Cat bell
A cat bell is a bell attached to the collar of a cat to prevent the cat from harming local wildlife.
The bell can warn potential
Attaching a bell on a cat's collar has been shown to reduce the amount of captured birds by 30–40%.[2] With one collar, birds were found to be hunted 2.7 times less than without the collar.[3]
However, some animal care organizations also claim that cat bells are irritating to cats due to their sensitive hearing, and may just confuse birds by interfering with their natural defense mechanisms.[4]
Some owners worry that as well as alerting prey, a bell could alert large predators to a cat's presence, given most predators' acute hearing.[5][6] However, the acute hearing of predators is good enough that it is unlikely to make a difference in practice.[7]
References
- ^ Jasper Copping. "Change your cat's bell to save birds", telegraph.co.uk, 30 May 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
- ^ Sveriges radio, 28 June 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2016. (In Swedish)
- ISSN 1944-687X.
- ^ (in German) Halsband mit Glöckchen für Katzen? Nein! www.haus-und-wildtierhilfe.de
- ^ "Animal Wellness Magazine". 8 August 2019. Archived from the original on 2020-06-26.
- ^ "Should Cats Wear Bells on Their Collars? | PurrfectPost.com". www.purrfectpost.com. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
- ^ "Should I Attach a Bell to My Cat's Collar?". Office for Science and Society. Retrieved 2022-11-01.