Natural History Wanderings

Conservation Magazine writes about how rain cat collars could save the lives of birds and lizards. They report

In an average year in the US, cats wipe out around 684 million birds and 1.2 billion mammals. Some owners try to limit the damage their cats do on their local ecosystems, and one popular technique involves using a brightly colored fabric collar with a reflective strip to serve as a warning sign for the cats’ prey.

The idea is that bright colors give animals with good color vision, like birds, a leg up in noticing a stalking predator, allowing them the chance to escape with their lives. Obviously, the best strategy to enjoy a pet cat without inflicting damage elsewhere would be to keep a cat inside at all times. But in places like Australia, the UK, the US, and New Zealand, many owners neither confine their cats to the indoors nor even to their own properties. An intermediate solution is called for, and that’s where devices like the Birdsbesafe cat collar (BBS) come in.

Read full story at  Rainbow cat collars could save lizards and birds – Conservation