Shouldn’t Cats Be Allowed to Hunt?

Are we really being kind by allowing cats to roam freely?

Micha Petty

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Published in

The Natural World

12 min readAug 25, 2019

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Domestic Cats make great pets, but there are many things to consider before allowing them to live outdoors.

IN the spirit of full disclosure, let me say right off that I am a wildlife rehabilitator and conservation educator. My primary focus is on helping and preserving wildlife, meaning native animals. My particular specialty is teaching people about reptiles and amphibians, both of which suffer from the introduction of invasive predators.

HOWEVER, a genuine animal lover cares for all animals, and I have certainly rescued my share of felines in my time. In fact, my wife and I have an entire bedroom of our home devoted to rescued cats- space we could certainly use for other purposes. I just want to make clear that I am an animal rescuer and rehabber, and that the inevitable detractors who claim that I “wrote this article because I hate cats” are being disingenuous, at best.

My educational efforts stem from my concern for animals. However, I temper my actions and decisions with the understanding that my actions have consequences. I hope you will also look at more than just what you think your pet wants and instead make decisions that are best for your pet and the natural world.

“Melbourne Grinning Cat” photo by Michael Garlick, Melbourne Parish Church (UK), CC BY-SA 2.0

First, let’s consider what a house cat is.

The house cat has been a separate species from wild felines for a very long time. It is properly called the Domestic Cat, or Felis catus. While house cats have close relatives that still persist in the wild, they are no longer a native animal to any of the world’s ecosystems. Like Domestic Dogs (Canis familiaris), Domestic Cattle (Bos taurus), and others, these animals have become something different than their ancestors. By domesticating these animals, humankind bears responsibility for their welfare and the welfare of the ecosystems they affect.

So, where did the Domestic Cat come from? Surprisingly, Rudyard Kipling may have been onto something when he wrote The Cat that Walked by Himself. His playful story of a wild cat who chooses to accept a relationship with humans (while still clinging to his independence) is not too far out in left field. Artificial selection, wherein humans purposely and specifically breed animals to conform them to our purposes, may have played less of a part or happened much more slowly with cats than was the case with other domestics, but it still happened.

African Wildcat, a close relative of the house cat, photo by Leon Emanuel CC BY-SA 4.0

The cats we know today are descendants of the African Wildcat, Felis silvestris lybica. Archaeological evidence from stone-age ruins, Viking graveyards, and ancient Egypt points toward a long-standing commensal (mutually-beneficial) relationship between cats and humans. This began long ago when humans began stockpiling grain. This agricultural activity attracted rodents which destroyed and spoiled these caches. Wildcats were, in turn, one of the animals attracted by these rodents.

While other animals, such as snakes and raptors, are also efficient rodent predators, cats were apparently more willing to align themselves with us than other species were. Over time, we exerted influence over feline genetics, selectively breeding them according to our purposes and whims. In so doing, we artificially created a new species- the Domestic Cat.

Domestic kittens at play, safely indoors and protected from danger.

Why does this matter?

It matters because we should be making very different decisions about our pets than we make about wildlife.

The right thing to do with wild, native animals is to let them be. The interactions of predator and prey have been going on a LOT longer than you or I have been around. Wild animals don’t need to be saved from each other (though there are exceptions when we are rectifying a problem that we ourselves caused). In fact, when we interfere, we typically mess things up.

Life in the wild does not conform to our perceptions of what is “fair” or “kind.” The law of tooth and nail does not allow for how cute a critter is. Nonetheless, that is how nature works and the delicate balances that evolved from these complex interactions are far more splendid than any work of art or industry mankind has ever produced. Noninterference should be our watchword with our natural heritage.

In contrast to wild animals, domestic animals not only need but also deserve our protection. We made them what they are, and we must bear the burden for their safety and the burden of keeping wildlife safe from them. As a wildlife rehabilitator, I can tell you that all of us see FAR too many injured animals brought to our facilities because a human let their animals roam about freely. Wildlife may get eaten as a part of the natural cycle of things, but that is not at all the same thing (ethically or ecologically) as small mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians getting chewed on out of boredom by a cat or dog.

One of the animals at the author’s shelter at the time of this writing. Small animals like this baby box turtle are constantly brought in to wildlife centers with wounds from domestic animal attacks.

Furthermore, even if the Domestic Cat were still native to somewhere (in this case, their progenitors were from the Near East, meaning SW Asia), that would not justify letting them roam about an entirely different ecosystem and wreaking havoc. Ecologically, this is no different than releasing Burmese Pythons in the Everglades. The only difference is that one is fuzzy and one is scaly (oh, and that cats are causing far more destruction than all the invasive snakes in the world put together).

THIS IS A DEPICTION OF A NATURAL INTERACTION

Life in the wild may not always be pretty, but nature has a delicate balance that is much more sound than any we could create. We may feel various emotions upon witnessing such an event, but these interactions are amoral. The good or bad we perceive here is purely a projection of our own world views.

Jaguar killing tapir photo from *The royal natural history*, v. 1, facing p. 394, illustration by Wilhelm Kuhnert CC0

THIS IS A NON-NATIVE PREDATOR THAT IS NOT IN BALANCE WITH NATURE

Wildlife should not have to suffer and die just because some people think their pets need to roam. Such interactions are artificial. Cats and other small animals did not develop a balance alongside each other in the food web. We plopped these cats into ecosystems that were not prepared for these furry killing machines.

These interactions are not without fault, and that fault is purely our own. However, placing blame is not the goal. We need to rectify the problem of loose, stray, and feral cats killing billions of small animals annually. This is exacting a huge toll on native wildlife, including threatened and endangered species that are already in peril.

Native bird species across the world are being put in peril from outdoor cats.

Why are cats an issue for wildlife?

“Cats have contributed to the decline and even the extinction of many species of birds and many small mammals around the world, mostly on islands. Scientists estimate that every year in the United States free-roaming cats kill hundreds of millions of native birds and small mammals, amphibians, and reptiles, including species of conservation concern and more common species.
Cats are recognized as a widespread and serious threat to the integrity of native wildlife populations and natural ecosystems. Although many free-roaming cats appear healthy or happy at a given point in time, they typically have hard lives and high death rates that result in reduced longevity. Their run-ins with wildlife include competition, predation, and disease transmission.”

(Above excerpt from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service March 2011 Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuges Complex Integrated Pest Management Plan)

Reptiles fall victim to the killer instinct of house cats very frequently.

For their own good and the good of wildlife… Please Keep Domestic Cats Inside!

Domestic cats are great companions to many people and deserve a safe and happy life. The outdoors presents many dangers to them and outdoor cats present a hazard to wildlife. Please make sure your feline friends and wildlife stay safe and happy by keeping your cat indoors! Likewise, even though it may be an emotional issue, the humane elimination of feral feline populations will reduce both their suffering and the staggering destruction they cause annually.

What About Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) Programs?

Don’t TNR Programs help by reducing the feral cat populations?

No. TNR Programs have been scientifically proven time and time again to be an ineffective solution to the problem of feral cats (sometimes called community cats). These programs persist because some people think they are being “kind” by choosing the perceived welfare of one species above the safety of their communities and ecosystems. What makes this situation even more tragic is that TNR is not humane, even for the cats, who continue to suffer through an urban outdoor life to which they are poorly adapted.

The ecologically-unsound practice of neutering feral cats and returning them to the environment has unfortunately been gaining traction in the U.S. and other areas. Trap, Neuter, Release (TNR) is a program by which feral cats are trapped, spayed or neutered, and then released into the environment. Rather than immediately reducing numbers through removal, TNR practitioners hope to reduce populations over time slowly. The scientific evidence clearly indicates that TNR is not an effective tool to reduce feral cat populations. Rather than slowly disappearing, studies have shown that feral cat colonies persist or increase in size.

TNR programs fail because they do not operate in an enclosed system and cannot spay or neuter a sufficient number of cats to affect feral cat numbers at the population level. Despite the good intentions of many involved in TNR programs, TNR has been found to be a waste of time, money, and resources. For example, one evaluation of two long-term TNR programs in California and Florida indicated that “any population-level effects were minimal.” The team of researchers concluded that “no plausible combination of [conditions] would likely allow for TNR to succeed in reducing population size.” Once feral cats are spayed or neutered, they are then abandoned back into the environment to continue a feral existence. Not only is this systematic abandonment inhumane to the cats, but it also perpetuates numerous problems such as wildlife predation, the transmission of disease, and property destruction.

While the people conducting these operations may be generally well-meaning, TNR programs contribute to the destruction of wildlife and perpetuate hardships to their feline subjects. These programs should be vehemently opposed by anyone concerned with the health of the environment, as domestic cats are a man-made species and are not in harmony with any ecosystem.

So, what is a cat owner to do?

Obviously, the only humane and ecologically-sound option is to keep cats contained. This can be indoors, or for those who feel strongly about cats being outdoors, in a “catio.” Catios are outdoor enclosures that allow cats access to fresh air and sunshine while protecting cats and wildlife from each other. There are lots of examples online, or you can reach out to one of the Facebook pages or groups listed at the bottom of this article for more info.

These can be for your family pets or for a whole community. For those towns that want to commit to a No-Kill policy, this may be a solution that allows community members to safely manage cats that cannot be placed in homes.

Catios can take many forms and can be detached or accessed from a door or window to the house like this one, made by Hellas Pet Enclosures. View more on their Facebook page.

A simpler DIY catio, photo by eileenmak CC BY 2.0

A short video illustrating a catio from Love Cats Love Wildlife

Conclusion

We can and should control our animals. That is the least we can do. Honestly, though, what is needed is for more people to stand up to the “humane” organizations that are pushing the TNR agenda. We MUST put the needs of native animals first.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES IS IT ACCEPTABLE TO RELEASE A NONNATIVE PREDATOR INTO THE ENVIRONMENT, NOR IS IT ACCEPTABLE TO ALLOW THEM TO PERSIST ONCE DISCOVERED.

We already put too much pressure on wildlife as it is. Destroying their habitat and building our houses, businesses, roads, and lawns is bad enough. For us to then release apex predators with nothing better to do than kill for amusement is inexcusable.

Hopefully, I have convinced you to reconsider letting your pets roam outdoors. If you are fighting against a TNR program coming to your area, I hope I have given you arrows for your quill.

If you would like to learn even more, here is a wealth of further information.

Not convinced? Want more information to help you convince others? Just like being fully informed?

Here is a collection of resources, fact sheets, scientific studies, position statements from wildlife organizations, discussion groups, and more. We have enough information to form sound policy decisions. The primary task remaining is gathering the courage to act on that information.

Fact Sheets:

How to Transition Your Outdoor Cat to the Indoors:

Letters:

Position Statements:

Videos:

Scientific Literature:

Facebook resources:

Shortlink to this article: bit.ly/Felis-catus

Special Thanks to the American Bird Conservancy, Love Cats Love Wildlife, and the Society for Amphibian and Reptile Education for gathering some of the links and resources for this article. A portion of this article was adapted by permission for use in my book from the American Bird Conservancy's TRAP, NEUTER, RELEASE page.

Do you like learning about reptiles, amphibians, and cooperating with nature? Be sure to follow The Natural World here on Medium!

You can also follow our wildlife center on Facebook, join our Snake Identification Group, or download the book that this article came from, A Primer on Reptiles & Amphibians: A Collection of Educational Nature Bulletins, from our website.