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CATS AND BIRDS: A DEADLY COMBINATION
Cats pose one of the greatest risks to birds. Both feral and outdoor cats (who live with residents in their homes) kill birds at alarmingly high rates. A 2020 study estimated that the 300,000 cats in Cape Town kill an estimated 25.7 million animals a year, including birds, reptiles, insects, and rodents. The study found that native species were killed in greater proportion than non-native species, reflecting the higher risk that cats pose to native wildlife. In Australia, a study found that outdoor cats killed 60.6 million birds a year. Another study found that outdoor cats, as compared to feral cats, posed a higher risk to wildlife due to higher density in residential areas.
While there appears to be scant data about cat predation in Berkeley, cats can often be spotted prowling sidewalks and backyards. It takes little to imagine that cats pose a serious risk to Berkeley's rich bird life, as they do in other places. However, many residents still let their cats roam outdoors. Here, we present recommendations to address the risks cats pose for birds.
Current Efforts Address Feral Cats
Efforts to address the threat of cats to wildlife focus on the feral cat population. East Bay Regional Parks has a free-roaming cat policy, updated on June 15, 2021. This policy consists of education and prevention efforts, capture and removal methods, and transparency and reporting. While this policy addresses feral, rather than domestic cats allowed outside for part of the day/night, this effort reflects public recognition of the risks cats pose to other species.
How Can We Encourage Residents to Keep Cats Inside?
In a study by Lynette McLeod, Donald Hine and Aaron Diver, "Change the Humans First: Principles for Improving the Management of Free-Roaming Cats," the authors investigate an "integrative framework based on the behavioral literature to design better, equitable and ethically acceptable interventions for free-roaming cat management" in Australia. This study found that:
Australia is unique in that it has declared the ‘feral’ cat a national pest, and lists predation by feral cats as a key threat to biodiversity. A declaration and listing under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 has given priority to feral cat management in threatened species recovery programs. It has also allowed the development of a national framework to guide and coordinate research, management and other actions needed to ensure the long-term survival of those native species and ecological communities affected by feral cat predation.
For free-roaming cat management to be effective, people—including land managers, conservationists, cat lovers and the general public—need to be sufficiently empowered and motivated to accept and/or implement management actions, as well as be dissuaded from engaging in behaviors that undermine management outcomes.
An important aspect of free-roaming cat communication may be to debunk misinformation. This requires more than just providing correct information to the public. For example, instead of starting with a statement such as, “Many people believe that house cats need to roam to be happy”, thereby instilling the idea that house cats may need to roam to be happy, a more preferable opening statement might be that “a happy house cat is one that is kept safe and entertained at home”.
While Berkeley's feral cats are not a 'national pest,' making consolidated efforts to mitigate cat predation such as Australia's more difficult, the study's findings on effective cat management and community communications are pertinent.
Case Study: Mauna Loa's Cat Barrier
In order to protect Hawaiian petrels, the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on Mauna Loa constructed a five mile long fence in 2016.
Meant to protect the nesting area of a federally endangered native seabird, the fence attempts to keep out feral cats. As ground nesters the birds are easy prey, further endangering the small local bird population.
The 6-ft. high fence, protecting over 600 acres of nesting habitat, curves at the top to prevent cats from climbing or jumping over.
Predator proof fences have also been used in other critical habitats. For example, the Hawaiian island of Kauai a 2,000+ foot fence protects wildlife from cats, among other predators. Another, longer fence in under construction.
Case Study: East Bay Regional Park District
The East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) adopted a free-roaming cat policy that consists of education and prevention efforts, capture and removal methods, and transparency and reporting. In a 2021 press release, EBRPD noted that "Abandoned and feral cats in Regional Parks are a threat to endangered species, many on the brink of extinction." EBRPD includes parks including Berkeley-adjacent Tilden Regional Park, indicating that cat predation is also a local problem for the city and surrounding urban areas.
CAT CONTAINMENT
While having a barrier may be effective in preventing cats from entering sensitive habitat, it is not necessarily the most feasible or practical. An alternative to keeping cats out is to keep them in. The Humane Society of the United States recommends that pet owners keep cats indoors or in a "catio" to protect wildlife and keep cats safe and healthy. Requiring owners to keep cats contained may not yet be a commonly implemented policy idea, but the enormous risk of cats to local wildlife has pushed the jurisdiction of Canberra, Australia to apply this strategy widely.
Photo sources: Catio Spaces and Amazon
Case Study: Canberra, Australia
In an effort to protect neighboring nature reserves, the government of Canberra, Australia (ACT) has instituted a cat containment policy. According to this policy, residents must keep all cats born after July 1, 2022 contained at all times, whether indoors or in a cat crate or contained backyard or courtyard. According to Canberra's website, 17 suburbs have required that all cats, regardless of age, must be contained. The financial penalty for violating this ban is $1,600. Owners, however, can let their cat out on a leash.
Upper and bottom left: Indoor enrichment for cats. Right: Cat barrier collar (Invisible fence).
Cat containment is one of many strategies detailed in the ACT Cat Plan 2021-31. While some approaches appear addressed to feral cats, other strategies address residents with house cat, such as:
Promoting responsible pet keeping: ACT seeks to raise awareness of responsible pet practices through brochures and online resources. Recommended practices include spay and neutering, microchipping, and containing cats.
Improve compliance and enforcement: ACT intends to require residents to register their cats in the future.
To develop this strategy, the Canberra government conducted a community engagement process with over 4,000 people and organizations.
CAT CONTAINMENT IN BERKELEY
Berkeley does not currently have a cat containment policy. However, like Canberra, it is surrounded by sensitive habitat, such as open spaces managed by the East Bay Regional Park District, as well as shoreline along the San Francisco Bay.
Although this idea will likely encounter resistance from residents with cats, the city could consider phasing in requirements. For example, the Canberra cat containment policy applies only to cats born after July 1, 2022. This would allow residents with older cats who are already used to the outdoors to roam, a population which would decrease with time.
To help preserve birds and other wildlife, the city should consider passing a cat containment policy, to include gulations, cat licensing, and citizen-engaged monitoring of cats in their care.
As part of this long-term effort, the city should:
Study the experience of other California cities with licensing requirements
Conduct a community engagement effort with local wildlife and animal care organizations to raise awareness of the issue
Analyze ways to minimize burdens on existing residents
In addition, given that outdoor cats are not just a problem within Berkeley but a regional problem, the City should also explore partnerships with nearby jurisdictions (i.e., Oakland, Emeryville, Alameda County) to pass containment policies and collaborative enforcement mechanisms (such as holding owners accountable across jurisdictions). By working together, jurisdictions can cover a larger geographic scope and be more effective in addressing cat risk to birds and other wildlife.
Enacting and implementing a cat containment policy would be a major initiative and require community support to be successful. It would be a long-term undertaking involving increased awareness and attitude shifts towards positive house cat practices. As part of this effort, the city could seek partnerships and collaboration with wildlife advocacy and interest organizations - from the Golden Gate Audubon to local birder groups - as well as animal welfare organizations, such as the Berkeley Humane Society, to spread the word.
Interacting with the community in multiple ways will help to reshape norms and socialize this proposal as an increasingly acceptable idea. With partners, the City should engage with the community through:
Informational campaigns
Community meetings and town halls
Focus groups with residents and other stakeholders
Community advisory board of stakeholders including residents, vets, and wildlife experts
Citizen science efforts to inform residents of outdoor cat behavior
Enforcing Containment: Cat Licensing
A containment policy also requires an enforcement mechanism. To help with this, Canberra requires all cats to be registered to facilitate cat identification and reunification with their people. While Berkeley does not require cats to be licensed, cat licensing is not uncommon and would require that owners keeping house cats pay for licenses that are renewed every couple of years. The following cities also require cats to be licensed:
Fremont, CA (Fees: $12 for 1 year, $17 for 2 years, $21 for 3 years)
Most unincorporated areas of LA County (Fees: $10 for unaltered cat, $5 for altered, i.e., spayed and neutered)
Unincorporated areas of San Mateo County and the following cities: Brisbane, Belmont, Hillsborough, Millbrae, San Mateo, Redwood City. (Fees: $15 for unaltered and $7 for altered, 1 year)
Long Beach, CA - The policy also requires that all cats above 4 months old have a tag or microchip and must be spayed or neutered. (Fee: $12, $6 for senior residents)
Sacramento, CA - Requires all cats above 4 months old to be licensed.
In Santa Clara County: Campbell, Monte Sereno, Santa Clara, and Mountain View
Benefits of Licensing Animals
Licensing cats would assist in implementing a cat containment policy, as the city would have information on the existing cat population and would be able to identify registered cats found outdoors. Knowing that the city would be able to identify cats outdoors and impose potential fees, provides an incentive for residents to keep their cat companions indoors. For the occasional cat that does leave its house, however, city staff would be able to more easily reunite cats and their people.
Other benefits of cat licensing laws are:
Pet reunification: In Long Beach, found pets are reunited with their people. City staff first attempt to drive the animal directly home, before leaving found pets at the animal shelter (for an extended stay before going up for adoption). Licensed animals are also eligible for vet care if severely injured.
Rabies management: Jurisdictions, including LA County and Fremont, require cats to receive rabies vaccinations.
Population control: Many jurisdictions require that licensed cats also be spayed and neutered.
Source: Long Beach
In addition, cat licensing fees could provide additional revenue to support animal shelters and services. The City should consider the appropriate fee structure, as setting fees too high could deter people from registering their pets. In implementing compulsory cat registration, Canberra is not charging existing residents to register their animals, which the City could also consider. However, requiring a fee moving forward but with discounted rates for altered animals could provide an incentive for residents to spay and neuter their pets (unless the City decides to make this a universal requirement).
Indeed, while there are several benefits, some argue that licensing cats is expensive and burdensome. The fees may disproportionately affect owners of lower incomes, who already have to pay spay and neutering fees. To address this, the City could offer discounted rates for low-income households.
Others argue that licensing laws may not be cost effective, requiring more money to offer licensing services than revenue received. However, it should be noted that the purpose of this law would not be to raise revenue but to serve the public and protect the invaluable and dwindling population of birds.
Cat with GPS tracker. Source: The Sun
Informing Residents about their Outside Cats
In 2017, a study of a citizen science project in South Australia analyzed the intervention of allowing residents to track their cat's movements via GPS devices. The study sought to understand the activity of domestic cats and the views of community members. Researchers equipped 428 cats with GPS trackers and surveyed 3,192 individuals. Based on the surveys and distance data, the researchers compared their predictions of how far residents believed their cats traveled vs. the actual distance as tracked via GPS.
Several residents were surprised by the activity of their cats, and as a result 84% of 56 respondents reported that as a result, they kept their cat indoors more often, to deter cats from roaming and hunting wildlife, and to keep their cats safe.
These results showed that participating in the tracking activity significantly influenced residents' attitudes about cat containment, leading residents to prioritize cat containment. Residents reported behavior changes with current cats and intended to modify their behavior for future companion cats.
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