First, some good news – the metal cans and litter that come with having a cat aren’t that big a deal when you compare them to the rest of the recycling and trash coming out of your house.

The bigger concern is what happens when your cat goes outdoors. Because there are more domestic cats than wild predators, cats kill an unnatural amount of birds and small mammals– a few million every day in the U.S.! Also, when cats go to the bathroom outside, they can pollute water sources or spread parasites to wild animals. 

The simplest solution is just to keep your cat inside, but if that’s not possible, make sure your cat is spayed or neutered, so they don’t increase the population of feral cats. And try putting a bell or a flashy collar on your cat to warn away any birds and rodents.

Megan: Welcome to Possibly, where we take on huge problems like the future of our planet. And break them down into small questions with unexpected answers. I’m Megan Hall.

Today we have a question from listener Sophie O’Connell. She wrote “I worry about the environmental “pawprint,” of my cats. What can I do?” 

We have Molly Magid and Alina Kulman in the studio today to answer this question. Welcome Molly and Alina!

Molly: Hi Megan!

Alina: Hello!

Megan: So, what did you find out?

Molly: Well, we visited Sophie at home, right around feeding time for her two cats. 

Sophie: *meowing + eating sounds* I just started to feel like we were going through a lot of cans of cat food a lot of cat litter. None of it seemed particularly healthy.

Molly: She told us that she thinks a lot about those metal cans and also the bags of litter that pile up every week.

Megan: Alright, well did you have suggestions for what she could do?

Alina: Yep! First we told her some good news: the metal cans and litter aren’t that big a deal, when you compare them to the rest of the recycling and trash coming out of her house.

Molly: However, one of Sophie’s cats, Little Bear, often goes outside, and outdoor cats are a big environmental concern.

Megan: Why are outdoor cats so bad?

Alina: Well for one thing, they can kill a lot of birds and small mammals– a few million every day in the U.S. alone!

Megan: So what? Animals kill other animals. It’s the circle of life.

Alina: Well, domestic cats kill an unnaturally high amount of prey, since there are more domestic cats than wild predators. 

Molly: Also, when outdoor cats go to the bathroom outside, they can pollute water sources or spread parasites to wild animals. 

Alina: And if they aren’t spayed or neutered, they can increase the population of feral cats- who cause the most problems when it comes to hunting and spreading disease.   

Megan: So is Sophie going to start keeping her cat indoors?

Molly: Well, she’s not sure if her cat really does much outside.  

Sophie: She thinks she’s tough and then she sits on the porch most of the 

time.

Megan: Ok but not every outdoor cat is as tame as Sophie’s, so what should you do if you have one that’s a big hunter?

Alina: Well the simplest solution is just to keep your cat inside, but if that’s not possible, make sure your cat is spayed or neutered.

Molly: And try putting a bell or a flashy collar on your cat to warn away any birds and rodents.  

Megan: Great! Thanks Molly and Alina!

That’s it for today. For more information or to ask a question about the way you recycle, use energy, or make any other choice that affects the planet, visit our question page.

Possibly is a co-production of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society and the Public’s Radio. 

References

1.   https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms2380

2.   https://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/full/10.2460/javma.229.1.74

3.   https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/1360/1/regulation_of_domestic_cat_ownership.pdf

4.   https://academic.oup.com/advances/article/4/2/141/4591622

5.   https://www-cambridge-org.revproxy.brown.edu/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/4C395D62B8970EF115F5AB5FC57B6C0B/S2048679014000238a.pdf/protein_quality_of_insects_as_potential_ingredients_for_dog_and_cat_foods.pdf

6.   https://www.theguardian.com/global/2018/jun/26/pet-food-is-an-environmental-disaster-are-vegan-dogs-the-answer

7.   https://www.audubon.org/news/how-stop-cats-killing-birds

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