REVIEW REALITY CHECKGET T Y
IMAGES
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ne in four adults in the UKownsa cat,according
to the UK’s leading vet charity.Thataddsupto
11.1 million cats, manyofwhomfree-roamover
great distances. With so manyfelinesprowlingthe
country and with Britishwildlifeina precarious
state,it begs the question, how harmfularedomesticcats
to the species they prey on?
The Mammal Society, a charitableorganisationconcerned
with the welfare and conservationof mammals,surveyed
cat owners to find out just that.Overthecourseoffive
months, on average a single catbroughthome 11 prey
items, which included all mannerofanimalsfromhouse
sparrows to grass snakes. This maynotseemlikemuch,
but with millions of cats in Britain,thiscouldmeanthat
some 274 million dead animals aredroppedonowners’
doorsteps each year.
In the face of such startling figures,whatis a responsible
cat lover to do? There’s one obviousanswer:keepthese
cuddly killers indoors, permanently.
But the solution isn’t quite thatstraightforward,says
Dr John Bradshaw, who has studieddomesticcatssince
the mid-1980s. “In this country, theevidencethatcatsare
causing any serious depletion inwildlifepopulationsis
pretty flimsy,” he explains. “That’snottosaytheyaren’t
killing things. There are plenty ofsurveysthatshowthey
are. But the long-term effects ofthathavebeendifficult
to find.”
Most species targeted by domesticcatswillhavelots
of offspring, to counter the expectationthatmanywill
die before they reach adulthood.
“Cats aren’t very efficient hunters,”addsBradshaw.
Their prey is most likely alreadyina poorcondition,
dead or dying, when they catchit.“Really,focusingon
the cat is counterproductive.”
To de mon i s e c a t s, B r ad s h aw s u g ge s t s,wou ld d i s t r a c t
from the real dangers to wildlife intheUK:lossof habitats,
reduced availability of food andtheincreaseduseof
pesticides and fertilisers. Thesethreatswereidentified
in the UK’s State of Nature reportin2016,whichbrought
together data from more than 50differentorganisations.
Though Mittens may not be publicenemynumberoneon
our shores, elsewhere in the worldcatsaren’toffthehook.“ ere are plenty of surveys that show cats are
killing things. But the long-term e ects of that have
been di cult to find”
Yes, cats kill wildlife. If that
bothers you, perhaps consider
keeping Tiddles indoorsIn 2013 an American review found that pet cats allowed
to roam free could be linked to the death of 684 million
birds in the US each year. This was three times the figure
for birds killed by cars and 12 times as many as killed by
wind turbines.
Scott Loss, one of the authors of the study, wants to
make one thing clear: “It’s not an issue relating to the cats
themselves. It’s a human issue. The key is getting people to
realise the negative impacts that free-roaming cats have,
and adjusting their behaviours regarding cat ownership.
We’re not blaming cats.”
For ow ners wor ried about wildlife, Loss recom mends
keeping their pet cats indoors. Or, if they’re outdoors, to
have them restrained in some way, either by installing
‘catios’ – outdoor cat enclosures that enable them to run
around but separate them from wildlife – or even walking
them on a lead. “Often, those suggestions don’t go over well
with cat owners. They say ‘my cat isn’t a problem’ so they
don’t think it’s worth restraining them.” says Loss. If you
don’t have the space for a ‘catio’ and can’t imagine your 2O