New campaign asks to keep cats indoors to save millions of birds
In 2013 a report revealed that domestic and feral cats are responsible for the deaths of 200 million birds in Canada. A new campaign seeks to end this leading cause of the decline of many bird species and also make the cat population healthier.
The campaign, Keep Cats Safe and Save Birds Lives, launched by Nature Canada, asks cat owners to pledge to stop letting their cats roam free outdoors.
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"Both cat and bird populations are in different sorts of trouble," Ted Cheskey, senior manager of the conservation group Nature Canada, told CBC News.
Letting cats roam freely isn't just bad for birds, it also puts the cat's life at risk. "Outdoor cats are exposed to a variety of threats, including diseases (e.g., feline aids, feline cancer, heartworm), vehicle collisions, and fights with wildlife and other cats," the campaign's website reads.
The Keep Cats Safe and Save Birds Lives campaign boasts that so far 130 cats are living longer and 2,103 birds are safer because of cat owners who have signed the pledge.
See images of feral cats around the world:
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