Cats are adorable, there’s no doubt about that. But behind those cute eyes and little nose is a very skilled hunter, and that can be really bad news for birds. That’s why we’re teaming up with Cats&Birds and Nature Canada to give you some tips to help you take good care of your cat AND take good care of the birds!
Why should you keep your cat from roaming outside?
It’s natural for cats to hunt. Just look at their larger feline relatives. We wouldn’t want to be near a tiger when it’s hungry, that’s for sure! But there are so many domestic (pet) cats on the hunt that it’s really taking a toll on birds. In fact, it’s estimated that cats kill 100 to 350 million birds per year in Canada.
Protecting birds isn’t the only reason to keep your cat from going outside alone. It’s better for the cats too! We don’t let our dogs go out on the streets without us, and we need to take just as good care of our cats. When we keep our cats indoors, or supervise them when they are outdoors, we protect them from diseases, toxins, and other animals. They are also less likely to run away, get lost or hit by cars.
Tips to keep your cat safe & save bird lives
You can retrain your cat to be happy indoors, or you can walk them on a leash or create a safe outdoor space. Training an outdoor cat to stay inside can be tough, so you’ll need to have patience. Here are some tips to help:
Start slowly. If your cat spends most of its time outside, keep it inside for longer and longer periods before letting it out. It might be a good idea to start this when the weather is getting colder, since most cats like warm, dry places. By the end of winter, your cat could be living the indoor life.
Give your cat enough to do inside and it won’t 
need to go outside to find fun. Here are some ideas:
– Build a window perch so your cat can look outside
– Get a scratching post or cat furniture
– Spend time playing with your cat
– Try giving your cat catnip, honeysuckle or cat grass
– Think about getting your cat a playmate
This is just the beginning! You can find tons of resources to help you keep your cat safe, and save birds lives:
– How to provide safe outdoor options and keep an indoor cat sufficiently stimulated
– How to transition an outdoor cat to an indoor cat
– What to do if you have a cat that always tries to get outside
– DIY cat Shelf
– Cat Enclosures and ‘catios’
– Harness Training your cat
You can also help birds by putting out food for them to eat. Accept the For the Birds Mission to learn how to build your own bird feeder!
Information for this Mission was gathered with the help of
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My cats love going outside and anytime we try to keep them in side they just run out, how am I supose to keep the birds safe and keep my cats happy?
Yes my cat bring a a bird inside my house on Christmas Eve. It was horrible at luckily it flew either way
I agree cats are really cute but some birds have sacrificed them selfs so when I get to school today I tell all my friends to stop feeding there cats dead birds or tell them to not chase birds. From Pavika ,
No in Kats they’re not everyone’s favourite animal but there’s still cute fluffy and we need to keep them safe they love toys they love us and we love them
Indoor cat and we rescued her from the side of the highway so she’s really special to me she’s not allowed to go outside because her fur is too short and we like to keep the birds safe.
popa and luma are my gradpirant and found a sray cat in the backyard popa and lumas dogs died so the cat is in there house right now!!! i have bin in there house the cat has bin outsaid i naver seen a cat k i l l a bird be for
My cat is a brid eater so I what to put the brid feeder high so my cat what eat them
I agree on putting your cat inside but I don’t think they would like a cage. Maybe you can put your bird thing higher and just let your cat stay away from the birds.
I love birds . birds are cute
I have a outdoor cat and he also comes inside And he is a scared outdoor cat