>pet felines kill some 2.6 billion birds annually in the U.S. alone. How many of those birds are old/ill? I find it strange to say the least that all those stu

>pet felines kill some 2.6 billion birds annually in the U.S. alone. How many of those birds are old/ill? I find it strange to say the least that all those studies lack such an important information. May be because providing such information would mean completely different conclusion - there are billions of birds getting old/ill yearly that predators normally would take of. There are only cats left around humans, so they perform that highly necessary job. There are another human companions - rats - who raid bird nests for eggs. Outdoor cats help control the rat population. There is a reason that for example a farm with a bunch of outdoor cats would have a bustling bird population. The same about several areas with large feral cat colonies that i know of - the birds are thriving there, in particular because various egg raiders don't get to walk there freely.