Cats that are allowed outside to roam have a devastating impact on our native wildlife and ecosystems, particularly birds. Please understand that I am a devoted cat lover.
As I write, my cat, Reggie, sits and looks wistfully at the great outdoors near our home at the edge of Kal Park. Reggie used to be an outside cat before we adopted him from our son before he left to work overseas. Reggie has adapted really well and enjoys being a voyeur of what happens outside, rather than an active, murderous participant.
I know I’m doing the right thing by keeping him an indoor cat. It’s well established that indoor cats live longer and have fewer health problems. But more importantly, Reggie lives indoors because I know that free, roaming cats are responsible for millions of songbird deaths in North America each year.
Chipmunks, squirrels and baby marmots are also easy targets. Even if you (like me) are not a mouse lover, mice would be better left as part of the food system for eagles, hawks or coyotes than to be killed by a well-fed cat. Kitty can still take care of inside mice.
Please take the devastation that your cat can have on wildlife and our delicate ecosystem seriously. Convert your outside cat to indoor life and keep new cats indoors from the start. Both kitty and the environment will thank you.
Debby Hamilton,
Vernon
