Keeping your cat indoors will make a difference. While you may think that your cat is part of the natural ecosystem and that an occasional bird kill is natural selection at work, think again. The domestic cat is a descendent of the wild cat of Africa and Asia and was introduced to North America when Europeans arrived on the continent.

There are now over 66 million pet cats in the United States and polls indicate that approximately 40 million of these pets spend at least some time outdoors. Cats have distinct advantages over native predators and are estimated to kill hundreds of millions of birds and over a billion small mammals each year.

Every cat that stays indoors is one less cat that can kill birds and small mammals. Considering the fact that any single loss of an endangered or threatened bird is significant reveals the benefit of keeping even one additional cat indoors.

Not only does keeping your cat indoors help out other wildlife, but it may increase the life of your cat as well. Your free-roaming cat is subject to hazards from getting hit by a car, poisoning from chemicals on lawns and driveways, attacks and diseases from other animals, and abuse by humans.

The Cats Indoors! program was initiated "to end the unnecessary suffering and death of birds and other wildlife caused by free-roaming domestic cats." Cats Indoors! seeks to educate cat owners, decision makers, and the general public that free-roaming cats pose a significant risk to birds and other wildlife, to themselves, and to human health. Cats Indoors! encourages cat owners to keep their cats indoors and advocates laws, regulations, and policies to protect cats and birds, including the humane removal of free-roaming cats from areas important to wildlife. For more information about the Cats Indoors! program, check out their web site.