There's peer-reviewed science and there's research based on models with very questionable estimates and methods.
"A study published in April estimated that UK cats kill 160 to 270 million animals annually, a quarter of them birds."
"On average, a British pet cat brings home around five items of prey a year. Researchers estimate this is about 23% of their actual kills, which makes it about 22 kills a year." Obviously a guessing game.
You missed a bit:
A study published in April estimated that UK cats kill 160 to 270 million
animals annually, a quarter of them birds. The real figure is likely to
be even higher, as the study used the 2011 pet cat population of 9.5
million; it is now closer to 12 million, boosted by the pandemic pet craze.
2.5million extra cats at 22 kills a year (my sister's cat can bring in several dead things a week but average is average I suppose) is another 55 million dead animals in theory.
One part of the science I'd like to see is what proportion of cat owners can actually tell the difference between a house mouse and any other rodent. A few people in the comments say that their cat does a great job of killing mice but I would bet they consider voles and shrews to be 'mice' and I'd also bet they don't know the difference between the habits of house mice and wood mice.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
I only copied it for the quarter of the animals being birds part, not for the actual number.
I still think that the loss of habitats is worse than cats. Many urban gardens are just lawns and paving. Most British* people, even in this forum, are afraid to plant trees or shrubs close to houses. The system that gives power to insurance companies who tend to be over-cautious also doesn't help. Shrubs and trees in urban gardens are seen as a nuisance, not just because of the risks to drains and houses but also for other reasons (care needed to keep them from overgrowing, light levels, debris from them, worries about annoying the neighbours with overhanging branches etc.). (* I am not British and I see this as a significant cultural difference when compared to my cultural background)
Regardless of the other effects on the demise of wildlife, cats are definitely a contributing factor. The difference is, if cats were no longer allowed to roam, it would have an immediate affect,whereas some of the other factors are out of our direct control.
The difference is, if cats were no longer allowed to roam, it would have an immediate affect,whereas some of the other factors are out of our direct control.
According to a US study mentioned in one of the articles I read, two thirds of all bird kills are done by feral cats. Add cats that don't roam in the typical way but still kill birds on their owner's land (farm cats and similar) and the immediate effect is reduced to almost nothing.
The difference is, if cats were no longer allowed to roam, it would have an immediate affect,whereas some of the other factors are out of our direct control.
According to a US study mentioned in one of the articles I read, two thirds of all bird kills are done by feral cats. Add cats that don't roam in the typical way but still kill birds on their owner's land (farm cats and similar) and the immediate effect is reduced to almost nothing.
Where do feral cats originate from?The answer is irresponsible owners who allow ' intact ' cats to roam and create mayhem . To state that roaming cats kill next to nothing is typical of someone unwilling to accept the truth. We have a number of bird boxes, all the fledglings were lost to ' non feral' cats i.e pets. Having a pet, be it a dog cat or goldfish is a privilege, it comes with responsibilities.
No one has mentioned the dead creatures due to farmers filling in ditches and no water source for miles but I guess as they are superior humans it doesn't count? I also only let me cats out supervised and only within my garden.... Completely without incident for over 20 years with 4 different cats. Also 14 bird feeders in the garden that the cats watch but don't go near.... It is possible! A policy of feed everything enough that they don't eat each other helps! 😉
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I still think that the loss of habitats is worse than cats. Many urban gardens are just lawns and paving. Most British* people, even in this forum, are afraid to plant trees or shrubs close to houses. The system that gives power to insurance companies who tend to be over-cautious also doesn't help. Shrubs and trees in urban gardens are seen as a nuisance, not just because of the risks to drains and houses but also for other reasons (care needed to keep them from overgrowing, light levels, debris from them, worries about annoying the neighbours with overhanging branches etc.).
(* I am not British and I see this as a significant cultural difference when compared to my cultural background)
I also only let me cats out supervised and only within my garden.... Completely without incident for over 20 years with 4 different cats. Also 14 bird feeders in the garden that the cats watch but don't go near.... It is possible! A policy of feed everything enough that they don't eat each other helps! 😉