Cats kill an estimated 1.3–4 billion birds each year in the U.S. alone, with 69% of these kills attributable to feral or unowned cats. (LINK)

The impact on the bird population is staggering. Cats kill almost six times as many birds as window collisions (we’ll get to that later) and are second only to habitat loss as the prime culprit in the decline of bird populations.

And it’s not just birds—insects, especially pollinators, reptiles, rodents, and plants are adversely affected by cats as well.  

What to do? 

Keep your cat indoors, of course, though many people claim this is bad for cats. We’ll discuss.

Few domesticated animals can boast such devoted fans. How to deal with cats has become a difficult challenge even to discuss. But we’re going to take a crack at bringing a few different perspectives, set out some ground rules, listen to each presenter, consider the evidence,  and see if we can find some common ground and possible ways forward.