In the United States alone, outdoor cats kill anywhere between 1.4 and 3.7 billion birds each year. That’s the reason why such a rift exists between cat people and bird people (who sometimes overlap). Many bird advocates want all cats kept indoors and feral populations euthanized. Some feline advocates think cats should have free range to go where they want and hunt what they please because it’s a part of nature.
As I wrote way back in 2011, there are no easy answers to the cat vs. bird debate.
There are ways you can help minimize the amount of birds that are killed by cats. One such way is strategic positioning of bird feeders and another is the Duncraft Spray Repellent, which sprays cats on the hunt with water.
For most of these solutions, the burden’s been on bird advocates, but now some inventors have created an anti-predation collar that’s said to drop a cat’s kill rate by 54 percent.
The multicolored collar from Birdsbesafe, which comes in yellow, red, or rainbow, makes cats more visible to birds.
Yes, the idea of buying a weird-looking collar at $9 seems to clash with a cat’s freewheeling nature, but the results have been positive.
The science behind the collar is sound. The colors make the birds, which have advanced color vision, aware of the cat’s presence and allow them to adjust accordingly.
This is a great solution for the bird lovers who also want their cat to be outside, but I can’t imagine it gaining too much traction elsewhere.
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Very true, but it’s not an option for everyone.
(edit: for even more entertaining fun, insert the 2nd paragraph of this into the text above, 1st repeated paragraph here to denote insert point)
They also come in a few different sizes and shapes, and some even come in different colors! For that discerning and picky pet-owner’s neighbor that wants to match what accessory goes best with their neighbor’s cat.
Woah! Sounds too good to be true, you say?! Nay, not at all! This is the one exception to the rule where a product actually IS that good, does every last thing I claim, and is just that inexpensive and easily obtainable!