In the animal kingdom, there is a food chain of predator versus prey. This is true for many animals out there, and domesticated animals are no different. Domesticated cats act the same way and will act on instinct to kill animals that are smaller than them for food. This can include animals such as birds. You may find your cat bringing home dead birds. You may be asking questions on how to stop your cat from catching birds and bringing them home, and maybe even wondering if this behavior is normal behavior for a cat to do. Here we will answer some questions regarding this, and other things you may be wondering about.
Is It Normal for Cats to Kill and Eat Birds?
It is usually pretty common for pet owners, especially cat owners, to have their cat bring home a dead bird. They may also be wondering if this behavior is normal.
To answer the question, yes, the behavior is normal. Cats out in the wild act on instinct to kill their prey as a source of food. Since cats are obligate carnivores, they often have no choice but to hunt, kill, and eat things out in the wild, and this includes a variety of birds.
This also means that just because your cat is domesticated, the instinct is not completely gone from its traits. Domestication just means that the animal is friendly towards humans, and humans can own the animal without many problems, such as being attacked by the animal. You will usually notice that the cat won’t really eat the bird or other animals, this is because they want to give it to you as a present. In some regard, the cat may be rewarding you with food because you are providing it also with food.
Though, just because it is normal behavior does not mean it should be allowed either. There are many ways to help stop your cat from killing and bringing home birds.
How Do You Keep Domestic Cats from Killing Birds?
Since it is normal behavior, some people wonder if there are methods or training available to keep your cat from killing birds. There are multiple different ways to stop your cat from killing birds.
Keep Your Cat Indoors
This is probably the easiest and most obvious method. Keep your cat inside and it won’t be able to kill birds.
Use A Bell on Your Cat’s Collar
This method may not be as obvious to some others. This method works because the bird will hear the bell while the cat is stalking it, so the bird will have a chance to flee before the cat would have a chance to attack it.
Keep Your Cat Inside at Dawn or Dusk
This is another obvious method people might not understand at first. This is because birds are very vulnerable during this time, as they may leave their nest at dawn and return at dusk.
Install A Cat Fence or Cat-Proof Your Fence
This one might cost a bit of money at first, but is well worth it if you don’t like the other options. A wireless fence would be mostly invisible to the cat, and the cat might have to wear a collar that will give it a small shock if it goes outside the boundaries.
If you don’t like that, you can cat-proof your fence so it arches at the top so they can’t climb on it and get over it.
How Many Birds Does a Single Cat Kill?
People often wonder since cats’ hunt birds, what exactly are the impacts of cats in doing this, and how many birds a single cat can kill. The answers will vary from cat to cat.
Globally, the average number of birds cats kills per year is about 4 billion. There are about 20 billion birds in the world, though. Domesticated cats are considered an invasive species.
Though the numbers may vary on how many birds domesticated or feral cat kill every year. A domesticated cat, if left outside, can kill at least one bird per year. Though this number can be up to 34 birds per year if your cat is a proficient hunter. Some research suggests it is about one bird every two weeks for domesticated cats. Feral cats on average kill more birds a year than domesticated cats, with the number being up to 46 birds a year on average.
See Also: Do Domestic Cats Kill Other Cats?
And: How Much Exercise Do Domestic Cats Need?
Can You Train a Cat Not to Hunt?
Some people wonder if there are other ways to stop your cat from hunting birds. Besides the fact of maybe keeping them indoors, or at least putting a bell collar on your cat. People wonder if you can train your cat not to hunt.
The short answer is that no, you cannot train your cat not to hunt.
This is because it is a natural instinct for them to kill out in wild for food. And as mentioned before, they are obligate carnivores, and have no choice but to eat meat. So no, you can’t exactly train your cat to not kill birds and other animals, because of this natural instinct. Again, just because they are domesticated, doesn’t mean they don’t have that instinct to hunt and kill.
So don’t punish your cat when it brings home a bird, but don’t glorify the behavior either. If you punish them, the cat won’t understand what it did wrong. But glorifying it will make them want to hunt more than they already do.
The best ways to stop them from hunting birds and other animals are mentioned above.
Conclusion
As we mentioned before, it is natural instinct for cats to hunt birds and other animals. We also mentioned ways to stop your cat from hunting birds, such as wearing a bell collar or keeping them indoors. Then we talked about how many birds a single cat can kill and whether you can train your cat to not hunt. We hope we answered your questions and cleared up any confusion, and if you have other questions, it is likely best to contact your vet for further advice on the subject.
Featured image: A Young Cat Captures a Small Bird
