"Furry Fiends! Predators! Killers! Slaughter Machines!"

These are all descriptions of outdoor cats- and they are all found in one short article by J. Michael Kennedy of the Los Angeles Times. In his report, “Furry fiends wiping out millions of birds every year”. Kennedy liberally quotes the American Bird Conservancy’s director-lobbyist, Linda Winter and repeats claims made by the Cats Indoors! material without input from cat advocacy groups. This is an example of reporting at its worst. It is also an example of the effectiveness of the ABC propaganda machine at its best.

Linda Winter claims to be a “cat lover” yet when she speaks to reporters; commissioners; federal agencies; and animal advocacy groups, she states: “These cats need to be removed and placed in homes or refuges, or euthanized.” (Philadelphia Independent Media Center 10/5/03). In an emagazine article, “Kitty or Killer” (Sept./Oct. 2003), Ms. Winter contends: “The ‘R’ in TNR should stand for remove." In a Wall Street Journal article, "Kill Kitty" (10/11/02) she compares free-roaming cats to the West Nile virus.

This “Campaign for safer birds and cats” portrays outdoor cats as exotic, invasive and non-native predators that hunt and kill indigenous species at an alarming rate. Birds especially are susceptible to this “killer’s” voracious appetite and continual quest for avian victims.

The truth is- cats are opportunistic hunters. Their take of birds is relatively insignificant because they are difficult to catch. While cats do kill a small percentage of birds, their damage is negligible in comparison to the devastation brought about by humans.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, “The greatest threat to all birds, and all wildlife, continues to be loss and/or degradation of habitat loss due to human development and disturbance.”

Cats are not only slandered in reports and articles, they are also callously maligned by government officials, both publicly and privately: