# Anyone know of a way to prevent outdoor cats from catching game? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 1, 2013, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-of-a-way-to-prevent-outdoor-cats-from-catching-game/657258 "2013-05-01T22:11:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-of-a-way-to-prevent-outdoor-cats-from-catching-game/657258/21 "2013-05-02T04:14:56Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Get it de-clawed and de-toothed. Then it will be a fair fight. > [@jz78817](#): > > the fuck is this? cats are predators, mice are prey. those are their natural roles. stop trying to apply human “morals” to animals which have no concept of them. It was a woosh. Declawing cats is a guaranteed fight starter here. ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Hartwick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@Dave\_Hartwick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Hartwick)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-of-a-way-to-prevent-outdoor-cats-from-catching-game/657258/22 "2013-05-02T04:17:20Z")
> [@MLS](#): > > If it is completely impossible to keep the cat indoors, consider its hunting as improving the breed of its prey; it will kill the slowest and the stupidest mice and birds, leaving more food for the fast and clever ones. Cats have improved some bird species to extinction. > **[Lyall's wren](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephens_Island_Wren)** > > Lyall's wren or the Stephens Island wren (Traversia lyalli) was a small, flightless passerine belonging to the family Acanthisittidae, the New Zealand wrens. Now extinct, it was once found throughout New Zealand, but when it came to the attention of scientists in 1894, its last refuge was Stephens Island in Cook Strait. Often claimed to be a species driven extinct by a single creature (a lighthouse keeper's cat named Tibbles), the wren in fact fell victim to the island's numerous feral cats.... > [@](#): > > …worldwide, cats may have been involved in the extinction of more bird species than any other cause, except habitat destruction. [http://web4.audubon.org/local/cn/98march/cats.html](http://web4.audubon.org/local/cn/98march/cats.html) ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-of-a-way-to-prevent-outdoor-cats-from-catching-game/657258/23 "2013-05-02T06:28:05Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > A friend asked me if I knew if there was a kind of bell she could hang on her cats collar to impede the cats hunting. Does anyone know how effective such bells are? Or other solutions? Keeping the cat indoor, or fencing her in, are not options , unfortunately. When you say fencing it in isn’t an option, how bout an outdoor cat enclosure? > **[outdoor cat enclosures - Google Search](https://www.google.com.au/search?q=outdoor%2Bcat%2Benclosures&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=lgaCUdP0NM2gige40YG4BQ&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280&bih=707)** I know a bloke who built a large one in his backyard. The cat goes from inside the house to outdoors but inside the enclosure and never gets anywhere near native bird life. Any mouse stupid enough to go in the cat enclosure is fair game. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-of-a-way-to-prevent-outdoor-cats-from-catching-game/657258/24 "2013-05-02T11:56:40Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > It was a woosh. Declawing cats is a guaranteed fight starter here. Bloody hell, I had to google that to check it was true. People _do_ that to a _cat_? What next, removing a horses hoofs to stop it making an annoying clippy-cloppy noise? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-of-a-way-to-prevent-outdoor-cats-from-catching-game/657258/25 "2013-05-02T12:12:22Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > A friend asked me if I knew if there was a kind of bell she could hang on her cats collar to impede the cats hunting. Does anyone know how effective such bells are? Or other solutions? Keeping the cat indoor, or fencing her in, are not options , unfortunately. Still wondering why keeping the cat inside or giving it an outdoor enclosure (to keep it and potential prey safe) are not options - other than for the reason that “my darling kitty was meant to be FREE!”. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-of-a-way-to-prevent-outdoor-cats-from-catching-game/657258/26 "2013-05-02T12:14:58Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Still wondering why keeping the cat inside or giving it an outdoor enclosure (to keep it and potential prey safe) are not options - other than for the reason that “my darling kitty was meant to be FREE!”. Those cat lovers don’t love their kitties well enough to maintain litter boxes… ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-of-a-way-to-prevent-outdoor-cats-from-catching-game/657258/27 "2013-05-02T13:18:06Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Still wondering why keeping the cat inside or giving it an outdoor enclosure (to keep it and potential prey safe) are not options - other than for the reason that “my darling kitty was meant to be FREE!”. The one with the cats is a friend of my dad’s, she’s only a Facebook aquaintance of mine. I can’t tell her what to do. But she might listen if I came up with an easy alternative. The cat bib seems a good idea, but you have to hang it around the cat everytime she goes outside, so that would get old fast. Previous posts have led me to research that says that cat bells help with some cats, a little, and mostly reduce the catching of rodents, not of birds. Anyone got other practical ideas? I’d like to keep this thread in GQ territory, please. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-of-a-way-to-prevent-outdoor-cats-from-catching-game/657258/28 "2013-05-02T13:21:51Z")
> [@stui\_magpie](#): > > When you say fencing it in isn’t an option, how bout an outdoor cat enclosure? > > [outdoor cat enclosures - Google Search](https://www.google.com.au/search?q=outdoor+cat+enclosures&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=lgaCUdP0NM2gige40YG4BQ&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280&bih=707) > > I know a bloke who built a large one in his backyard. The cat goes from inside the house to outdoors but inside the enclosure and never gets anywhere near native bird life. Any mouse stupid enough to go in the cat enclosure is fair game. I have to say, following those links, there are many smart enclosure systems now on the market. They would defenitely be an option for people with small yards who are willing to invest some money and work. ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-of-a-way-to-prevent-outdoor-cats-from-catching-game/657258/29 "2013-05-02T13:43:25Z")
There is a product called bird be safe that is supposed to make cats visible to birds and stop cats form killing birds. It is called birds be safe and looks like a very large multicolored scrunchie that attaches to the collar. No idea whether it works or not. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-of-a-way-to-prevent-outdoor-cats-from-catching-game/657258/30 "2013-05-02T13:54:23Z")
> [@puddleglum](#): > > There is a product called bird be safe that is supposed to make cats visible to birds and stop cats form killing birds. It is called birds be safe and looks like a very large multicolored scrunchie that attaches to the collar. No idea whether it works or not. That’s interesting! The inventor says it mostly works for birds, because they are more sensitive to color. And judging from [their site](http://www.birdsbesafe.com/), it seems they’ve put a lot of thought in how to make it safe and comfortable for the cat. I’m going to recommend this to the cat owner. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-of-a-way-to-prevent-outdoor-cats-from-catching-game/657258/31 "2013-05-02T14:25:45Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > The Op sez its ‘not an option” but didn’t explain WHY? If he explains WHY we may be able to come up with other ideas. So, your passive-aggressive reply is not helpful, while my question may be. A cat that is used to being outdoors will not go back to being an indoor cat. Yes, they will use the litter box the majority of the time. But they will also start spraying near the doors to mark their territory and wake up at 5:30 in the morning with the birds and start raising hell wanting to go outside. I have a 1500 square foot backyard with a fence that keeps my cats in and they just cry all day when we have an all day rain; generally I just leave them outside when I go to work in the summer. When winter comes they are absolute hell to live with and I am seriously considering getting them on kitty Prozac next year. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-of-a-way-to-prevent-outdoor-cats-from-catching-game/657258/32 "2013-05-02T14:28:16Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > That’s interesting! The inventor says it mostly works for birds, because they are more sensitive to color. And judging from [their site](http://www.birdsbesafe.com/), it seems they’ve put a lot of thought in how to make it safe and comfortable for the cat. I’m going to recommend this to the cat owner. Wow, these collars are even recommended by the British Bird Protection Society. > **[Welcome to the British Trust for Ornithology | BTO - British Trust for...](https://www.bto.org/)** > [@](#): > > Wildlife experts .. are calling for owners to give their cats garishly coloured collars… The advice is contained in a new guide produced by the British Trust for Ornithologists (BTO) which aims to reduce the impact of cats on garden birds. They have several reports on their site on the effectiveness of various methods. Here’s [their report](http://www.bto.org/sites/default/files/u196/downloads/rr213.pdf) on the [CatAlert TM collar.](http://www.willana-lifesciences.co.uk/catalert/) That one beeps every seven seconds when the cat is outdoors. Apparently, that helps a bit, but it is not the best solution for all cats. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-of-a-way-to-prevent-outdoor-cats-from-catching-game/657258/33 "2013-05-02T15:22:56Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > A cat that is used to being outdoors will not go back to being an indoor cat. Yes, they will use the litter box the majority of the time. But they will also start spraying near the doors to mark their territory and wake up at 5:30 in the morning with the birds and start raising hell wanting to go outside. > > I have a 1500 square foot backyard with a fence that keeps my cats in and they just cry all day when we have an all day rain; generally I just leave them outside when I go to work in the summer. When winter comes they are absolute hell to live with and I am seriously considering getting them on kitty Prozac next year. Not true. Right now we are homing a rescued feral. True, his favorite place is sitting in the window, but he’s happy indoors. Before that we had three Maine coon litter mates, all of whom were raised indoor/outdoor cats in a rural area. They had no problem staying in. None of them (and all but one were neutered males) sprayed. Note that Feliway helps with some cat behavior problems. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-of-a-way-to-prevent-outdoor-cats-from-catching-game/657258/34 "2013-05-02T15:23:59Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > Bloody hell, I had to google that to check it was true. > > People _do_ that to a _cat_? What next, removing a horses hoofs to stop it making an annoying clippy-cloppy noise? It’s a very common practice in the United States. I had that done to one of my cats, before I knew what the procedure really entailed. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-of-a-way-to-prevent-outdoor-cats-from-catching-game/657258/35 "2013-05-02T15:26:22Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > kitty Prozac My cousin is a veterinarian, although he’s not currently in private practice. When he was, he said the weirdest thing he ever did was prescribe Prozac for a cat. The drug was fairly new, and he honestly did it as a joke, because the cat was refusing to use a litterbox and standard treatments had failed. And it worked. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-of-a-way-to-prevent-outdoor-cats-from-catching-game/657258/36 "2013-05-02T16:55:00Z")
> [@Gary\_T](#): > > **Anyone know of a way to prevent outdoor cats from catching game?** > > Yeah. Drown them. [mod note] Listen, people (and especially **Gary T** ): you are in GQ. If you wish to start a thread about whether cats should be allowed outdoors, do it in GD. If you wish to tell us how much you hate cats, start a Pit thread. But leave this thread on-topic. Thank you. No warnings issued. [/mod note] ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-of-a-way-to-prevent-outdoor-cats-from-catching-game/657258/37 "2013-05-02T17:09:13Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > Those cat lovers don’t love their kitties well enough to maintain litter boxes… Then again, a lot of the pro-bird-anti-cat element hate cats more than they love birds. It used to be very Christian to hate cats, or indeed any other creature that bathed regularly, such as some morally lax humans. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-of-a-way-to-prevent-outdoor-cats-from-catching-game/657258/38 "2013-05-02T17:44:51Z")
I always thought healthy birds (in Western Europe at least) are quite capable of staying away from cats. The couple of blackbirds nesting in my back yard used to dive-attack my cats, my furry monsters never stood a chance at catching them. My cats are accomplished hunters killing mice daily (in the '30’s appartment building where I lived then). ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-of-a-way-to-prevent-outdoor-cats-from-catching-game/657258/39 "2013-05-06T01:07:17Z")
No personal experience here, since we’ve only had indoor cats for many years (well now, indoors plus balcony), but one problem with belling a cat is that the cat will probably learn to walk without allowing it to ring. Also, I’ve noticed cats have a technique whereby they take one step, freeze, take another step, freeze, and so on, until they are in striking distance of the prey. This is how felines stalk over a noisy surface like dried leaves without causing the pitter-patter sound that would normally alert the quarry to the fact that something is approaching. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-of-a-way-to-prevent-outdoor-cats-from-catching-game/657258/40 "2013-05-06T01:18:02Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > Also, I’ve noticed cats have a technique whereby they take one step, freeze, take another step, freeze, and so on, until they are in striking distance of the prey. [Obligatory stalking cat](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzzjgBAaWZw). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-of-a-way-to-prevent-outdoor-cats-from-catching-game/657258.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-of-a-way-to-prevent-outdoor-cats-from-catching-game/657258.md?page=3)