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Save a Bird with a Cat Bib

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How to Save the Native Birds in your Garden

Do you ever wonder how cats can catch birds when birds can fly and we can't?

It's been a while since I brought down a bird. These days I have a little trouble jumping onto a kitchen chair but a few years back I was one of the best hunters around. That's because I'm a predator. It's part of my nature. I'm hard wired for stealth and slaughter.

I spent years with bells around my neck but I picked up the trick of slithering on my belly with the bells tucked under my chin and the last sound a sparrow would hear was the wild jingle as I pounced.

The woman who feeds me always kept me in at night, and stopped me being outside at dawn and dusk too. But did it work? The curfews, the possum shields on the trees and the bell collections didn't save every bird I came across.

If this bib were available in my youth the bird population would have been a lot safer.

Make it hard to catch birds

Cats are, on the whole, generous creatures. We often bring our catches home as presents for our loved ones. We know you never learned how to hunt properly and would appreciate the opportunity to practice your skills, so why you make such an almighty fuss is beyond our understanding.

I must confess I once brought home choice prizes to demonstrate my incredible talents. I quickly learned it was a waste of time.

There's no point in punishing a cat for killing birds. You just have to make it harder for us.

The Cat Bib

Cuts back on Stealth

The bib hangs from your collar and stops you from catching birds.

It works by disrupting our sense of timing and coordination, so we can't be so stealthy any more. It doesn't interfere with any other activities.

Don't worry, it's safe. A cat can still climb trees, scratch up some kitty litter, scratch up your couch and all the other cat goodness you've come to expect.

To put it simply, the bib gets in the way just as a cat strikes out. Additionally, it also functions as a colourful visual warning.

Have a look at the video of a Cat Bib in action on Cat Goods, the originator of the bib.

Get the Cat Bib in Australia

There's an authorised Australian Distributor

Domestic cats kill millions of birds and small marsupials every year in Australia. CatBib can help reduce the carnage and restore the natural balance in yours and your neighbour's back yard..

CatBib Australia has the bib for under $17 AUD

A few tips for your garden

Save some Birds

Put a bell on the collars of cats. It must be correctly fitted and have a quick-release mechanism for the cat to free itself should it become snagged.

Cats should always be well-fed and cared for. This encourages us to stay at home.

Avoid putting food on the ground, but use a bird table where cats can't reach it.

Place feeders high off the ground but away from surfaces from which a cat could jump.

Place spiny plants or an uncomfortable surface around the base of the feeding station to prevent a cat sitting underneath.

Put chicken wire around birdbaths.

Plant wildlife-friendly vegetation, like prickly bushes and thick climbers in the garden? These should be close enough to where birds feed to provide cover, but not so close that cats can use it to stalk birds

Put nest boxes where cats can't reach them and can't sit close to them (sitting near them stops the parent birds from getting to the box).

The Classic Cat Stalk

All Cats Kill Birds

People don't know most of the time

Your cat may be killing more birds than you think.

An ordinary cat, even one without my former glorious hunting skills, can catch about ten birds a year. If that doesn't sound like very many, consider that there are 2.5 million cats in Australia and a conservative estimate puts this at 160,000 birds killed by cats every day.

The UK figures show that cats catch up to 255 million annually. In USA the number of birds killed is over one billion each year..

These are the numbers of prey items known to have been caught. It will never be known how many more were caught by cats but weren't brought home or how many escaped but subsequently died.

How Much of an Impact Do Cats Make on Wildlife?

Living with Cats

This is a Purple Star lens!

I'm proud to be the first cat in Squidoo to receive a Purple Star

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Purple Stars are awarded to lensmasters who create a stellar lens.

Thanks and a High Paw to the Purple Star team!

My Purrrple Stars

I'm proud to be the first cat in Squidoo to receive a Purple Star

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What do you make of these cat bibs? I've never worn one and certainly don't intend to start. Nowadays I don't stalk birds, but watch them and dream of times long ago.

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bernie74 Jul 6, 2011 @ 3:51 am | delete

What a great idea, I have never heard of a cat bib...Thanks for sharing this wonderful lens

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annmackiemiller May 10, 2011 @ 7:14 am | delete

looks like a great idea Vladi - thanks for that. Angel blessed and another of yours to feature on my Angel blessed in May lens (republished soon)

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ACreativeDream Mar 28, 2011 @ 9:40 am | delete

My cat is an indoors cat now, but it was amusing when he was allowed outside as a kitty. He ignored sparrows, instead set himself to stalk pigeons (who in London are bigger than he was). Not a great hunter.

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KokoTravel Jan 2, 2011 @ 12:29 pm | delete

I saw an interesting thing yesterday. One of my neighbors cats had climbed the fence upon which we have placed a bird and squirrel feeder. Fluffers was clinging to the post with her face looking into the bird feeder. One brave little chickadee was aware of the cat and kept on eating. Both of them enjoyed the 20 second moment without feeling threatened until another bird flew by... probable with a message for the little chickadee. "Dude, are you crazy? Get out of there!"

Sometimes you cats like to act like killers but sometimes you just want to play.

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Tipi Nov 8, 2010 @ 11:26 pm | delete

Vladi, I thank you for sharing your personal story and God bless the woman who is feeding well and making sure that evey one of your needs is taking care of. The birds of the world now sing a special song just for you!
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