Are our ‘domesticated’ cats super furry animals or little more than calculating murderers? As an American expert claimed cats should be kept off the streets – or put on leads – Michael Alexander sought the views of animal lovers.
Creeping down the dark alley, the stealthy killer stalks her next unsuspecting victim before going for the neck and tearing the helpless prey to shreds.
These savage killers might be better known to you as Kitty or Tibbles.
However according to the Mammal Society, when left to their own devices, pampered urban house cats in the UK catch up to 55 million birds a year and kill a further 275 million animals such as reptiles and lizards.
Hackles have been raised after ornithologist Peter Marra claimed in his book Cat Wars that some species are being driven to the brink of extinction by feline foes and that cats should be kept under house arrest – or at least be taken for walks on leads.
Dr Marra, director of the Smithsonian migratory bird centre in Washington DC, categorises cats as an invasive species akin to Asian tiger mosquitoes carrying dengue and west Nile viruses.
Citing the “havoc” they wreak in the natural world, he said: “It was just jaw dropping to me. Paper after paper, study after study, shows not only (cats’ effect on) biodiversity but also the effects on human health.”
But what do experts in Scotland think?
RSPB Scotland acknowledges that whilst cats do kill millions of birds and small mammals each year, there is no evidence that this is the main cause of decline in any bird species in the UK. They certainly would not advocate putting cats on leads.
An RSPB spokesman told The Courier: “Under certain circumstances cat predation can be more of a concern, particularly around vulnerable sites such as some offshore islands with bird populations who are not accustomed to mammalian ground predators. In these cases conservation action is increasingly being undertaken to remove the cats, and other invasive mammals.”
The spokesperson added, however, that RSPB Scotland goes to “great lengths” to provide recommendations for cat and garden owners on how to reduce any fatalities, including advice on the benefits of fitting a collar with a bell, and where is most appropriate to hang a bird feeder in the garden.
Cats Protection’s Central Veterinary Officer Sarah Elliott BVetMed MRCVS, said research has cited many other factors for bird and small mammal species loss, including mismanagement and loss of traditional wildlife habitat, climate change and the increased use of pesticides and fertilisers in modern farming practices. However, cats also tend to kill weak and sickly birds so it is not clear whether cat predation replaces other forms of death, or is in addition to natural death.
St Andrews woman Flora Selwyn, who ran the campaign to erect a Greyfriars Bobby-esque bronze statue for the legendary and now deceased local ginger Aristo-cat Hamish McHamish, thinks it would be “ridiculous” for cats to be forced on to leads.
The nomadic cat, who made international headlines when he died two years ago aged 15, stalked the centre of the auld grey toon with majesty and pride, becoming something of a legend amongst students who set up a Facebook page and amongst shopkeepers and residents who saw him every day.
“Hamish could never have been Hamish if cats had to go on leads,” Flora, 82, said.
“He needed freedom to roam and turned up in the most extraordinary places. He was very much himself. It was often said St Andrews belonged to him and not the other way around!
“I first came across him in 2006 when he was sitting out in Logies Lane. When Pizza Express opened, in he went, and I thought ‘this cat has got attitude!
“But I never heard of him trying to catch birds. It raised the suggestion that if a cat is fed properly, does it take away the desire to catch birds, or is the instinct always there?”
Courier columnist and wildlife enthusiast Jim Crumley took a similar view. He says it would be “preposterous” to put cats on leads..
However, he does think cat owners should think more about the cumulative impact of their pets in a community.
He said: “No doubt it (bird deaths) is a problem. Going through my own garden, like so many other people, I put food out for the birds and a couple of cats park themselves underneath the bird table. Certainly they take quite a few.
“I don’t know what we can do about the problem other than persuade cat owners that collectively they are a huge problem certainly in terms of garden birds and small mammals. The attitude of allowing cats to wander in this country is an issue.
“I’m not a great believer in telling people what to do. And I’m not crazy about the idea of cats being kept indoors any more than I like the idea of a budgie in a cage.
“But there needs to be more awareness amongst cat owners that whilst they may only have one cat, the collective impact if there are others in an area can be substantial.”
