Science has found a way to keep cats from killing things – BGR

• Domestic cats are a huge burden on wildlife around the world, with birds and small mammals as their two favorite targets.
• Cats that get free travel often hunt despite food being available at home, but scientists were just looking for a way to stop them from killing wildlife .
• Feeding a cat a diet high in meat protein can stop domestic cats from feeling the need to hunt.

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We love our pets and like to think they love us, but they are still animals. Try as we may, it is impossible to eradicate innumerable generations that are hardened by a string into their brains and bodies, and when it comes to cats that is meant to be assume that they are going to kill some stuff now and again.

Cats – especially those who are allowed to move freely in a neighborhood or country – almost always hunt a wild game despite having a regular supply of food at home. When your cat leaves a dead bird on your doorstep, it may not look like much, or it may even be a magical reminder of how brutal nature can be, but cats are a real danger. for small bird and mammal numbers, but science may come up with an answer.

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In some countries, domestic cats are such a huge burden on wildlife that there are laws to mitigate their effects. In some areas there are cat-free wildlife sanctuaries where bird numbers can be recovered from the tax imposed on them by domestic cats. As it turns out, it’s people who can stop our feline friends from feeling the need to hunt, and it actually feels pretty simple.

New study published in Conventional biology with a focus on some very basic lifestyle changes that people can start for their cats that seem to be having a huge impact on their desire to hunt and kill. The scientists tested multiple interventions – including a diet high in meat protein and providing up to 10 minutes of stimulating play time each day – and monitoring how these changes affected cat hunting habits.

There were real limitations in some of the things they tested, such as cat bells and obvious collars. The cat bells seemed to do little to prevent a cat from killing a wild game successfully, and although the collars did work to kill the number of birds that killed the cats, it did not. that stopped them from killing small mammals. The diet and playtime tests, however, were consistently reliable in their ability to cut back on cat hunting. Using puzzle foods, where the cat has to work to get the food, really increase appearance of hunting.

“Households with high meat protein, cereal-free foods, and households with 5–10 min of daily play, recorded animal reductions of 36% and 25%, respectively, in animal numbers. caught and taken home by cats, compared to controls and the pre-treatment period, ”the researchers write.

That is a very important change. So if your four-legged friend has left too many dead mice and birds around your home, feed them and take some time to play with them. Wildlife will thank you.