Scrunchies May Save Birds From Nature's Fiercest Predator - Your Cat!
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Did you know that nature's deadliest predator is probably lurking in your neighborhood? Odds are, you may be even harboring it in your home. Confused? We are talking about your pet cat. Though they may appear cuddly and innocent, they are known to wreak havoc on their local ecology, killing birds, small mammals, and reptiles at an alarming rate.
In addition to being beloved companions, cats have been a preferred method of pest control for humans for thousands of years. However, as the human population has increased, so has the number of these relentless hunters.
In the United States alone, about 80 million homes house at least one cat, while another 80 million wander as strays. Combined, these felines kill about 2.4 billion birds, and 20.7 billion small mammals like mice, moles, and chipmunks, annually! A 2013 study printed in the journal Nature Communications suggests that the domestic cat species is responsible for the extinction of up to 33 species across the globe. It calls cats "likely the single greatest source of anthropogenic mortality for U.S birds and mammals!"
While cat owners don't have an issue with the felines taking care of pesky mice and rats, they certainly have no desire to lose the innocent birds that are chirping in their yards. In order to prevent that cats are often collared with tiny bells that signal their presence to the critters they are trying to snare. However, the clever hunters have been known to silence the noisy bells by either pulling them off or getting rid of the collar altogether. Some cats are even smart enough to keep the bells from ringing by taking stealthier steps.
Dr. Michael Calver of Australia's Murdoch University, is so concerned about the plight of the birds that he has published several research papers trying to solve the issue. Hence when he and Ph.D. student Catherine Hall stumbled upon a website that claimed their brightly colored collar scrunchies could reduce the number of bird deaths by 87%, they decided to investigate it.
Hall teamed up with 114 cat owners and asked them to "freeze" everything their pets killed for two years, with and without them wearing the brightly colored scrunchies. Sure enough, the number of birds, reptiles, and amphibians killed when the cats were wearing the bright collars reduced by 54%. Though not as high as the 87% claimed by the website, it is substantial enough to make a difference. Hall, who published her findings in the scientific journal Applied Animal Behavior Science in January 2015, believes that the simple solution works because it enables songbirds to see the cats approaching from a distance. This allows them to make a quick escape.
Interestingly, the number of mice and other small mammals the cats captured was not reduced when the scrunchie was implemented. This is likely because their color vision isn't as developed as that of birds. Hence, the colorful scrunchie is a win-win for both humans and birds! A similar study done in the US around the same time confirmed these findings.
But before you rush to place a normal scrunchie onto your cat's neck, be careful for it may be too tight and result in constricting his/her neck. Instead, seek out ones specially created for this very purpose and save those poor birds!
Resources: IFLscience.com,uproxx.com
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1048 Comments
- cr4td4lalmost 4 yearsNO SCRUNCHIE
- graycatalmost 4 yearsNo scrunchie on Cats😡😡🐈
- animereina2021almost 4 yearsPlz don't scrunchie ze cat!
- cr4td4lalmost 4 yearsYes no scrunchies
- shaniahopealmost 4 yearsI disagree with putting scrunchies on your cat, it could choke them. And it's just a cats natural instinct to catch birds.
- acornyo101over 3 yearsOk then. It’s come to this. It’s a cheetah’s instinct to hunt livestock, yet i don’t see YOU standing up for cheetahs >:)
- wolfiedreamalmost 4 years#NO scrunched allowed
- bscalmost 4 yearsInteresting! I don't have a cat, but I wonder if I did, if that would work..
- bookfan2009almost 4 yearsI'm sorry but I don't like the idea of putting scrunchies on cats! Anyone with me? I love cats and dogs!
- pineapple_girl6about 3 yearsIM SO WITH U #NOSCRUNCHIES
- jad123over 3 yearsi respectfully disagree, there are scrunchies that are especially designed for this. im not saying they put scrunchies on all cats, only the pets.
- tourmalineskiesalmost 4 yearsMe too! I would never do that!
- bookfan2009almost 4 yearsCool! I would never ever do that either!
- pineapple_girl6about 3 yearsi would never do it EVER.
- cr4td4lalmost 4 yearsYes bookfan2008 I hate putting scrunchies on cats
- bookfan2009almost 4 yearsMe too! Poor kitties and cats!
- wolfiedreamalmost 4 yearsI'm SO with you if could choke the little cuties!😣
- bookfan2009almost 4 yearsI know! So sad!
- animereina2021almost 4 yearsI am with you! I don't think it is a good idea to scrunchie a cat. I love cats and dogs, they are sooooooooooooo cute!
- bookfan2009almost 4 yearsThanks I'm glad some of you agree! Not a good idea, it can choke them. But, again, that's my opinion.
- graycatalmost 4 yearsAgree I have 2 cats and I can't imagine what would happen if I put a scrunchie on them but my Black cat Luna loves to put on this huge necklace I have around her neck and there is enough room to breath she would sometimes growl at me if I would try to take it off😂😂
- shaniahopeover 3 yearsI found her a TINY kitten, at our farm he was FULLY black and she was starving and I found her and named her Luna and looked after her :) I hate how people say black cats are evil :(
- shaniahopeover 3 yearsI have a black cat called Luna too! She would HATE having scrunchies around her neck! :)
- animereina2021almost 4 yearsAwww! I always wanted a black cat!
- lovetoread26almost 4 yearsSo I just got 2 barn cats. We are supposed to keep them locked in our barn for the first 2 weeks so they don't run off. One jumped into the hayloft and out of the eaves, so we put food out for her. We put a game camera out and now we have 5 cats. 3 are strays, we think. I honestly don't know anymore......
- tourmalineskiesalmost 4 yearsCats are the best! The more, the better!
- spykittenalmost 4 yearsWe shouldn't go against cat's instinct!
- cr4td4lalmost 4 yearsCats are natural hunters, so I don't mind if they kill birds. And anyone who dares to put a scrunchie on a cat's neck; I'll chase them across the world!
- gachagirl1234almost 4 yearstrue save the cats k