The sheer number of cats in this country is a major part of the problem. According to the Pet Food Institute, there are at least 65.8 million pet cats in the U.S., although one survey suggests that over half of these are kept indoors. In addition, millions of stray and feral cats roam our cities, suburbs, farms and natural areas. Increasingly, parks and wildlife refuges near heavily populated areas are reporting cat predation problems. There are documented cat kills of endangered species, such as Western Snowy Plover and Light-footed Clapper Rail.
Domestic cats can be particularly deadly to bird populations when released on islands.
Eight species of birds are extinct primarily due to cat predation, and cats are mainly responsible for the elimination of over 40 species of birds from New Zealand islands. In January 1997, ABC began an exciting initiative to curb domestic cat predation on birds and other wildlife. ABC invited representatives from the animal welfare, science, and veterinary communities to join in a citizen education and outreach effort. The primary focus of the campaign is to encourage cat owners to spay or neuter their cats and keep them indoors because it benefits wildlife, cats, and people. Like many cat owners, I thought my cat was supposed to roam outside.