[Summit] a suggestion for cat owners

[Ethan Gilsdorf]

hi neighbors:

I love cats. But in the past few days, I've seen the carnage from what I
believe are three cat attacks on wildlife: one dead baby rabbit, one
mangled mourning dove in my backyard, and one crime scene: an explosion of
feathers under my bird feeder. The dove was barely alive, so I brought it
to the wonderful bird rehab organization Congress of the Birds (in the West
Side), but they could not save it and it died later that night.

One study showed that domestic cats kill 1.4 to 3.7 BILLION birds and
6.9–20.7 BILLION mammals in the lower 48 states each year --- more than
from collisions with buildings, towers, vehicles, or pesticide poisoning.

I would ask all cat owners who let their cats roam freely outdoors to
please consider taking preventative measures to stop the killing. A cat
collar called BirdBeSafe --- which, yes, looks like a ridiculous clown
accessory --- has been shown to work. Birds can see bright colors, and when
a cat wears one of these colorful collars, they are easier to see, which
gives birds time to fly away in time. This company also sells a "breakaway
buckle" for the collar, which will open under pressure if you cat ever gets
caught in a sticky situation. Putting a bell on your cat's collar has been
shown to not be as effective.

Thanks for considering the welfare of our neighborhood wildlife as you make
choices for your cats.

Links below.

https://www.audubon.org/news/how-stop-cats-killing-birds

https://www.birdsbesafe.com/

https://www.audubon.org/news/cats-pose-even-bigger-threat-birds-previously-thought

With kindness,

Ethan Gilsdorf
10th Street


*Ethan Gilsdorf*
*writer | teacher | critic | nerd *
ethan at ethangilsdorf.com | ethangilsdorf.com <http://www.ethangilsdorf.com/>
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