Palisadian., 1917-05-05
81 Million Birds Are
Killed By Stray Cats

ratified treaty between this country
and Great Britain for protection Of
birds that migrate between the
United States and Canda. Congress
may properly look upon it as pre-
paredness measure. Many of the
birds which consume insects injurious
to crops, breed in Canada and spend
only part of the year in this
country.
When it is considered that insects,
according to states of the Agricul-
tural Department, annually do ST.
200,000,00O worth of damage to crops,
the need of throwing every protec-
tion possible around our feathered
friends is apparent.
Nearly every state in the Union
has passed laws protecting insect
eating birds, and there are high
penalties for killing such birds, yet
people may, with impunity, keep all
the cats they wish and these cats
may kill all the birds they wish.
Is this justice?
A lengthy article in the March
Ladies Home Journal has presented
appalling facts from statistics and
observations carefully collected by
the State Arnithologist of Massa-
chusetts.
These estimates are very conser-
vative, and base their figures on only
one-fourth of the fairly accurate
number of cats kept in various states,
and takes no account of the many
ownerless cats.
Then again careful records have
been kept by many cat owners (who
are both cat and bird lovers) in an
swer to question blanks sent out by
ornithologists and State Boards, and
all find pussy guilty" whether she
be the "pet, well fed house cat," whom
fond owners declare incapable of such
multitude of vagrants who depend on
birds and unsatisfactory garbage
cans for their daily menus.
The above mentioned estimates
show New York State cats guilty of
killing 100000 birds annually, New
England 100000 birds, Illinois q
100000, MASSACHUSETTS 2,7OO,O0O an
nually, etc.
Birds are estimated as easily de-
stroying $4,000 insects each, annu-
ally, the greater part of which are
injurious to agriculture or to forestry.
If ever there were necessity for US
to check this wanton destruction and
conserve our food supplies, it cer-
tainly is now, at this crisis in our
national life.
1t is argued that the cat is neces-
sity because it destroys rats and
mice, but even that argument has
been proved fallacious.
Rats swarm in cities where enorm-
GUS numbers of cats are kept. Among
eighty-nine farmers, who kept 1S4
cats, all were obligea to use traps
and poisons.
The cabin of ship recently funi-
gated. where was kept cat consjd-
cred an exceptionally fgOOd ratter,
showed the cat accidentally shut in)
and twenty-four rats, killed!
Many records cQAld be given to
prove that a five cent trap will beat
any cat alive in catching rats and
mice.
Personally, I am an ardent cat
lover, but / also love birds and my
country's welfare and my suburban
homes attractions among which are
bird songs and fruits and vegetables.
The cat is born hunter of birds
and all the training in the world will
not eliminate those born instincts,
but training and punishments will
make kitty more sly in her destruc-
1 tiveness.
The remedy?
There are several remedies. One
is that State law be passed licens-
ing pet cats and killing in humane
manner all unlicensed ones-using
the money obtained from licenses.
In the meantime, as our State as yet
has no such law, let us work for such
as is being passed in other states and
cities, and let us all begin right now
to remedy the matter as far as in us
lies, in this borough, by putting bells
on our cats, by keeping the cats con-
fined at night, and, if possible, de-
stroying stray cats.
This is the time when birds are
nesting and parent birds and baby