Petition American Bird Conservancy. Stop your witch hunt against cats!

The debate over the number of birds killed by cats has grown stronger over the past few decades, especially since the internet came into play. Information once found only in magazines or periodicals can now be read with the click of a mouse, and anyone out there with a computer can either read up on the subject or write an article of their own.

Bids killed by manmade objects
Bids killed by manmade objects
Two useful tags. Click either to see the articles: Toxic to cats | Dangers to cats

The luxury of writing and then readers believing everything on the computer screen has led many to believe there’s a great danger to the bird population and that danger is coming from domestic cats. The media fails to get their facts right sometimes. The battle between bird lovers and cat lovers has grown so heated that a new petition titled “Petition: American Bird Conservancy, stop your witch hunt against cats” is now making the rounds.

The truth is that cats have been part of the natural landscape for more than 10,000 years. Birds have managed to survive, and the cats have managed to survive. It wasn’t until the building frenzy that has become widespread in the United States, and most likely the rest of the civilized world, that bird populations faced the true issue. When forests are cut down to build apartment complexes, birds are run out of their natural home and can’t survive in an unfamiliar and often cruel environment.

Due to environmental changes, including urban development, the list below is what’s REALLY killing the birds

  • Crashing into windows or buildings
  • Pesticide use
  • Greenhouse gas emissions
  • Wind turbines

Alley Cat Allies, the only national advocacy organization dedicated to the protection and humane treatment of cats states:

“Most species who call these ecosystems home are not adaptable to the human landscapes left for them. Human threats like habitat destruction, wind turbines, and pesticide use are only some of the human pressures on bird populations, and they will only increase if we continue shifting the blame to cats.”

Alley Cat Allies has described a study published by the publication Nature as continuing propaganda to vilify cats. Much of their material is outdated, some of it by as much as half a century. They go so far as to cite discredited researcher Nico Dauphine, who was convicted a few years ago by a D.C. jury for attempted animal cruelty after trying to poison cats and then fired from her job at the Smithsonian.

Another inaccuracy promoted by those who call cats “vermin” is that cats are continuously on the prowl for birds. A Georgia experiment conducted by the University of Georgia and the National Geographic Society conducted a study from November 2010 to October 2011 using 60 house cats who spend 5-6 hours daily running loose tells a different story. With lightweight kitty-cams strapped on to their necks, the cats were observed as they went about their day. Their “kills” were broken down into (see also this page):

  • 40% snakes, lizards and frogs
  • 25% small mammals
  • 12% birds

Mr. Woody Woodsman, who is a frequent visitor to PoC, believes it’s acceptable to kill these outdoor roaming cats, as long as the death is quick and painless (although he is unable to guarantee that). People who believe it’s legal to kill a cat should keep in mind that all 50 states now have animal cruelty laws in place, and many have additional felony animal cruelty laws.

While the American Bird Conservancy (ABC) is a 501(c)(3), not-for profit organization whose mission is to conserve native birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. ABC recently initiated a new campaign dedicated to educating the public and policy makers about how keeping cats indoors is better for cats, birds, and people. Several videos can be found here that represent their viewpoint of cats vs birds.

Cats are being killed at an alarming rate in shelters. They’re killed as they cross busy roads. Millions of dead cats yearly, yet the bird population is still at risk. Why? It’s because to curb the death of birds, we would have to change as a society, which isn’t going to happen. Urban development made in the name of progress will almost always win out over protecting a species. Any species.

Please search using the search box at the top of the site. You are bound to find what you are looking for.

36 thoughts on “Petition American Bird Conservancy. Stop your witch hunt against cats!”

    • Yes, it is strange that humans like to battle over their favorite bit of nature when it would be better to leave it entirely alone and stop messing it up.

      Reply
  1. Signed and shared. I see Woody has changed his name and gender or maybe he has an ignorant mate who espouses the same propaganda all cat haters do.Learn facts/truth before maligning cats.

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  2. how sick is MAN? evil. these ppl are moaning about cats killing birds , its nature , i dont like it but it cant be helped. i have 4 cats.they have never brought any birds home, except one cat gets an old ouse or rat. look at the amount of birds killed by wind turbines, jet propellers in a.planes engines etc etc. MAN is the evil one doing the killingof ALL . I hate man

    Reply
    • If you believe that these man-made (through selective breeding) invasive-species cats are a natural part of the environment and belong out in nature, then why are you bothering to sterilize them?

      Your agreement to sterilize them is your total acceptance that they don’t even belong there in the very first place. Is this beyond your feeble comprehension? Must be. Even your host Michael can’t even figure this one out.

      Reply
    • And guess which form of human is the most evil of all — those that promote the existence of your cats. For they kill more animals than any other humans alive on the planet. See if you can wrap your brain around that FACT.

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      • How come there are more pigeons than cats in every major town and city worldwide?

        Why is the U.K’s hedge sparrow population in rapid deline, yet they rarely encounter cats?

        I do hope our guest bird expert can answer these questions.

        Reply
    • Bevels this man is so sick I can’t leave comments open on my Greenville Cats Examiner articles I do to help shelter cats and cat rescues across the U.S. I wanted PoC to have this article just so Woody (Molly Troll Mole) would have a place to vent. At least he’s playing nice here. I think he’s learned his comment get rejected when he uses his wonderful potty mouth abilities.

      Reply
  3. Even in the UK, where you revere your vermin “moggies” almost as much as a sacred-cow and the very birthplace of that TNR lunacy (which isn’t even working), you can legally shoot your cats to death.

    http : / / naturenet . net / law / seasons . htm

    By the way, for every 1 bird killed by ALL other activities of humans combined, 1,000 are killed by the human-activity of cats. And for all other animals, for every 1 killed by ALL other human activities combined, 20,000 are killed by the human-activity of cats. I guess you can’t grasp numbers like “billions” unless it is put in much simpler perspective. (That need is why they invented and frequently use the word “moron”.)

    Reply
    • I took at the link you provided, but I see no legal permission to shoot cats at will in the U.K.

      Though cats were included within a list of “The following mammals can be controlled by legally approved methods all year round” it did not specifically state that one can shoot feral cats. Legally approved methods of controlling cats within the UK, would mainly refer to licensed TNR programmes.

      You should be aware that the Animal Welfare Act 2006 affords the same legal protection to both domestic and feral cats. If someone shoots a cat, they run the risk of being prosecuted for animal cruelty and if the cat was a pet, you can add criminal damage to the charge sheet.

      Reply
      • The term “animal cruelty” is when you cause the unduly suffering of an animal. If shooting an animal to death was “animal cruelty” then nobody could hunt any animals in any country. Nor could any farmer or rancher “put down” any animal with a gun for your weekend rural barbeque. Just because you are so pavement-brained that you have psychotically distanced yourself from how you get those meats to your dinner-table, doesn’t mean that killing any animal by humane methods is “animal cruelty”. But then, you will steadfastly hold onto your psychoses. For that is just as limited as you are in your grasp of reality. There’s nothing anyone can do for you to make you comprehend the reality of your world. You are JUST that mentally ill.

        Reply
        • The only thing anyone needs to know when destroying your vermin free-roaming cats for you is this: a dead cat is a legal cat.

          That’s all anyone needs to know. No matter how that cat is dead, it is legal.

          Reply

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