[Summit] a suggestion for cat owners

[Ethan Gilsdorf]

Good point Art. I agree!  I can’t tell you how many times I see “lost cat”
signs on telephone poles in the neighborhood and I imagine to myself “Yep I
think a coyote got that one…” I’ve seen coyotes out hunting in my
neighborhood, even in the daytime.

With kindness,
Ethan


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On Tue, Jun 17, 2025 at 1:46 PM Art Norwalk <art at norwalkcom.com> wrote:

> There's no doubt cats are predators in the outdoors. But they're also
> prey, particularly for coyotes.
>
> Best solution -- keep them indoors.
>
> -- Art
>
> On Tue, Jun 17, 2025 at 10:52 AM Ethan Gilsdorf <ethangilsdorf at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> 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/> |
>> <https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0IW6ldnGAgXgshIsB2c1sF2viMsYy5FD>
>>
>>
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>>
>
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