Seeing as the previous unofficial official megathread got locked, welcome to the new struggle session megathread! This is the newest in our long line of megathreads for discussion containment. This time's struggle session is a classic - outdoor cats. No discussion of other struggle sessions other than the megathread topic are allowed in the megathread, feel free to start a future struggle session megathread about that. I'll ban you myself if I see you talking about Mario or whatever the fuck the last one was about.
Cat predation on wildlife is the result of the natural instincts and behavior of both feral and owned house cats to hunt small prey, including wildlife. Some people view this as a desirable trait, such as in the case of barn cats and other cats kept for the intended purpose of pest control in rural settings; but scientific evidence does not support the popular use of cats to control urban rat populations, and ecologists oppose their use for this purpose because of the disproportionate harm they do to native wildlife. Recognized as both invasive species[1] and predators,[2] cats have been shown to cause significant ecological harm across various ecosystems.[2][3]
Due to cats' natural hunting instinct, their ability to adapt to different environments, and the wide range of small animals they prey upon, both feral and free-ranging pet cats are responsible for predation on wildlife, and in some environments, considerable ecological harm. Cats are disease carriers and can spread diseases to animals in their community and marine life. There are methods to help mitigate the environmental impact imposed by feral cats through different forms of population management. Reducing cats' impact on the environment is limited by perceptions society has towards cats because humans have a relationship with cats as pets.[4]
In Australia, hunting by feral cats helped to drive at least 20 native mammals to extinction,[5] and continues to threaten at least 124 more.[5] Their introduction into island ecosystems has caused the extinction of at least 33 endemic species on islands throughout the world.[2] A 2013 systematic review in Nature Communications of data from 17 studies found that feral and domestic cats are estimated to kill billions of birds in the United States every year.[6]
In a global 2023 assessment, cats were found to prey on 2,084 different species, of which 347 (or 16.5%) were of conservation concern. Birds, reptiles, and small mammals accounted for 90% of killed species. Island animals of conservation concern had three times more species predated upon than continental species.[7]
Not so well. Cats are still very effective predators and some species aren't as sensitive to sound (e.g. insects, small reptiles like skinks and geckos. Lizards are also lethargic in the cold, need to bask, which can expose them). Bells can also rust or become jammed (dulling their sound) or fall off. Also, the visible presence, or markings (urine, scratching, poo) of predators in a garden alone can be enough of a deterrent to mobile species causing them to move elsewhere (having knock on effects on territory/isolation of populations/overpopulation in 'safe' areas) and/or causing stress to those wild populations that are nesting or less mobile.
Edit: i should add, a cat lying in ambush is completely silent anyway and the ones I've known can still move into place silently with a bell attached then just wait. By the time they strike what's a bell gunna do. Also imo they're not good for the cat either, it's distressing to them to have a bell ringing around their neck constantly.
That makes sense. Thanks for the thoughtful response!
You're welcome!