New Partnership with CFHS

New Partnership with CFHS

Nature Canada and the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies (CFHS) are pleased to announce a new partnership to Keep Cats Safe & Save Bird Lives. The partnership represents a new chapter in the effort to inform Canadians about the issues for both cats and birds presented by the common practice of letting pet cats roam outdoors unsupervised.

For decades, cat people and bird people have been at odds with each other in a quest to save one or the other species. But the welfare of one does not need to be sacrificed in order to protect the other – it’s time to change the either/or in this conversation. Pitting cats and birds against each other fails to address the perils facing both. We have a responsibility to all of this country’s animals. We need solutions for our embattled birds, but we can’t lose sight of how dire the situation is for Canada’s cats.

Breaking down animosity and nurturing collaboration is the Canadian way, and it is this approach that brings Canada’s oldest conservation charity and Canada’s national animal-welfare organization together in an effort to make Canadians aware of how dangerous it is for both cats and birds when cats roam unsupervised outdoors.

For the welfare and protection of both cats and birds, we need to change how we care for our feline friends. The Canadian Federation of Humane Societies will work with Nature Canada on this program to bring together all animal lovers and encourage them to work collectively for the benefit of both cats and birds.

Twice as many cats are brought to shelters as dogs and, in 2015, approximately five times more cats were euthanized than dogs. Generally, 25-30% of dogs taken in to shelters are returned to their guardians, compared to 5% or fewer of cats. In the outdoors, cats are exposed to a variety of threats, including diseases (e.g., FIV, FLV, parasites), vehicle collisions and fights with wildlife and other cats.

For some time, the CFHS has been one of many organizations urging cat owners to keep their pets in a safe, stimulating environment – either indoors, or if outdoors, well-supervised, on leash or in an enclosed area, such as a catio. While a cat’s independent nature might lead some people to treat them like something between pet and wildlife, we owe cats the same level of care we give our dogs.

As we know, Canada’s birds are also facing a tremendous number of threats. The official list of bird species at risk increased from 47 to 86 between 2001 and 2014, and some bird populations have declined by more than 90 per cent. Predation by free-roaming cats only adds to the significant risks that birds face due to habitat destruction and climate change.

It’s counter-productive to malign one species in the hopes of protecting another, which is why we’ve chosen to join forces in a unified campaign that aims to educate the public and transform assumptions about how to approach cat and bird protection. Let’s curb the vitriol between these two camps. Together, we can – and will – do better.

Visit the CFHS’s website.