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Journal Article Addresses Feral Cat Colony Programs, Cites Rabies and Disease Risks
Outdoor cat, sxc.hu (Washington, D.C., August 23, 2013) A new journal article questions the public health benefits of programs that trap, neuter, vaccinate, and release feral cats to the areas where they were captured. Feral cats are estimated to number… Read More »
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Meet Sophie, A Happy Indoor Cat (Part 1)
We recently spoke with inspiring cat guardian, Christiana Viscusi, the brains behind the popular @SophieLovesTuna Instagram account, about her beautiful, fun, and funny four-legged companions, Sophie and Louie. Louie, an indoor cat, is serving as a Feline Ambassador for the… Read More »
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Prince George's Bill Will Increase Wildlife Mortality In County, Says Bird Conservation Group
Domestic cat eating a bird, Creative Commons (Washington, D.C., July 23, 2012) American Bird Conservancy (ABC), one of the nation’s leading bird conservation groups, will testify that an “Ear-Tipped Cats” bill under consideration in Prince George’s County, Maryland will result… Read More »
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Jones Beach Feral Cats Pose Threat to Endangered Birds and Potential Health Threat to Beachgoers
(Washington, D.C., March 27, 2015) One of the nation’s leading bird conservation organizations, American Bird Conservancy, has learned that New York State Park officials are allowing feral cats to persist at the popular Jones Beach State Park right outside New… Read More »
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Experts Urge a Scientific Approach to Free-Roaming Cat Management
Cat outside with Gila Woodpecker. Photo by Dawn Grafe/USFWS Domestic cats (Felis catus) are beloved pets to people around the world, but cats that roam outdoors can have devastating impacts. Cats have contributed to the extinction of 63 species and,… Read More »
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'Life is Good in a Catio'
Cynthia Chomos, the founder of Seattle-based Catio Spaces, talked with Grant Sizemore, ABC’s Director of Invasive Species Programs, about why catios are one great way to keep your feline friend happy and safe — and the role catios and cat… Read More »
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Study Finds Free-Roaming Cats Pose Threat from "Serious Public Health Diseases"
Cat with American Coot by Debi Shearwater (Washington, D.C., September 18, 2012) A study published in the peer-reviewed public health journal, Zoonoses and Public Health, has found that free-roaming cats pose a threat from “serious public health diseases” to humans,… Read More »
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Massive Conservation Coalition Calls on Interior Dept. to Stop Wildlife Deaths from Feral Cats
Washington, D.C., March 11, 2014) The largest coalition ever assembled on the issue of wildlife mortality from feral cats—including more than 200 groups—has called on Department of Interior (DOI) Secretary Sally Jewell in a letter to take action to reduce mortality… Read More »
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Studies Show Outdoor Cats Are Popular Prey for Coyotes
Coyote, USFWS (Washington, D.C., March 28, 2012) American Bird Conservancy (ABC), the leading bird conservation organization in the United States, advises that as coyotes continue to move into and around large cities such as New York, Chicago, Boston, Washington, D.C.,… Read More »
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Studies Show Outdoor Cats Are Popular Prey for Coyotes
(Washington, D.C., March 28, 2012) American Bird Conservancy (ABC), the leading bird conservation organization in the United States, advises that as coyotes continue to move into and around large cities such as New York, Chicago, Boston, Washington, D.C., Detroit, Los… Read More »
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"KittyCam" Reveals High Levels of Wildlife Being Killed by Outdoor Cats
KittyCam stills showing a captured chipmunk and an injured pheobe, National Geographic KittyCam Program (Washington, D.C., August 6, 2012) A new study of house cats allowed to roam outdoors finds that nearly one-third succeeded in capturing and killing animals. The… Read More »
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"KittyCam" Reveals High Levels of Wildlife Being Killed by Outdoor Cats
(Washington, D.C., August 6, 2012) A new study of house cats allowed to roam outdoors finds that nearly one-third succeeded in capturing and killing animals. The cats, which wore special video cameras around their necks that recorded their outdoor activities,… Read More »
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New Study: Almost 90 Percent of People Surveyed Want Reduction in Feral Cat Numbers in Hawai'i
(Washington, D.C., January 30, 2014) Eighty-seven percent of respondents to a recent study in Hawai'i want to see a decrease in the number of feral cats in the Hawaiian Islands. The survey, which was completed by more than 1,500 people,… Read More »
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Video: Surviving the Wild: Cats and Birds
Few people experience the impacts of free-roaming cats as intimately as wildlife rehabilitators. In this short documentary, meet Dr. Dave McRuer, formerly of the Wildlife Center of Virginia; Brittany Davis of Second Chance Wildlife Center; and Kasey Birtz of City… Read More »
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Are Wind Turbines a Significant Threat to Birds?
There are many threats to birds ... and they are all significant. Birds face a host of threats — habitat loss, predation by outdoor cats, collisions with windows, pesticide poisoning … the list goes on. Cumulatively, the losses are huge:… Read More »
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New Study: "Remarkable" Deterioration in Memory Functions of Seniors Infected by Common Parasite Found in Free-roaming Cats
(Washington, D.C., February 20, 2014) A new study just published in the scientific journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity documents what scientists describe as “remarkable” working memory performance reductions in seniors 65 and older that test positive for infection by the… Read More »
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Young Birds, Rabbits and Other Newborn Wildlife Easy Prey for Cats
For Immediate Release Contact: Robert Johns, 202-234-7181 ext.210 Acadian Flycatcher. Photo: Daniel Lebbin BETHESDA, MD -- As young birds, rabbits and squirrels venture from their nests in early summer in their usual vulnerable and generally defenseless state, The Wildlife… Read More »
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Report from Gov't of Canada Echoes U.S. Finding: Outdoor Cats are Leading Human-Caused Source of Bird Mortality
(Washington, DC, October 1, 2013) A new study from the government of Canada that looked at more than 25 human-caused sources of bird mortality has found that domestic cats, both feral and owned, are the leading lethal threat to birds… Read More »
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Endangered Hawaiian Geese at Risk From Disease Spread by Feral Cats, Study Finds
Contact: Grant Sizemore, gsizemore@abcbirds.org, 202-888-7480 (Washington, D.C., June 2, 2016) A new study published in the Journal of Wildlife Diseases has documented evidence of “widespread contamination of habitat” in Hawai'i caused by feral cats. This latest research has alarming implications… Read More »
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New Study: Toxoplasma Infection May Make Mice Permanently Fearless of Cats
(Washington, DC, October 2, 2013) A study just published in the online journal PLOS ONE by University of California graduate student Wendy Ingram has found that the bizarre impacts to mice from the Toxoplasma gondii parasite—which can cause spontaneous abortion… Read More »