For the Love of Cats and Birds

 

      If you love cats, if you love birds, or if you love both, you should make sure your cat watches the birds in your yard from an inside window!  Your cat will live longer if you keep it inside. 5.4 million cats are hit by cars every year in the US, and 97% of those cats die from their injuries. One recent Sunday I was driving to church when I saw a woman standing guard over a cat lying in the middle of the road. I stopped to see if the woman needed assistance, thinking that the cat might need a trip to the vet. Its eyes were open, but it lay motionless. With tears in her eyes, the woman told me the neighbors would soon be burying their beloved pet.

    Many years ago I owned a black and white cat named Margie who taught me the pros and cons of letting cats roam around the neighborhood.  Because she spent a lot of time outside I didn't have to provide a kitty litter box for her. (It didn't occur to me that she was probably using the neighbors' gardens to do her business, but that would be a con if I'd thought about it.) I didn't have to provide a scratching post for her either, because she sharpened her claws on the tree trunks in our yard. She used those sharp claws to torture the baby bunnies and birds that I sometimes found half-dead on our doorstep. That was one of the downsides. The other downside came after three years of life with Margie when she failed to return home. Whether she had been hit by a car or catnapped by someone who needed a good mouser, I will never know. 

    If you love birds you probably know how important it is to keep your cats in the house.  In the lower 48 states of the United States alone, cats kill approximately 2.4 billion birds and 12.3 billion small mammals every year.  Cats have contributed to the extinction of 63 species of birds, mammals, and reptiles in the wild and continue to adversely impact a wide variety of other species, including those at risk of extinction. 

    I understand the love of cats. There is nothing else like having a soft, warm, furry kitty purring in your lap. But I love birds, too! For the sake of birds, other small animals, and the longevity of your own dear cat - please keep it in the house if you don't already. (And let's keep our cats and birds off the Rainbow Bridge as long as possible!)

For more on this topic see: For the Love of Birds

For the Love of Birds

 

    I don't know anyone who doesn't enjoy watching birds fly overhead or perch on their birdfeeders. Lots of people from all walks of life put out birdfeeders, nesting boxes, and birdbaths to invite these feathered friends into their yards. True, birds can be a nuisance. We all grumble about bird poop on our cars, and I'll never forget the time I started out on a walk, then had to run home and wash bird poop out of my hair. But those are small inconveniences compared to the joy of seeing goldfinches, nuthatches, and woodpeckers feeding from the seeds and suet we put out for them. 

    We can build bridges of oneness with birds, because people from every culture and background love them. Most of us recognize the ways that birds benefit us and the environment. Birds spread seeds, pollinate plants, and control pests. They reduce weeds and fertilize the soil. You can read more about the benefits of birds here: Benefits of Birds. 

    We should all be concerned about the decimation of the bird population. In North America alone, there are about 3 billion fewer birds than there were in 1970. Almost 1,500 bird species are threatened with extinction across the world. Over 100 species have gone extinct in recent centuries.

    There are numerous reasons for the decrease in bird species. One of the biggest reasons is loss of habitat. Habitat loss occurs when land is converted for agriculture, development, resource extraction, and other uses. We can create habitat for birds in our own yards by reducing our lawns and planting the native trees, shrubs, and plants that provide the berries, insects, and pollen that birds need. Bird feeders are great, but birds need other food sources.  Baby birds, especially, require insects and caterpillars for protein and nourishment. Caterpillars: It's What's for Dinner.

    If you use pesticides on your lawn or garden you may be contributing to the demise of birds. First of all, the birds need insects for their diet. And second, some of these chemicals, such as neonicotinoids are toxic to birds as well as to insects.

    Free-roaming cats are responsible for 2.4 billion bird deaths in the United States each year. Please keep your cats indoors to save the birds!

    Learn more here about how to save the birds: American Bird Conservation

    This spring I am going to plant a native serviceberry tree and some native shrubs and plants to help feed the birds. What are your plans for saving the birds?