do bells on cats protect birds

Bởi

Bells and bibs such as the Birdsbesafe(TM) have proven effective in reducing the number of birds cats hunt, but they don’t eliminate hunting entirely. A study in the UK compared the hunting of cats with no bells, cats with bells, and cats with an electronic sonic device. It found that cats equipped with a bell or bells captured 41% fewer birds, and the cats equipped with a sonic device caught 51% fewer birds. The results for the Birdsbesafe(TM) collar were similar in an Australian study; it reduced bird predation by 51%. Another study showed the Birdbesafe(TM) collar reduced hunting success by between 70 and 94%.

So bells and collars do reduce hunting success. They don’t work as well to protect young birds who haven’t yet learned to be cautious about cats, or to fly well enough to get awway. And adult birds who are protecting a nest are likely to take on a cat even if it is wearing a bell or collar. It must also be noted that while they do keep birds somewhat safer, they do absolutely nothing to protect the cat from other cats, stray dogs, wildlife, cars, diseases, toxins, or any of the other risks of free roam.

Meanwhile, on a much smaller scale, Brennan’s cat “started sleeping in” rather than pursuing wildlife, thanks to the collar, which has managed to solve at least one issue.

“It was spectacular,” Willson said. According to her theory, the reason the difference was more pronounced in the spring is that during that season of the year, birds are preoccupied with breeding rather than keeping an eye out for predators due to high testosterone levels. During the season when birds are least vigilant, the collar cover provided them with additional warning.

One of the global biggest threats to birds is domesticated cats. Two pet owners think they’ve found a solution.

Willson’s study was published earlier this year in the journal Global Ecology and Conservation. A few weeks after it came out, Australian researchers published a similar study in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour. This second paper found that Birdbesafe wasn’t just effective for birds—compared to control animals, cats wearing the collar killed 47 percent fewer animals with good color vision, a group that also includes reptiles.

Brennan had always known that George would never be able to live indoors, but her previous attempts to keep him away from birds had not worked. She attempted attaching additional bells to his collar, but it appeared the cat moved too covertly for the bells to serve as any kind of alert for his victim.

So bells and collars do reduce hunting success. They are less effective at protecting fledgling birds who have not yet learned to be wary of cats or who are unable to fly far enough to escape. And even if a cat is wearing a collar or bell, adult birds guarding a nest are likely to attack it. Notably, they do nothing to shield the cat from other cats, stray dogs, wildlife, cars, illnesses, toxins, or any other dangers associated with free roaming. However, they do keep birds a little bit safer.

Bells and bibs such as the Birdsbesafe(TM) have proven effective in reducing the number of birds cats hunt, but they don’t eliminate hunting entirely. A study in the UK compared the hunting of cats with no bells, cats with bells, and cats with an electronic sonic device. It found that cats equipped with a bell or bells captured 41% fewer birds, and the cats equipped with a sonic device caught 51% fewer birds. The results for the Birdsbesafe(TM) collar were similar in an Australian study; it reduced bird predation by 51%. Another study showed the Birdbesafe(TM) collar reduced hunting success by between 70 and 94%.

FAQ

Do cat collars protect birds?

The study placed 114 pet cats in Birdsbesafe collars. Then, the researchers asked the cats’ owners to collect and freeze every animal their furry little killers brought home. Sure enough, the cat collars led to a significant decline in recorded bird, reptile and amphibian deaths.

Will a bell stop my cat hunting?

If you look at the way many cats hunt, they stay still or move very slowly indeed until the final pounce, when, usually, it’s too late to escape, so it seems dubious whether a bell would work. However, the study showed that bells and an ultrasonic peeping device did indeed help cut down catches by a third to a half.

Is it good to put bells on cats?

Bells Can Reduce Cat Fights While this is natural behaviour, it isn’t nice and aggression between cats in a household can result in injury. Cat bell collars could reduce conflicts by letting gentler cats in a household know when a dominant kitty is nearby.