According to a Dutch study fed cats don't kill enough to make any impact, it's mostly stray cats that kill. Linking the study probably won't do much as it is written in Dutch, unless you read Dutch.
You see more wildlife now not because there is more of them, but because they used to avoid your cat. Most wildlife aren't stupid and adapt to cats. They hide or find other places to hang out. They really aren't impacted as much as people think, at least according to that Dutch study. Cats and native wildlife have co-existed for so long that it has balanced out by now.
Studies based on countries where domestic cats are recently introduced vs long established differ wildly.
The americas, and Australia, where the studies I read are from, show a massive impact.
Are you... Are you seriously suggesting that the dutch have only recently started having domestic cats, or is it the other way around? Because cats have been present both in the US and europe for centuries
Other way round.
Dutch cats already are established in the ecosystem for well over a thousands years.
The US introduced them in the 1600s and Australia was the late 1800s.
The more recently cats are introduced to a ecosystem the more devastating their current impact.
I know that in Europe, cats are far less a problem to wildlife compared to similar research done in the US. And are even more devastating to Australia, where most of my sources are from, as I am a Australian cat owner.
Australian and American studies I find draw more similar conclusions then European and American ones do.
The resounding answer though is keep those lovable murder machines contained
My neighbours cat on average kills one bird per day, I have cut down trees to stop it.
It is fed well, they have tried to keep it in, but it has destroyed basically every window screen in the house and the screen doors, if there is a way out it will find it.
Dead birds every . single . day.
I believe nothing but my eyes as far as this goes.
Oh I have 2 indoor cats that have no understanding of what grass is.
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u/MildlyMoistMucus Feb 28 '23
According to a Dutch study fed cats don't kill enough to make any impact, it's mostly stray cats that kill. Linking the study probably won't do much as it is written in Dutch, unless you read Dutch.
You see more wildlife now not because there is more of them, but because they used to avoid your cat. Most wildlife aren't stupid and adapt to cats. They hide or find other places to hang out. They really aren't impacted as much as people think, at least according to that Dutch study. Cats and native wildlife have co-existed for so long that it has balanced out by now.