news-record.com

Let me make this clear: I love cats. I have six of them. And because I love them, I keep them indoors.

But watching cats prowl through my neighborhood, I often feel I’m in a minority.

In the past few weeks, I’ve found bunnies, squirrels and birds that have been killed by neighborhood cats. As a wildlife rehabilitator, every unnecessary death breaks my heart. As a cat owner, I worry about the marauding cats contracting rabies (vaccines are not 100% effective) or being mauled by dogs or wild animals.

Pet advocacy groups agree with me. The “Cat Indoors!” campaign was started by the American Humane Association, the American Bird Conservancy and the Humane Society of the United States. You can download their pamphlet at: http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/cats/materials/brochure.pdf

Cats aren’t native to North America. They were introduced by Europeans only a few hundred years ago. As a result, wildlife here didn't evolve to develop defenses against a small, abundant hunter.

As the pamphlet makes clear, cats can’t be blamed for killing wildlife. It’s the responsibility of owners to keep their cats safely indoors. For their sake, as well as for the sake of wildlife.