Some call roaming felines âworking, blue-collar cats.â Bird lovers call them killers.
Bird scientists say outdoor and feral cat populations have exploded, killing hundreds of millions of birds annually, wiping out some bird species and jeopardizing others. The cats are enabled by well-intentioned people, birders say, including those who have created city and rural âworking catâ programs that have increased around the country over the past few years.
âTheyâve started to spread,â ornithologist Peter Marra said of blue-collar cat initiatives. âWhat they are is, theyâre basically excuses for keeping cats alive.â
Working cats are too wild or unmanageable to keep as indoor pets. Some of them are adopted out by humane societies and animal welfare groups to businesses, warehouses, stables and farms that have problems with mice and rats.