nature to hunt and kill as a top predator. im shocked that this surprises people. loli phabay Jan 2013 #1

Yep and I'm surprised it bothers people Taverner Jan 2013 #2

yup shitloads of feral cats here in va loli phabay Jan 2013 #5

I sort of understand the defense of songbirds, but justabob Jan 2013 #16

for their health and the health of wild animals, kitties are wonderful and need to be kept inside CreekDog Jan 2013 #46

I have four justabob Jan 2013 #55

My kitty found me when a stray years ago and his eyes had just opened. He's been inside with RKP5637 Jan 2013 #56

+100 Liberal_in_LA Jan 2013 #61

The sound a bird makes (or maybe it's the cat) when it's being shredded Bake Jan 2013 #81

That's an ignorant statement fishiefish Jan 2013 #50

How Much Do Cats Actually Kill? Romulus Quirinus Jan 2013 #44

Cats belong inside for many reasons, and this is one of them. Brickbat Jan 2013 #3

people cause enough mass extinction liberal_at_heart Jan 2013 #6

How are they contributing to "mass extinction?" Starboard Tack Jan 2013 #15

"designed" Romulus Quirinus Jan 2013 #45

Yes Romulus Quirinus, designed. Starboard Tack Jan 2013 #66

"like humans are designed to walk upright, cars are designed to roll on wheels" Romulus Quirinus Jan 2013 #67

Do you have a point to make or are you just working on your post count? Starboard Tack Jan 2013 #69

they aren't natural when they are housepets! CreekDog Jan 2013 #48

Sorry, I'm not getting your point. Starboard Tack Jan 2013 #68

Feral and outdoor cats are an invasive species. Upton Jan 2013 #58

My cats have a preference for rodents. NV Whino Jan 2013 #4

Mine are only interested in rodents... the bigger the better. alittlelark Jan 2013 #14

I could have used your cats last year RebelOne Jan 2013 #19

Mine, too - gophers DollarBillHines Jan 2013 #49

My cat couldn't kill a bird if his life depended on it union_maid Jan 2013 #7

hah! my fluffball once ran in fear from a large cockroach zazen Jan 2013 #33

lol - anytime my cat hears a strange noise I have to go investigate and he follows me. n/t RKP5637 Jan 2013 #57

It is called NATURE. From it we get the word NATURAL. CBGLuthier Jan 2013 #8

One excellent reason to own a cat you keep indoors SheilaT Jan 2013 #9

We had cats growing up specifically to keep mice out of the shed and garden Recursion Jan 2013 #10

I once saw my two cats watch a mouse narnian60 Jan 2013 #32

Well, clearly if it's starving the dog the cats will be for it Recursion Jan 2013 #34

here comes the indoor/outdoor cat war fizzgig Jan 2013 #11

i only have indoor hostages. pansypoo53219 Jan 2013 #12

If only we could train cats to hunt Common Grackles. kentauros Jan 2013 #13

I just posted the same thing :) justabob Jan 2013 #21

As they say kentauros Jan 2013 #30

yes :) justabob Jan 2013 #40

I only see the various "normal" songbirds on occasion. kentauros Jan 2013 #41

too bad the grackles are quick, I say run them down justabob Jan 2013 #53

Well, I don't like killing any animals, kentauros Jan 2013 #63

I am only hostile toward grackles justabob Jan 2013 #65

An interesting Grackle story... TeeYiYi Jan 2013 #25

Thanks :) kentauros Jan 2013 #31

OMG. Cats kill mice & birds. Who knew? GreenStormCloud Jan 2013 #17

Say WHAT? REP Jan 2013 #23

I have 2 indoor, 1 indoor/outdoor - and he's a hunter. Melinda Jan 2013 #18

I'm pretty sure my cats have killed exactly zero birds ... rodents, not so sure REP Jan 2013 #20

Given who was running the study, I'm sure the numbers inflated... joeybee12 Jan 2013 #22

I've never witnessed a cat kill a bird that wasn't already injured. alphafemale Jan 2013 #82

I know... joeybee12 Jan 2013 #83

They're Terminators. slackmaster Jan 2013 #24

Don't you mean "Tooncinators"? smirkymonkey Jan 2013 #84

The only ethical solution is to keep them inside and feed a vegan diet FarCenter Jan 2013 #26

So you advocate starving them to death? sadbear Jan 2013 #28

Amazingly enough, there is vegan cat food FarCenter Jan 2013 #35

I don't doubt its existence. sadbear Jan 2013 #36

If I had to pay that much for cat food, I'd get a goldfish instead. slackmaster Jan 2013 #52

Not ethical to feed an OBLIGATE CARNIVORE a vegan diet REP Jan 2013 #42

The vegan cat diet has to be supplemented with the biochemicals that they need FarCenter Jan 2013 #77

Just because a thing can be done doesn't mean it should be REP Jan 2013 #78

Ethics, schethics. If domestic dogs and cats didn't control the rodent population in my neighborhood slackmaster Jan 2013 #51

Without cats to keep the mice and rat population under control... OldDem2012 Jan 2013 #27

Yep... Sylvarose Jan 2013 #37

I like that my cat polices the property for rodents ... Auggie Jan 2013 #29

Yes. Prey animals go bye-bye. aquart Jan 2013 #38

And murderous people kill billions of animals every year. Arugula Latte Jan 2013 #39

yes, +1 stuntcat Jan 2013 #73

Keep cats indoors cabot Jan 2013 #43

coyotes have been feasting on the feral cat population. JRLeft Jan 2013 #47

Which is a good thing.. Upton Jan 2013 #54

Yeah, it's good because it helps the coyote population explode! joeybee12 Jan 2013 #74

Heck of a lot better than feral cats.. Upton Jan 2013 #75

Problem is, feral cats, even though feral, will stay somewhat close to civilization... joeybee12 Jan 2013 #76

awwww Liberal_in_LA Jan 2013 #59

I simply have to disagree with the findings. hamsterjill Jan 2013 #60

Put a bell on your cat bongbong Jan 2013 #62

cat stalks bird then decides against it Liberal_in_LA Jan 2013 #64

LoL! Crepuscular Jan 2013 #71

Yeah, I can almost imagine the cat's thoughts: "Holy crap! I better leave this one alone." Liberal_in_LA Jan 2013 #80

this is why JitterbugPerfume Jan 2013 #70

Cats can be prolific killers no doubt. Kalidurga Jan 2013 #72

And this is why they want to ban them in New Zealand. hollysmom Jan 2013 #79