Staying in the garden is still allowed, but only in an enclosed area. The local government implements Base To protect birds. There is a loophole: The lockdown applies to domestic cats born after July 1, 2022. However, in many suburbs, all cats are required to stay indoors from now on, because their impact on nature there is considered too great.
Fines can accrue for violations Up to 1000 euros transferred, although officers will initially point out the new rule for cat owners. Also in other countries, including Scandinavian countries And the GermanyLocal governments are introducing rules to protect birds from domestic cats. Sometimes this is limited to the obligatory stay inside during the breeding season, or there is, for example, a curfew because the animals hunt most of the time.
“Never bring a bird home.”
Australian scientists knowledge Those domestic cats there kill an average of 186 wild animals each year, such as reptiles, birds and small mammals. The country has an estimated 3.8 million domestic cats, most of which are free to roam.
Research on tracking transmitters shows that owners who are convinced that their cat stays indoors at night are significantly wrong. Of the animals followed in that study, 4 out of 10 turned out to be stressful anyway. Moreover, the argument “but he seldom takes a bird home with him” is a lot to say: animals usually only show 15 percent of their catch to their owners.
Against the law
In the Netherlands too, there are occasional calls to keep domestic cats indoors. This is how lawyers from Tilburg University register Journal of Environmental Law Leaving a cat’s flap open violates conservation law, because the owner deliberately risks their pet killing another animal.
Nature organizations such as Staatsbstractheer and Bond Friese Vogelwachten try to reach cat owners with information, such as the “Chicks in the Ground, Cat in the Basket” campaign. It is a call to keep domestic and farm cats indoors at least during the spring in the evening to give more chance of survival for the meadow birds and chicks.
Making a cat call can also help make life a little easier for potential prey, but it’s not the complete cure. in British experience On average, cats appeared with half as many mice and birds when they received a call.
