Domestic and feral cats kill an estimated 1.3–4 billion birds annually in the United States alone, making them the largest human-associated cause of bird mortality. In Australia, cats kill 377 million birds annually. Welfare and conservation perspectives intersect: birds experience predation-related fear, injury, and death; cats benefit behaviourally from hunting but may face disease exposure and shortened lifespans outdoors. Management approaches include indoor-only policies, catio enclosures, Birdsbesafe collar covers (reducing hunting success by 87%), bell collars, and TNR (trap-neuter-return) programmes for feral colonies. Research supports indoor-only policies as most effective for both bird welfare and cat longevity. Community cat management remains contentious, with conservationists and cat advocates holding divergent positions on TNR efficacy.