Contain your cats! – Owls in Towels

Original post – 16 Jan 2023 – Source
by Kaikōura Wildlife Centre Trust located in Kaikōura, Marlborough

Many thanks to Tanja for rescuing a young little owl which was captured by a cat.

While the fledgling sustained no bite wounds or fractures, any wildlife patient mouthed by a cat requires assessment and antibiotics, as fine puncture wounds and cat saliva can result in infection and subsequent death.

To reduce predation impacts by pet cats on wildlife please consider containing cats indoors, particularly from dawn to dusk, when birds are most at risk whilst roosting. Containment is the only realistic solution to ensure protection of wildlife.

Alternatively you can trim cat claws monthly (as these shed regularly) with a pet nail trimmer, to decrease tree climbing ability. Dull claws also give captured wildlife a chance to escape and minimise the likelihood of puncture wounds (unless mouthed). Numerous bells and neon collars provide wildlife a chance to escape when being preyed upon, by emitting noise and increasing visibility 🐈

Any birds or reptiles caught by cats will generally be in shock and/or suffer from injury, requiring immediate rescue 💚

You can help fund KWCT at the following DONATION LINK

xo owlsintowels

💛🦉

Species	Common Name	More info
Athene noctua	Little owl	Wiki link