Feral cats and birds

Cats Vs. Birds Controversy

FFSC’s Position

An article came out in the New York Times (and was reprinted locally) wherein the Smithsonian Conservative Biology Institute and the Fish and Wildlife Service state that cats, both free-roaming and pets, are responsible for killing 2.4 billion birds and 12.3 billion mammals each year.

Forgotten Felines of Sonoma County can’t speak to where they are getting their ‘estimated’ figures, or the validity of their data. Our position on this matter, which coincides with our mission, is as follows:

We do not believe in killing one creature to save another. The most humane way of controlling ‘community cats’ (feral, free-roaming) is through trap, neuter, return – the method we have been using since 1990 when we were founded. We are in complete agreement that:

Free roaming cats kill birds and small mammals – it is in their nature
Indoor-only cats would be healthier, safer and would not impact our environment. This is exactly why we work tirelessly to reduce the free-roaming cat population. We care about ALL living beings – not just cats. This includes the impact that rounding up and killing cats has on us as human beings. Killing (not euthanizing) a viable, healthy, living creature is bad. It’s bad for the cat that is terrified up to the point that it is killed and it’s bad for the shelter staff who have to house, then kill the cat. These people are members of our community and it’s unconscionable to require them to take this action upon innocent creatures, day after day.

If the goal is to figure out what is happening to our world – whether it is a reduction in the bird population or destruction of our planet – we need only look as far as the mirror.

Our goal is to reduce the feral cat population down to zero, but we can’t do it alone.  Please call us  about volunteering so we can help protect all living creatures.