Cats. Canadians have welcomed these little fluffballs into their homes for hundreds of years.
They’re so cute, it might be hard to wrap your head around just how dangerous they are to the wildlife in your backyard. We’re talking serial killer level danger here. According to the American Bird Conservancy, outdoor cats kill about two animals a week.
“In fact, cats were labeled as major threats in the extinction of over 63 species of reptiles, birds and mammals! ”
Birds have been hit the hardest. Environment Canada states that cats are the number one killer of birds in Canada. And considering that wild bird numbers have dropped by 12 per cent over the last 40 years, our birds just can’t withstand this kind of predation.
Why? Because our birds, mammals and reptiles weren’t built to withstand this kind of dangerous invasive species. It’s true. After all, domestic cats aren’t native to Canada. They’re used to the predation of foxes, owls and raptors but they could never be prepared for a predator that not only makes such a dent in their numbers but are being helped by humans! Domestic cats have had such a terrible impact on our natural world that the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has deemed the domestic cat one of the world’s worst invasive species.
So, who’s to blame? Certainly not the cats. It’s not their fault that they’re skilled and efficient predators. It’s in their nature. But their owners could make a real difference! If Canadian cat owners kept their cats indoors, they could save 200 million birds in a single year!
But what if you don’t own a cat but still want to make a difference to the wild critters in your backyard? You can’t exactly force your cat loving neighbours to make their outdoor cats, indoor cats. What you can do is implement a few tricks of the trade to keep these felines out of your yard.
Roll Out the Prickly Carpet
Cats enjoy walking on soft ground. Give them soil, grass or any sort of fluffy pillowlike substance under foot…er…paw, and they’re happy. So, if you don’t want cats in your yard, put out some prickly substances in it! Place twigs, leaves, pinecones, mulch and yard trimmings around your gardens – and near your bird feeders to make your backyard a little less comfy for cats.
Churn Out the Citrus
Did you know that cats have an incredible sense of smell? Cats have 200 million odor receptors in their olfactory system. Humans, on the other hand, have a mere five million odor receptors. Well, you can use their good sense of smell against them to keep cats away from your yard. Cats are not a fan of the smell of citrus fruit. So, if you place lemons, oranges, grapefruit and limes in your yard, they’ll likely steer clear. The best way to spread the smell about your property is to mix these fruit with water and spray it all over the area.
Get Digging!
You don’t have to stop at the citrus spray to keep cats at bay. Cats are put off by a variety of plants too. They don’t like lavender and lemon thyme. When you plant these blooms in your backyard, you’ll repel cats and you might even attract some beneficial pollinators!
Work With Water
Have you ever seen a cat take a bath? The poor things are miserable in the water! A motion activated sprinkler will keep them far away from your yard. That said, please note that you might scare off other wildlife critters like rabbits and squirrels from your backyard while you’re at it.
Nix the Nosh
Who doesn’t like free grub? Cats will be first in line when you leave scraps of food lying around in the garden. So be sure to feed your pets indoors, keep your BBQ clean and secure your garbage can so they won’t be tended to dig through for a sneaky morsel.
Hose it Down
Don’t hose down the cat, for goodness sakes! Hose down their urine around your property. If you notice urine marks on your outdoor walls, fence or door, that’s a sign that they’re marking your house to mark their territory. You’ll want to hose all that down so they don’t get attached to your house!
April Overall
April is the Editor of Wildlife Update, CWF’s e-newsletter and WILD magazine, the Canadian Wildlife Federation's children’s publication. When she’s not writing for CWF, you’ll probably find her playing with her daughter Nora.
7 comments
The best way to keep cats from preying on backyard wildlife is to keep your cat indoors. Indoor cats have a much longer life span than cats allowed to roam outside (14 years vs. 5, on average). Indoor cats are protected from getting hurt by sharp or dangerous objects, ingesting poison, being hit by cars, attacked by larger wildlife such as foxes or coyotes, sprayed by skunks (not life-threatening, but no fun for anyone!), or picking up diseases or parasites. Indoor cats are perfectly happy and don’t need to go outside. It’s best to keep your cat indoors from when they are a kitten; this way, they will know what their territory is and will not usually attempt to dash out the door.
Really good tips!! I keep my cats indoor but my feeders attract many other cats from the neighborhood and they’re super territorial, we have a motion activated sprinkler to protect my flowers from the squirrels and groundhogs, but I’ll definitely use the other methods for the cats
If you do turn the hose on a cat that persistently hunts birds in your yard it won’t hurt the cat but should seriously deter it from hunting there. A water pistol might be better. It doesn’t take much water to send the cat racing away for home.
This article is ridiculous. Undoubtedly cats pose a threat to birds. And you know what other species also does? Humans. Yet here we are, merrily building away, logging trees and developing condos when we should be protecting forests. This article, like so many others, anthropomorphizes cats as “serial killers” when animal cruelty is so evidently on the rise. Many cats, used to the outdoors as strays, can’t handle being fully indoors. At least without a garden patch to explore. They are no different than humans and will exhibit a whole host of psychological and physical problems if their busy owners don’t make the time to care for their complex needs. They DO need fresh air and a change of scenery, like us. Do you think they get that when so many are trapped indoors in small, poorly ventilated condos with owners who are away most of the day? That’s if those condo landlords even allow pets indoors, many don’t. Do you not see the speeding cars on your roads that hit wildlife, including birds, all the time? I do. Enough with always demonizing cats as a destructive species. Humans, the ultimate invasive species (lovely words to use on animals other than ourselves, eh?) need to get their own act together first, before suggesting that cats are the only major problem here. We can’t turn back the clock but we can seek for more balanced and humane solutions for the good of all.
I agree completely, would also ad that backyard bird feeders are the absolute worst for luring birds into cat territory!! There is NO need for anyone to put a bird feeder in their yard when birds are more than capable of feeding themselves!! So sick of these people luring birds into cat territory and them getting upset with the cats for doing what cats naturally do, stop putting up feeders!!!!!!
Hi, thank you for a great article! I am a cat owner and I have used a “Birdsafe” collar cover on my cat for two years now. It is very colorfull and alerts birds of the cat’s presence. My cat doesn’t seem to notice it and she hasn’t brought a bird back since then. All cat onwers should have it.
I have found a happy alternative for my cats. Leash training. One happily stays on his lead in the yard, but the one other loves to explore the neighborhood with me in toe. My neighbors are delighted when they see me and as a cat lover and bird lover as well, I think this is the best way to keep everyone safe. Think your cat is too old to learn? My 4 year old cat was a stray and we managed with the help of the Adventure Cats website. Baby steps is key! Catios are also an excellent alternative. You can find different links on how to build one on this same site.