Outdoor cats kill billions of birds and small mammals annually. Mitigation strategies reduce wildlife impact while maintaining cat welfare, addressing a genuine conflict between companion animal and wildlife interests.
The hunting behaviour conflict requires acknowledging both cat welfare and wildlife welfare as legitimate concerns. Hunting is natural for cats and its complete suppression is not straightforwardly welfare-positive. However, the scale of wildlife mortality — particularly of threatened species — means cat owner responsibility includes mitigation. The welfare-positive solution enriches the cat's environment so hunting motivation is channelled through play and foraging puzzles rather than live prey, while physical mitigation (Birdsbesafe collar covers, catios) reduces actual capture opportunities. Curfew systems keeping cats in during bird feeding times and before dawn are practical and low-stress interventions that meaningfully reduce wildlife impact without compromising cat welfare.