I think the consensus is that cats don’t make any real impact on bird numbers. They can usually only catch weak/injured ones that were always going to be got by a predator of some sort.
You can can only do your best, don’t beat yourself up too much if she outsmarts you and gets one every now and then.
The latest figures I've seen suggest cats kill an estimated 275 million animals per year in the UK. This includes 55 million songbirds out of a UK population of 200-300million birds. The other 220 million prey items include reptiles and amphibians which are often seriously under threat locally and nationally. This will include the weak animals but cats are apex predators and very capable of killing fit and healthy animals.
The impact on bird populations is hard to judge but most birds in the UK are on the decline with a few garden species starting to gain numbers again gradually. Cats take away prey from natural predators though and can only have a negative impact on ecosystems with the amount of animals they're killing.
The main suggestions to deter cats from hunting don't seem to help in this situation but one method that is being looked at is to change your feeding habits. Apparently feeding cats twice a day is more likely to cause them to hunt for snacks in between and switching to smaller, more regular meals with some kind of challenge for them to get the food can really help reduce their hunting drive. I don't know how effective this would be with an older cat who is used to hunting but might be worth a bit of research.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
I have 3 cats - aged 8, 5, and 4 - all female. The five year old is half Bengal, the 4 year old her offspring. Both younger cats were predators, and females tend to bring home prey more often than males. The 5 year old will not keep a collar on (I go through about 15 collars a year for her alone), but I have managed to stop her from being as prolific in her killing of little creatures.. The youngest has only caught one bird so far this year -and didn't kill it! Okay... so here's what I did...
Firstly, I leave their food out all day so they can snack whenever they want to. None of the cats enjoy playing with toys - though they do like a laser pen occasionally. Part of stopping them from killing is retraining them without them knowing you're doing it. We've had birds, mice, HUGE spiders left for us. Partly this is due to the nature of the cats of course, but also because they want to share They think us humans are incapable of catching prey, so they hunt for us - its their sharing, caring nature! lol Every time an animal was left at the door (or bottom of the stairs, in my bed! or under the table) follow a simple plan...
... as soon as your cat leaves his/her 'gift', replace it with a small toy - a catnip mouse or bundle of feathers, small cuddly toy etc. Rub the toy into the space where the animal was left to get the scent onto it. then walk away and 'rediscover' the replaced 'gift' - call your cat and make a fuss. As time goes on, your cat will (hopefully) start to pick up the toy you replaced the animal with and try to 'kill' it instead. I have found that toys with feathers on, tied or hung loosely to a branch attracts and interests the cats more so than live prey now. As I mentioned, we've had no casualties this year except for one bird that escaped. Another thing to do is to leave a 'natural litter box' in the garden ... a large litter tray with half litter and half garden soil. Cats do not like to poop where they eat usually, nor do they like to leave their scent near to where they hunt. I started this plan 3 years ago, and each year has seen a massive improvement. The only problem that arose has been my eldest cat sneaking into a neighbours garden, and stealing small items such as toys and bringing them home. After hearing the neighbours children arguing and accusing each other of losing their toys, I could be found at 1am, chucking the said toys back over the garden fence! I sure hope my neighbour doesn't read this!
I think the consensus is that cats don’t make any real impact on bird numbers. They can usually only catch weak/injured ones that were always going to be got by a predator of some sort.
You can can only do your best, don’t beat yourself up too much if she outsmarts you and gets one every now and then.
The latest figures I've seen suggest cats kill an estimated 275 million animals per year in the UK. This includes 55 million songbirds out of a UK population of 200-300million birds. The other 220 million prey items include reptiles and amphibians which are often seriously under threat locally and nationally. This will include the weak animals but cats are apex predators and very capable of killing fit and healthy animals.
The impact on bird populations is hard to judge but most birds in the UK are on the decline with a few garden species starting to gain numbers again gradually. Cats take away prey from natural predators though and can only have a negative impact on ecosystems with the amount of animals they're killing.
The main suggestions to deter cats from hunting don't seem to help in this situation but one method that is being looked at is to change your feeding habits. Apparently feeding cats twice a day is more likely to cause them to hunt for snacks in between and switching to smaller, more regular meals with some kind of challenge for them to get the food can really help reduce their hunting drive. I don't know how effective this would be with an older cat who is used to hunting but might be worth a bit of research.
Posts
I have 3 cats - aged 8, 5, and 4 - all female. The five year old is half Bengal, the 4 year old her offspring. Both younger cats were predators, and females tend to bring home prey more often than males. The 5 year old will not keep a collar on (I go through about 15 collars a year for her alone), but I have managed to stop her from being as prolific in her killing of little creatures.. The youngest has only caught one bird so far this year -and didn't kill it! Okay... so here's what I did...
Firstly, I leave their food out all day so they can snack whenever they want to. None of the cats enjoy playing with toys - though they do like a laser pen occasionally. Part of stopping them from killing is retraining them without them knowing you're doing it. We've had birds, mice, HUGE spiders left for us. Partly this is due to the nature of the cats of course, but also because they want to share They think us humans are incapable of catching prey, so they hunt for us - its their sharing, caring nature! lol Every time an animal was left at the door (or bottom of the stairs, in my bed! or under the table) follow a simple plan...
... as soon as your cat leaves his/her 'gift', replace it with a small toy - a catnip mouse or bundle of feathers, small cuddly toy etc. Rub the toy into the space where the animal was left to get the scent onto it. then walk away and 'rediscover' the replaced 'gift' - call your cat and make a fuss. As time goes on, your cat will (hopefully) start to pick up the toy you replaced the animal with and try to 'kill' it instead. I have found that toys with feathers on, tied or hung loosely to a branch attracts and interests the cats more so than live prey now. As I mentioned, we've had no casualties this year except for one bird that escaped. Another thing to do is to leave a 'natural litter box' in the garden ... a large litter tray with half litter and half garden soil. Cats do not like to poop where they eat usually, nor do they like to leave their scent near to where they hunt. I started this plan 3 years ago, and each year has seen a massive improvement. The only problem that arose has been my eldest cat sneaking into a neighbours garden, and stealing small items such as toys and bringing them home. After hearing the neighbours children arguing and accusing each other of losing their toys, I could be found at 1am, chucking the said toys back over the garden fence! I sure hope my neighbour doesn't read this!
Good luck!
I was mostly going off this from the RSPB:
https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/advice/gardening-for-wildlife/animal-deterrents/cats-and-garden-birds/are-cats-causing-bird-declines/
I suppose we would have had more predators in this country if we hadn’t lost them (wildcats, wolves etc) so maybe domestic cats just replace those?
Disclaimer: I am not an ecologist and have very little idea what i’m talking about!