EasternScreechOwl_CatsandBirds_Weber_MaryAnne_HoustonTX_2July2020_Reel4026.mp3

Mary Anne Weber [00:00:00] You know, we're building these wonderful green spaces in and around even the big city of Houston, which is attracting the birds.

Mary Anne Weber [00:00:07] But it's also bringing them closer to dangers, whether it's secondary poisoning from rodenticides or getting hit by cars, or being caught by cats, particularly for owls like screech owls that capture their prey on the ground, that teach their kids to capture their prey on the ground.

Mary Anne Weber [00:00:28] So, in areas where there's big feral cat populations or house cats that are allowed to roam free. You know, that's a, that's a big issue. The birds are are vulnerable when they're on the ground and cats, cats are very good hunters.

Mary Anne Weber [00:00:47] So people want to have owls, love owls, they want to have owls around. They want to attract them. But you've got to be real aware of what's going on, on your property.

Mary Anne Weber [00:00:56] There's actually here in the city of Houston, a leash law on cats that nobody knows about.

Mary Anne Weber [00:01:04] So we certainly have a healthy population of feral cats across our city. And it's not just the small songbirds, and the other wildlife - reptiles and amphibians - that they're going after. But they certainly impact bird populations greatly, and more and more research is proving that.

Mary Anne Weber [00:01:26] And, you know, we're always teaching that if you have a cat, your cat will live a longer, healthier life if it's kept, kept indoors, as opposed to letting it roam around outside.

Mary Anne Weber [00:01:39] But the feral cat population is an issue. And there's always the conflict between the folks who believe in trap, neuter and release that, you know, might prevent a bigger population. But it also releases cats out there who are hunting, to survive.

Mary Anne Weber [00:02:02] And certainly for our smaller raptors, that's an issue, whether it's a kestrel or a screech owl. They're at great risk when they're down on the ground catching their prey.