How do cats catch birds when birds can fly and cats can't? - Ask Scarlett

Ranger Rick, Jan, 1997

It's like this, Tommy: Cats are reeeeally sneeeeaky. It's part of their nature as hunters to be very quiet and patient when they're stalking prey. Then, at just the right moment, the cat pounces in a flash. Sometimes this trick works, and sometimes it doesn't. If birds couldn't fly, there sure would be a whole lot fewer of them around.

If you read the bird-feeding article in last month's issue of Ranger Rick, you learned that pet cats catch and kill tons of wild birds. These cats aren't after the birds for food. They're mostly just practicing their hunting skills. Check back in that issue (December 1996, page 47) for some tips on keeping pet cats and wild birds apart.