I’m sitting in front of a window that looks out over a large meadow that declines slightly over about 200 yards…On the side of the meadow, next to the woods we have several bird feeders. I’m watching a rather large black and white tom cat sit under this huge autumn olive bush and wait for these little chipping sparrows and carolina wrens to come to the feeders. Then he runs and pounces and he’s got one in paw firmly attached to the nails, he comes down and brings it to the bushes…and eats it. It’s a little gruesome but it’s nature - and I don’t really want to mess with that…
I remember on Discovery Channel they had footage of a pod of orca killing a baby grey whale. They kept jumping on top of it to drown it. And it eventually worked. The crew are not allowed to help…that’s sort of why I don’t mind sitting here and watching. What do you think?
I find that kind of thing fascinating. How often do you get to see nature in action like that? Yeah, it’s a manmade birdfeeder and a domesticated cat. But it’s still neat.
I don’t take pleasure in any prey animal’s death, but I don’t see it as anything requiring intervention either.
In late March the hawk that lives in our arroyo figured out where we keep our bird feeder. It was absolutely fascinating to watch this thing do the deed . . . the first, maybe second time. After that I emptied the feeder. That’s just me, though.
As a bird watcher I have a different take on this, one that I know from experience many non-birders have trouble grasping but I will give it a shot yet again:
What you are witnessing isn’t “nature at work”, any more than, say, acid rain from coal burning power plants turning a lake into a lifeless pool is nature at work. The birds (if they are indeed Carolina Wrens and Chipping Sparrows) are species native to North America, you and the cat are not. From a natural history point of view the domestic cat is a relatively recently introduced predator, one that it can be assumed most North American bird species did not evolve to be able to deal with.
Many species of North American birds are under stress from habitat loss and other factors. There is no need to encourage an alien predator (the cat) to help in their demise. Do the birds a favor and shoo the cat away when you see it (assuming it is someone’s well-fed pet. If it seems to be a stray you might want to contact your local humane society).
This link covers the issue in some detail. Even though several of the studies cited didn’t take place in North America I think the conclusions are still relevant.
If you see the cat stalking Starlings, Pigeons or House Sparrows just offer quiet encouragement.
I find nature as fascinating as the next guy, but I have two bird feeders in the yard and I don’t put them there to attract lunch for a neighborhood cat. If I see a cat anywhere near my feeders, it’s going to get chased off. That cat belongs to somebody who ought to be feeding it enough that it doesn’t need to be stalking birds at my feeder.
I will also chase away crows and grackles that try to eat from the feeders. It’s for the songbirds, dammit! You big squawking birds go find dinner somewhere else!
Jeez, I’m starting to sound like one of those grumpy old “you kids get out of my yard” guys…
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it, exactly, but I’m not sure I would want to see it happen. We had a large cat when I was a kid, and he was excellent at catching the chipmunks in our backyard when he was lucky enough to sneak outside. My mom went to great lengths to keep him indoors because she couldn’t stand the carnage.
I freely admit that I’m speciesist. It wouldn’t bother me to watch the cat kill the birds (as long as it doesn’t want to bring them home to me) because I like cats, and I don’t care for birds. On the other hand, if it was a dog killing cats, I’d be out there with a stick. Not because I don’t like dogs (I do), but because a. I like cats, and b. that’s gonna make a huuuuuuuuge mess.
To **Laughing Lagomorph ** and Shoeless - I feel your pain. I do, as a fellow birder I understand what you are talking about. Yes, they are indeed Chipping Sparrows and a couple carolina wrens. The wrens pretty much stay on the ground but the sparrows will jump on the feeders. There are tit mice, chickadees, a fox sparrow or two and I saw a towhee this morning. But I truly see no difference in a sharp-shinned hawk or coopers hawk flying by and snagging one and a cat grabbing a few. Yes, two of the species are locals and the cat isn’t but the cat is no less instinctual when it comes to hunting. It’s not the cats fault that we brought him here and he is allowed out to hunt.
Just my take on it really, we don’t allow our cats out…this one is a new comer who we’ve been seeing for a few weeks.
Yes, it is bad. The cat will kill many birds, some not right away and certainly mostly to play with, not to eat. Domesticated cats are just that. They are not meant to be outside in the “natural” world.
This large feline is definitely ferrel. He runs when ever I step foot outside and has no collar [though not an indicator] and he’s a little ratty…but fat!
Again, I know from experience other people don’t see it my way. But the hawks don’t have any alternative. They need to eat those birds to survive and feed their young, just like their ancestors for 10,000 generations have done.
The cat on the other hand can (presumably) eat Purina Cat Chow, and excercise its hunting instincts on a piece of string or something.
Do you know if the cat is a stray or someone’s pet? ETA: never mind, I see it is.
Well I’m not sure there is another reason to own a cat outside of watching it catch and kill things.
We had two cats growing up one was a big fat lazy ball of fur the other was a lean hunter. She killed everything that moved in our backyard even a possum. We put a bell around her neck to make it fair and she still could snag humming birds. We moved out in the country and she continued her hunting mainly quail. One day she didn’t come home I like to think it was a hawk or an owl that got her instead of a coyote.
Well, I have both a bird-feeder, and outdoor cats (I know, I’m evil) and I don’t see much carnage other than once in a while finding a little bit of birdy-corpse left underneath the boat. But none of the species he (my Rio is the most aggressive hunter) kills are exactly pressured/threatened/endangered around here. Mostly doves–and we have craploads of those–and the occasional bluejay or mockingbird. I got upset when he killed a cardinal once, but I’ve come to realize there are tons of them around here, too. They’re just really territorial.
[eta] I do my best to discourage the cats from hanging around the feeders, though.
Quoted for truth. Helping domestic cats to kill native birds for fun is NOT “natural”, anymore than a human being shooting bald eagles for fun is “natural”. It’s a man-made environmental disaster.
Feral cats have already helped drive a number of species of birds to extinction. Look at the long list of extinct birds on Wiki and you can read about some of the species that people’s loose cats helped destroy forever.
I own cats myself, so I do like the little buggers, but I also like birds and native animals being allowed to survive in their natural habitat. If I had a feral cat stalking birds on my property, I’d trap it and send it to the shelter (because I like cats, I probably would not go as far as Jim Stevenson did and kill it, but I can’t say I blame him at all for doing what he did).
I haven’t had one of those in many years…I remember fondly sitting on my back porch plucking stuff in the backyard when I was a kid. Hell I’d do it now if I had one!
I think there is a thin line between the facts and where actual ecological damage is being done…But I think quelling the natural desires of the cat to save a sparrow or two would be minimal in terms of how often this happens and actual decreasing population numbers.
Now if the cat had a Saw Whet in his mouth I would be saying something very different.
Cats are predators. I have no problem with them hunting, HOWEVER, I do not feel the need to fetch their prey for them. I prefer to have bird feeders on high metal poles that the cats can’t climb. That way, I can feed the birds without turning them into cat chow.
