Domestic cat predation on wild songbirds represents one of the largest human-associated causes of bird welfare harm and mortality globally.
Cat predation bird welfare involves both the acute trauma of capture and the insidious welfare harm of stress. Birds that escape cats often die days later from shock, injury, or infection. The scale — billions of birds annually in North America alone — makes this one of the most significant welfare issues affecting wild birds that individual choices can directly address. Keeping cats indoors or providing catio access that prevents unsupervised hunting is the single most impactful action cat owners can take for wild bird welfare.