stonemonkey wrote: Also, I have no idea if there's any truth to it but I heard that cats get something out of eating mice heads, my cat used to do that and then behave a bit odd so maybe.
I once saw the kittens playing with something and thought they'd caught a small mouse, it wasn't, it was a nose. The big cat had caught a rat and chewed it's head off leaving the body on the back step and the nose for the kttens to play with.[/quote]
I do not support outdoor housecats. I'm too much of a birder and really dislike the fact that a outdoor cat can completely decimate a local population of passerines. Natural born killers.
How many birds and other wildlife do domestic cats kill each year in the U.S.?
Exact numbers are unknown, but scientists estimate that nationwide, cats kill hundreds of millions of birds, and more than a billion
small mammals, such as rabbits, squirrels, and chipmunks, each year. Cats kill common species such as Cardinal, Blue Jay, and House
Wren, as well as rare and endangered species such as Piping Plover, Florida Scrub-Jay, and California Least Tern.
There are more than 90 million pet cats in the United States. A 1997 nationwide poll showed that only 35% are kept exclusively
indoors, leaving the majority of owned cats free to kill birds and other wildlife at least some of the time. In addition, millions of stray
and feral cats roam our cities, suburbs, farmlands and natural areas. Abandoned by their owners or lost (stray), or descendants of
strays and living in the wild (feral), these cats are victims of human irresponsibility due to abandonment and failure to spay or neuter
pets. No one knows how many homeless cats there are in the U.S., but estimates range from 60 to 100 million. These cats lead short,
miserable lives.
Loss of wildlife habitat and fragmentation due to human development are the leading causes of declining bird populations. However,
scientists now list invasive species, including cats, as the second most serious threat to bird populations worldwide. Habitat fragmentation
provides cats and other predators easier access to wildlife forced to live on smaller tracts of land. Rather than havens for wildlife,
these areas can be death traps.
Cats Are Not a Natural Part of Ecosystems
The domestic cat, Felis catus, is a descendant of the European and African wild cats.
Domesticated in Egypt more than 4,000 years ago, cats may be the most widespread predator
in the world. In the U.S., cats were not abundant until the late 1800s when they were
brought to help control burgeoning rodent populations associated with agriculture. Some
people view cat predation of rodents as beneficial, but native small mammals are important
to maintaining biologically diverse ecosystems. Field mice and shrews are also important
prey for birds such as Great Horned Owl and Red-tailed Hawk.
Cats Compete With Native Predators
Owned cats have huge advantages over native predators. They receive protection from disease, predation, competition, and starvation—
factors which control native predators such as owls, bobcats, and foxes. Cats with dependable food sources are not as vulnerable to
changes in prey populations. Unlike many native predators, cats are not strictly territorial. As a result, cats can exist at much higher
densities and may out-compete native predators for food. Unaltered cats are also prolific breeders. In warmer climates, a female cat
can have 3 litters per year, with 4 to 6 kittens per litter.
Cats Transmit Disease to Wildlife
Unvaccinated cats can transmit diseases, such as rabies, to other cats, native wildlife and humans. Cats are the domestic animal most
frequently reported to be rabid to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cats are also suspected of spreading fatal feline
diseases to native wild cats such as mountain lion, the endangered Florida panther, and bobcat. For more information, see the fact
sheet, The Great Outdoors Is No Place For Cats at http://www.abcbirds.org/cats" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.
morons! 
- By hass25