Killer kitties: Island cat owners urged to join campaign to save birds

Prince Edward Islanders are being asked to join a Canada-wide movement to keep cats indoors.

Keep Cats Safe and Save Bird Lives is a coalition of Canadians concerned about the well-being of cats and birds.

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"We'd love to have some P.E.I. partners," said Sarah Cooper, project manager for the group, which was launched in 2016 by Nature Canada, a national nature conservation charity.

"Having partners in P.E.I. would mean having help getting the word out."

Quite concerning

A 2013 study from Environment Canada found that cats are "killing machines", taking down 200 million birds a year in Canada. That number, and the new campaign, have caught the attention of an Island conservation group.

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"Yes, I think that's quite concerning and I think most people would agree that cats shouldn't be the number one cause of mortality for birds," Rosemary Curley, president of Nature PEI.

"When I was growing up, we never realized that it would be a really big problem," she added.

"We did see cats eating birds occasionally but not very often."

'Fairly staggering'

Now, the steep decline in bird populations in North American has raised red flags over felines.

"As people say, you no longer hear the dawn chorus of birds, so if you go out at sunrise, it's not much of a racket compared to the old days," said Curley, suggesting some species of birds on P.E.I. may be falling victim to cats on the loose.

"The grassland birds, they're accessible, and one of those is the savannah sparrow, it's in a fairly steep decline," said Curley.

It's not just ground nesters, she said, any bird is vulnerable.

"When young birds are out of the nest and they're taking their first flight, they're easy prey for predators, including cats."

Awareness campaign

In 2015, Nature PEI hosted a public event featuring one of the Environment Canada researchers who took part in the study on bird mortality.

"It's easier to keep in a cat that has never been let outdoors but cats that go outdoors, it's harder to keep them in," said Curley.

"That's why I think an awareness campaign would be a good idea to encourage people when they're getting new cats in particular not to let them outdoors."

'Horrifying numbers'

In Nova Scotia, wildlife veterinarian Helene Van Doninck has been working with several groups to encourage people to keep cats indoors or supervised when outdoors.

"We get horrifying numbers of wildlife that are brought in, particularly in the spring, when there are babies around and parents trying to protect them," said Van Doninck.

The owners, she said, are always apologetic.

"They say it's only one bird, it's only one chipmunk but when I bring it to their attention how many cats are outside, how many they bring home or prey on a week, and also the fact that they only bring home about 28 per cent of what they catch," said Van Doninck.

"I try to get people to see the big picture that yes, it does matter that your particular cat goes outside."

'Catios' catching on

Cat owners try to argue with her, she said, saying their feline needs to be outside to hunt and explore the woods.

"And I'm like, do you not think that being hit by a car and dying in a ditch is cruel? Or catching a disease that could have been avoided," she said.

Van Doninck gives the example of Calgary, which has a municipal bylaw against cats roaming off their property, something she says has also been adopted by Kings County in Nova Scotia.

"More and more people are swinging around to keeping their cats indoors," she said.

For those who say their felines won't get enough exercise, she suggests "catios," an outdoor enclosed run for a cat.

"So it can still be outside but not harm other wildlife, or not get hit by a car or attacked or get a disease."

'Double standard'

Above all, Van Doninck said it comes down to being a responsible pet owner.

"If your cat is outside and on other people's property and killing wildlife in their neighborhood, then you're not being responsible for your animal," she said.

"Any other animal, a dog, a horse, a whatever, that would be doing something like that, it would be dealt with immediately but there seems to be another set of rules for cats."

She finds that double standard troubling, she said not fair to the cats or to wildlife.

Van Doninck also wonders how people stand the worry of having a cat outdoors.

"There's sort of more of a disposable attitude towards cats, if it gets killed or doesn't come back, you'll get another one," she said.

"But we're really trying to change that conversation, that it's an animal, it's a lifetime commitment, and it's your responsibility to keep it safe."

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