With regards to numbers: I heard someone on Radio 4 (Note: Radio 4 - not the Internet! - so it is likely to be accurate) quote that there are around 30 million breeding song-birds in this country and around 8 million cats (and a similar number of dogs, surprisingly).Rogerdodge wrote:An extract from an interesting article I read a while ago-
If this is interpolated across the 50 million or so cats in this country it is a devastating effect on wildlife.We studied predation by approximately 70 domestic cats (Felis catus L.) in the Bedfordshire village of Felmersham over a one-year period. All the prey items brought home by virtually all the cats in the village were recorded and, where possible, identified. A total of 1090 prey items (535 mammals, 297 birds and 258 unidentified animals) were taken, an average of about 14 per cat per year
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Allowing for the, "He only gets one or two a year" Mrs Muggins may admit that Tiddles next door takes, that means between 8 and 16 million birds if Tiddles is a "typical" cat.
Allowing for perhaps Tiddles killing one or two more than Mrs Muggins admits or knows about, say 3 or 4, then we quickly approach a point, at 24 to 32 million, where predation equals a level at which that natural population level becomes unsustainable. Then we will start to see large declines in the bird population (like now?) and species start to disappear from their natural ranges (er, also like, now?) and concerned cat owners should at least start to think about what owning a cat really means.
Now I know that cats are not the only reason for declining bird populations - there are many reasons - and that the numbers of birds killed by cats may not be in the tens of millions....But they are undoubtedly in the MILLIONS...
Millions too many IMHO!
Sorry cat-owners out there, but this is the unsentimental truth about what kitty really does.
Nick
I think? 
I already have to scare off the ******* panther from up the road each time I find it staring at it.
