Note the mix of native plant species that are grading into each other and are overlapping. Also, all three layers, the understory, midstory and canopy, are present. These pictures depict a backyard with a rich native plant understory that blends into a native shrub and tree midstory and canopy. An estimated 4.4 million songbirds are killed daily by domestic cats in the United States. In fact, many well-fed cats are avid hunters who can afford to patiently hunt more difficult prey, like birds.
Cats live a safer, longer life as indoor pets.
Cats transmit disease to wildlife, such as feline lukemia, feline distemper, feline immunodeficiency virus, and rabies. Cats are not a natural part of our ecosystems. Cats were domesticated in Egypt approximately 4,000 years ago and brought to Europe 2,000 years ago. Cats were brought in large numbers to North America in the late 19th century in an attempt to control rodent populations resulting from the spread of agriculture. Cats with bells on their collars do kill birds.