HABITAT - the arrangement of food, water, cover, and space -IS THE KEY!  This newsletter is a place to share ideas, information,  and help answer some of your habitat and wildlife gardening concerns.

Many cats are enthusiastic predators. As backyard wildlife enthusiasts, many of whom own cats, we wonder how much impact pet or stray cats have on our native wildlife. It is difficult to invest in food and plants for songbirds and other small animals, only to have them become prey to wild or domestic predators. What impact do cats have as predators on wildlife populations?

There is a lot of myth surrounding the predatory impact of cats on wildlife. A number of studies have suggested that cats kill billions of small mammals and birds each year in the U.S. However, these studies involve either a very small number of cats and their prey or cats outside the U.S. Factors that may be unique to cats in various habitats have not been included in these analyses.

Rural culture in the country has put the blame of declining quail, and pheasant populations on predators, including cats. Growing research indicates, however, that populations of these birds are declining due to habitat loss. And even in our own backyards, wildlife falls prey to many predators, including crows, hawks, fox, raccoons and opossums, as well as cats. Although predation may disturb us in our backyards, we just don’t know if it is a major factor in the health of backyard wildlife populations.

One of the ecological issues pointed out by scientists regarding cats is that domestic cats are not native predators and have not evolved with their prey species.  A fully functioning predator/prey relationship would sustain both populations.

This perfect fit may not exist for native wildlife in relation to our domestic cats. Internationally, domestic cats have contributed to the decline and even extinction of some species, especially in islands and other confined spaces. In the U.S., it is not as clear whether cats are having an impact on wildlife populations. However some of the species known to be favored cat food, including moles and shrews are of concern to wildlife biologists.

In Florida, cats have preyed upon burrowing owls, which prefer the loosened soil of new suburban development for digging burrows and laying eggs. In such localized populations of wildlife species, pressure from new predators could be disastrous.

There are an estimated 65 million pet cats in the U.S. About half of them are allowed outdoors. Even if each cat only killed one animal each year, the numbers are staggering, about 30 million small animals killed each year. While it is not good science to make these kinds of guesses, it does give us something to think about. Without hard data for Maryland, or for the U.S. showing predation, let alone domestic cats, as a significant factor in the decline of wildlife, it is hard to justify the placement of such a burden on cats. Populations of bird species are measure red annually in the US. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Breeding Bird Survey. Decline of some species (wrens, woodpeckers, chickadees, etc) seems to be related to the availability of nest sites because they have to compete with more aggressive and non-native house sparrows and European starlings. Bird species that are declining are those that need large forests, meadows or wetlands.

Backyard mammals, like rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, opossums and fox seem to be doing well. For the most part, wildlife species populations respond to habitat availability. If habitats are available, populations thrive. Although predation can be stressful for certain species, it does not generally seem to be a major problem for most wildlife species. Of course it is a huge problem for an individual animal taken by a predator, but the conservation of wildlife includes the role that predators play in the health of wildlife.

Words of Wisdom for Cat Owners

1. Cats are safer indoors. An indoor cat is protected from traffic, cat fights, dogs, ticks, fleas, traps, poisons and diseases carried by other cats and wildlife

2. Cats can be happy indoors. They can play, prowl, and pounce indoors with toys. Never leave cats outdoors unsupervised.

Acknowledgements:

• Photos of Green Frog & Fowler's Toad, courtesy of John White.
• Photos of Eastern Red Cedars courtesy of Paul Wray, Iowa State University, www.forestryimages.org

• Illustration of  Log Pile courtesy of  Edith Thompson.
• Photos of Question Mark and Gray Comma butterflies courtesy of Jerry A. Payne, USDA ARS, www.insectimages.org

Here is a listing of phone numbers, web sites and organizations that you might find helpful or interesting in your search for ideas to manage your wild acres. DNR Online... Inspired by nature! www.dnr.maryland.gov 

National Wildlife Federation - Details on their backyard habitat program www.nwf.org or call them at 1-800-822-9919.

Native plants - The Maryland Native Plant Society offers information dedicated to protecting, conserving and restoring Maryland's native plants and habitats, visit them at www.mdflora.org. 

Maryland Cooperative Extension offers home and garden information, tips publications, plant problems, Bay issues, and other links at www.agnr.umd.edu/MCE/index.cfm  Their Home and Garden Information number is statewide and can be reached at 1-800-342-2507, and from outside Maryland at 1-410-531-1757. 

Maryland's "Becoming an Outdoors - Woman Program "- One of the topics covered in the three-day workshops is Backyard Wildlife.

For a free wildlife & native plant newsletter, visit the WindStar Wildlife Institute at www.windstar.org and subscribe to the WindStar Wildlife Garden Weekly e-newsletter. You can also visit this website to learn how you can become a certified wildlife habitat naturalist.

For more information on butterflies - visit the North American Butterfly Association at www.naba.org

Warm season grasses and wild meadows for upland nesting birds visit Pheasants Forever at www.pheasantsforever.org or e-mail: pf@pheasantsforever.org

Habichat, the newsletter for Wild Acres participants, is published by the Wildlife and Heritage Service, Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

The facilities and services of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources are available to all without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, physical or mental disability. This document is available in alternative format upon request from a qualified individual with a disability.