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The Moral Cost of Cats

A bird-loving scientist calls for an end to outdoor cats "once and for all."

Smithsonian Magazine

• Rachel E. Gross
• Rachel E. Gross is the Science Editor for Smithsonian Magazine
• This post originally appeared on Smithsonian Magazine and was published September 20, 2016. This article is republished here with permission

I remember seeing this article the first time around. Seems that Rachel is having difficulty finding more positive, productive material to present.  I would like to see this negative propaganda challenged, enlightening  (OK, that may be a very tall order!), the promoters .  Author Pete Marra seems to have limited interests and abilities but much free time to focus on something he feels can be easily, and probably enjoyably, rectified by eliminating the problem. Perhaps a good therapist recommendation would help him out????

#CommunityCatManagement

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Carolyn Kostera
NA
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I have a lot of objections to the article, but the main one is what he is advocating for won't work. Is he willing to spend trillions of dollars killing feral cats? If not, he won't kill them all. Animal shelters found out that they could not euthanize their way out of the feral cat problem. Maybe they could spend a lot of money for a very small area that is isolated, but overall, mass culling not going to have an impact on the problem. In fact, it will only create a vacuum and we'll see more cats emerge.

The other objection is that they say TNR is a failure. Even if TNR doesn't completely end the feral cat cycle, it still limits the population. There is only so much food available and only so many cats an environment can support. Euthanasia and culling doesn't change that. TNR allows the sterile cats to eat up the resources while they can't reproduce. So even if we can't reach the ideal 75% tipping point, there is still a benefit. Culling will literally make the situation worse.

One last point to mention is that cats often help birds. Many rodents will eat bird eggs and/or chicks. Research has found that cats are a net benefit when rodents are around, because the birds they save through the rodents they kill outweighs the amount of birds the cats kill directly.

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Drew Domalick
Volunteer - Adoption Center Volunteer Trainer and Animal Care Specialist
Happily Ever After Animal Sanctuary
WI
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I think the animal welfare world would be wise to speak up and remind the bird advocates that the TNR advocates are NOT their enemies. We can agree that outdoor cats are problematic in the environment AND that culling is ineffective and inhumane. Just imagine the power if the two sides could align to fund TNR campaigns and put out PR about the partnership between companion animal and wildlife advocates? We could correct so much misinformation working together :-)

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Rachel Powell DVM
Director of Surgery
Greenhill Humane Society
Eugene, OR
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The real threat to the birds and so many other animals are all the pesticides that are being sprayed in many areas of North America. The birds do not have enough to eat because the insects and worms are toxic now and many are just gone. I know areas where people never see moths or butterflies or dragonflies anymore .   California and Texas have a problem for sure. In the rural areas of Arkansas the birds still have a food supply and are thriving. As far as education goes, many people (I'm finding out more and more,) have this mindset that the cats are not their responsibility so they can't be bothered to look for  low cost spay and neuter options. It is easer and faster for them to post in one of the many Facebook groups unvetted kittens for free. I am constantly reminding people why that is a very bad idea as gently as I can. I hear all sorts of excuses. 

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Gina Girard
President
Forest Felines
Drasco
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Original Message:
Sent: 09-30-2025 02:33 PM
From: Rachel Powell
Subject: Disturbing Smithsonian publication

I think the animal welfare world would be wise to speak up and remind the bird advocates that the TNR advocates are NOT their enemies. We can agree that outdoor cats are problematic in the environment AND that culling is ineffective and inhumane. Just imagine the power if the two sides could align to fund TNR campaigns and put out PR about the partnership between companion animal and wildlife advocates? We could correct so much misinformation working together :-)

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Rachel Powell DVM
Director of Surgery
Greenhill Humane Society
Eugene, OR
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Original Message:
Sent: 9/30/2025 5:34:00 PM
From: Rachel Powell
Subject: RE: Disturbing Smithsonian publication

I think the animal welfare world would be wise to speak up and remind the bird advocates that the TNR advocates are NOT their enemies. We can agree that outdoor cats are problematic in the environment AND that culling is ineffective and inhumane. Just imagine the power if the two sides could align to fund TNR campaigns and put out PR about the partnership between companion animal and wildlife advocates? We could correct so much misinformation working together :-)

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Rachel Powell DVM
Director of Surgery
Greenhill Humane Society
Eugene, OR
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This is an excellent idea. I will be working with our local Audubon Organization to collaborate on the TNR efforts. It's difficult to get outsiders to understand TNR in general, so this will be a feat, but hopefully one with a great result. What would you tell the bird advocates in order to convince them?

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Kallie Laity
Owner
Kitty Kisses Rescue of Reno
NV
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Original Message:
Sent: 09-30-2025 02:33 PM
From: Rachel Powell
Subject: Disturbing Smithsonian publication

I think the animal welfare world would be wise to speak up and remind the bird advocates that the TNR advocates are NOT their enemies. We can agree that outdoor cats are problematic in the environment AND that culling is ineffective and inhumane. Just imagine the power if the two sides could align to fund TNR campaigns and put out PR about the partnership between companion animal and wildlife advocates? We could correct so much misinformation working together :-)

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Rachel Powell DVM
Director of Surgery
Greenhill Humane Society
Eugene, OR
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Hi Kallie! The thing the bird advocates need to understand is that TNVR is the ONLY effective, humane option for managing free-roaming cat populations. Culling, or catch and kill, doesn't work even if one is ethically ok with that approach. There are so many awesome, and sometimes horrifying, studies performed over the course of decades in numerous locations that demonstrate its ineffectiveness. It is fine to promote confining pet cats indoors (for the benefit of the cats and wildlife) but, globally, free-roaming cat populations are self-sustaining and perpetuating even without human support (also demonstrated in studies on isolated, uninhabited islands) so feeding bans or other attempts at regulation will not impact those populations, are expensive, and are impossible to enforce. On the flip side, there is an ever-increasing body of evidence demonstrating the positive impact of TNVR.

The key is to stop fighting with bird groups. Free-roaming cats do significant damage to native bird populations (also well-documented) so claiming that the real threat is climate change or habitat loss or windmills is a waste of breath. Agree with them. The free-roaming cats are a problem...let's work together to stabilize and, hopefully, decrease the population over time through TNVR. That requires continual, sustained efforts and TNVR is the only viable option, at least until non-surgical sterilization alternatives become widely commercially available and economical (this is likely years away). Get them on board with helping spread this message :-) 

Let me know if you need citations! 

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Rachel Powell DVM
Director of Surgery
Greenhill Humane Society
Eugene, OR
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Original Message:
Sent: 10-01-2025 02:17 PM
From: Kallie Laity
Subject: Disturbing Smithsonian publication

This is an excellent idea. I will be working with our local Audubon Organization to collaborate on the TNR efforts. It's difficult to get outsiders to understand TNR in general, so this will be a feat, but hopefully one with a great result. What would you tell the bird advocates in order to convince them?

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Kallie Laity
Owner
Kitty Kisses Rescue of Reno
NV
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 09-30-2025 02:33 PM
From: Rachel Powell
Subject: Disturbing Smithsonian publication

I think the animal welfare world would be wise to speak up and remind the bird advocates that the TNR advocates are NOT their enemies. We can agree that outdoor cats are problematic in the environment AND that culling is ineffective and inhumane. Just imagine the power if the two sides could align to fund TNR campaigns and put out PR about the partnership between companion animal and wildlife advocates? We could correct so much misinformation working together :-)

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Rachel Powell DVM
Director of Surgery
Greenhill Humane Society
Eugene, OR

Maybe the author would be better to focus on the real problem. Yes feral cat colonies are an issue in this country but the cats are not the root of the problem. People are to blame for the feral cat population. Focusing on educating the public about releasing their cats and about spaying and neutering their outside cats, alongside the TNR programs would be more beneficial. 

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Lisa Burn
Co-founder/VP
Farmhouse Animal & Nature Sanctuary
Myakka City, FL
https://farmhousesanctuary.org
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Many of you know that I love to talk about cats and birds and how the can live together.  I just want to pull forward that this article was written in 2016(that is almost 10 years ago).  While there may be folks(cat and bird folks) that dream of a world where every cat has a feline enriched indoor life it isn't possible or probable of happening within the next 5-10 years(that is as far as I plan out).  

The important takeaway on this topic is for you to make sure your organization(an your personally) know where you stand on this issue and can present yourself professionally to those in the community that may need some perspective. 

Several Good Resources are:  The Cats Safe at Home site 

    The Cat Report co-written by John Boone( a bird guy) and myself

The Paper Collar Template

Dr. Elsey's orange collar campaign

Aimee Dalyrimple and others study about friendly cats outdoors(most are owned).

The Newburyport Story- 300 cats to zero- you can reduce cat overpopulation in a town full of bird lovers.  

Happy to discuss further, but I do feel like the "bird" folks and "cat" folks can unite under the umbrella of the need to get all cats access to spay/neuter(the first step to access to care).  

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Stacy LeBaron
Head Cat
The Community Cats Podcast
Warren VT
978-239-2090
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