My partner is a bird rescuer, who receives cat-caught birds on a regular basis. These birds don’t seem to be badly injured, so the kind people who rescue them figure they can be saved. Sadly, that often isn’t possible.

It’s not well known that cat saliva carries many bacteria, and one, Pasteurella, is especially toxic to birds. The cat’s saliva, when introduced to the bird’s body through puncture wounds, is lethal. When deposited on feathers and ingested through preening, it can also prove fatal.

Most cat owners are unaware that their cats pose this potentially deadly threat, but there are ways to minimize it. We can protect birds from our cats by keeping them indoors, attaching a bell to their collar or placing a brightly colored collar on the cat. A rainbow-hued collar is effective because birds have the uncanny ability to see bright colors and can easily spot an oncoming cat. A bell on the collar increases its effectiveness; both can be found easily online.

Each outdoor cat kills approximately 34 birds annually, for a total of approximately 2.4 billion birds, according to the American Bird Conservancy. Further, domestic and feral cats have contributed to the extinction of 63 species (40 birds, 21 mammals and two reptiles), researchers in Australia and New Zealand have found.

We all love watching birds and listening to their songs, and we can’t imagine our world without them. Let’s take these simple precautions with our cats to protect our birds.

Rachel Burger
South Portland