Re: 鈥淏ird feeders are really cat feeders,鈥� letter, Jan. 22.
The letter says feeders attract cats, which kill birds, so feeders should be banned. Following that line of thinking, we should close all coffee shops because they cause young women to congregate, making it easier for stalkers to attack them. The problem isn鈥檛 the feeder or the coffee shop, it is the attacker.
If all cats were like the writer鈥檚 cat, killing one bird in four years, then there wouldn鈥檛 be a problem. I wonder how he supervises his cat as it roams though his neighbourhood. Contrary to the above claim, a 2013 study estimates cats in sa国际传媒 kill 269 million birds per year. Recognizing the problem, Saanich has erected a sign in a nearby park telling owners to protect birds by keep their cats under control at all times.
If you Google 鈥渃at roam risk,鈥� you will find thousands of articles showing that a caring cat owner should keep it at home. The risks extend to humans and neighbouring gardens that cats defecate in.
Cats have killed off all quail in my area and I have seen them destroy nests full of young songbirds. I regularly see severely injured birds in areas where cats hunt. Cats decimate the duckling population in a nearby pond each summer. Would the writer suggest that because a pond makes it easy for cats to kill ducks we should drain it and fill it in?
There are no winners when cats roam.
Helen Maycock
Victoria
