Cats and Wildlife Statistics 2026

Key findings

1. 2.4 billion

   Free-ranging domestic cats kill between 1.3 and 4.0 billion birds a year in the contiguous United States, with a median estimate of 2.4 billion, according to a 2013 systematic review by Smithsonian and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service scientists.

   Loss, Will and Marra, Nature Communications (2013) · 2013 data

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2. 69%

   About 69% of the birds killed by cats in the contiguous United States are killed by unowned cats (farm and barn cats, strays, colony cats and feral cats), according to Loss, Will and Marra (2013).

   Loss, Will and Marra, Nature Communications (2013) · 2013 data

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3. 12.3 billion

   Free-ranging cats kill between 6.3 and 22.3 billion mammals a year in the contiguous United States, with a median estimate of 12.3 billion, according to Loss, Will and Marra (2013).

   Loss, Will and Marra, Nature Communications (2013) · 2013 data

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4. 60 million

   Cats kill a median of 60 million birds a year in Canada (95% range 19 to 197 million), according to an updated 2025 estimate by Chu and colleagues in Avian Conservation and Ecology.

   Chu et al., Avian Conservation and Ecology (2025) · 2025 data

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5. 924 million

   All other quantified human-related causes of U.S. bird deaths combined (glass, vehicles, power lines, towers, wind turbines, poison and oil pits) total a median of about 924 million birds a year, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, well under the 2.4 billion attributed to cats.

   U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Threats to Birds · 2017 data

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6. 63 extinctions (26%)

   Cats are linked to 63 modern extinctions of birds, mammals and reptiles worldwide, 26% of all extinctions in those groups, according to a 2016 global meta-analysis by Doherty and colleagues in PNAS.

   Doherty et al., PNAS (2016) · 2016 data

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7. 2,084 species

   Free-ranging domestic cats have been recorded eating 2,084 species worldwide, compiled from 533 diet studies by Lepczyk and colleagues in Nature Communications (2023).

   Lepczyk et al., Nature Communications (2023) · 2023 data

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8. 347 species (16.65%)

   Of the species cats are recorded eating worldwide, 347 (16.65%) are of conservation concern on the IUCN Red List (Near Threatened, Threatened or Extinct), according to Lepczyk et al. (2023).

   Lepczyk et al., Nature Communications (2023) · 2023 data

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9. 377 million birds a year

   All cats in Australia kill an estimated 377 million birds a year, just over 1 million a day: 272 million by feral cats in natural landscapes, 44 million by feral cats in highly modified landscapes and 61 million by pet cats, according to Woinarski and colleagues in Biological Conservation (2017).

   Woinarski et al., Biological Conservation (2017) · 2017 data

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10. 23%

    Only 23% of the prey that pet cats caught on KittyCam video in Athens, Georgia (2010 to 2011) was brought home; 49% was left where it was caught and 28% was eaten, so owner counts of prey on the doorstep miss most kills (Loyd et al.).

    Loyd et al., Biological Conservation (2013) · 2010-2011 data

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11. 36%

    Feeding a high-meat, grain-free food cut the number of animals cats caught and brought home by 36%, and 5 to 10 minutes of daily object play cut it by 25%, in a 12-week trial of 355 cats in 219 households in southwest England (Cecchetti et al., Current Biology, 2021).

    Cecchetti et al., Current Biology (2021) · 2021 data

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12. 16 seals

    As of 2026, NOAA Fisheries had confirmed 16 cases of endangered Hawaiian monk seals dying of toxoplasmosis in Hawaiʻi, a disease spread by cat feces, out of only about 380 seals in the main Hawaiian Islands.

    NOAA Fisheries · 2026 data

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How many birds do cats kill a year in the U.S.?

The standard U.S. estimate is that free-ranging domestic cats kill 1.3 to 4.0 billion birds a year in the contiguous United States, with a median of 2.4 billion (Loss, Will and Marra, 2013). Unowned cats account for about 69% of those deaths.

• 2.4 billion

  Free-ranging domestic cats kill between 1.3 and 4.0 billion birds a year in the contiguous United States, with a median estimate of 2.4 billion, according to a 2013 systematic review by Smithsonian and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service scientists.

  Loss, Will and Marra, Nature Communications (2013) · 2013 data ^[1]

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• 69%

  About 69% of the birds killed by cats in the contiguous United States are killed by unowned cats (farm and barn cats, strays, colony cats and feral cats), according to Loss, Will and Marra (2013).

  Loss, Will and Marra, Nature Communications (2013) · 2013 data ^[1]

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• 684 million

  Owned pet cats with outdoor access kill a median of 684 million birds a year in the contiguous United States (95% range 221 million to 1,682 million), according to Loss, Will and Marra (2013).

  Loss, Will and Marra, Nature Communications (2013) · 2013 data ^[2]

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• 1,652 million

  Unowned cats kill a median of 1,652 million (about 1.65 billion) birds a year in the contiguous United States (95% range 803 million to 2,955 million), according to Loss, Will and Marra (2013).

  Loss, Will and Marra, Nature Communications (2013) · 2013 data ^[2]

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• three times

  Unowned cats kill birds at rates averaging three times those of owned cats, which is the main reason they account for most of the U.S. total, according to Loss, Will and Marra (2013).

  Loss, Will and Marra, Nature Communications (2013) · 2013 data ^[1]

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• 23.2–46.2

  In the 2013 U.S. model, yearly predation rates were drawn from 23.2 to 46.2 birds per hunting unowned cat, and return rates from 4.2 to 18.3 birds per hunting owned cat, corrected by 1.2 to 3.3 times for prey not brought home (Loss, Will and Marra, based on U.S. and European studies).

  Loss, Will and Marra, Nature Communications (2013) · 2013 data ^[3]

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• 10,000

  The 2013 U.S. estimate combined probability distributions for cat numbers, outdoor access, hunting and predation rates from published studies and ran the model 10,000 times to produce its range (Loss, Will and Marra).

  Loss, Will and Marra, Nature Communications (2013) · 2013 data ^[1]

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• 1.3–4.0 billion

  In December 2013 the authors corrected the U.S. bird estimate from 1.4 to 3.7 billion to 1.3 to 4.0 billion a year, after reanalysing the data at 95% rather than 90% confidence levels (Loss, Will and Marra, Nature Communications corrigendum).

  Loss, Will and Marra, Nature Communications corrigendum (2013) · 2013 data ^[4]

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• 33%

  Only 33% of bird prey identified to species in 10 studies were non-native species, so most birds killed by cats are native species, according to Loss, Will and Marra (2013).

  Loss, Will and Marra, Nature Communications (2013) · 2013 data ^[1]

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Cite the corrected range of 1.3 to 4.0 billion. The paper was corrected in December 2013; the original 1.4 to 3.7 billion range still appears on some pages, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service threats table. The estimate is modeled from predation studies and cat population figures, not a count of dead birds, and it covers the contiguous 48 states only (no Alaska or Hawaii).

How many animals do cats kill a year in the U.S.?

Beyond birds, cats in the contiguous U.S. are estimated to kill 6.3 to 22.3 billion mammals a year (median 12.3 billion), plus hundreds of millions of reptiles and amphibians (Loss, Will and Marra, 2013).

• 12.3 billion

  Free-ranging cats kill between 6.3 and 22.3 billion mammals a year in the contiguous United States, with a median estimate of 12.3 billion, according to Loss, Will and Marra (2013).

  Loss, Will and Marra, Nature Communications (2013) · 2013 data ^[1]

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• 89%

  Unowned cats cause 89% of the mammal deaths attributed to cats in the contiguous United States, according to Loss, Will and Marra (2013).

  Loss, Will and Marra, Nature Communications (2013) · 2013 data ^[1]

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• 478 million

  Cats may kill between 228 and 871 million reptiles a year in the contiguous United States (median 478 million), a first approximation by Loss, Will and Marra (2013) based on predation data from Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

  Loss, Will and Marra, Nature Communications (2013) · 2013 data ^[1]

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• 173 million

  Cats may kill between 86 and 320 million amphibians a year in the contiguous United States (median 173 million), a first approximation by Loss, Will and Marra (2013).

  Loss, Will and Marra, Nature Communications (2013) · 2013 data ^[1]

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• 14,676 million

  Combining birds and mammals, cats kill a median of 14,676 million (about 14.7 billion) animals a year in the contiguous United States (95% range 7,565 to 26,249 million), according to Loss, Will and Marra (2013).

  Loss, Will and Marra, Nature Communications (2013) · 2013 data ^[2]

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The reptile and amphibian figures are a first approximation built from European, Australian and New Zealand predation data, because U.S. studies were scarce. The authors give no owned versus unowned split for them. Mammal figures include non-native rats and mice.

How many birds do cats kill a year in Canada?

The newest Canadian estimate (Chu et al., 2025) is that cats kill 19 to 197 million birds a year, with a median of 60 million. That is 71% lower than the 2013 estimate of 105 to 348 million, mainly because field surveys found fewer outdoor cats.

• 60 million

  Cats kill a median of 60 million birds a year in Canada (95% range 19 to 197 million), according to an updated 2025 estimate by Chu and colleagues in Avian Conservation and Ecology.

  Chu et al., Avian Conservation and Ecology (2025) · 2025 data ^[5]

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• 71%

  The 2025 Canadian estimate is 71% lower than the 2013 estimate of 105 to 348 million birds a year, which the authors attribute mainly to lower outdoor cat numbers found in field surveys (Chu et al., 2025).

  Chu et al., Avian Conservation and Ecology (2025) · 2025 data ^[5]

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• 27 million

  In Canada, urban pet cats kill a median of 27 million birds a year, rural pet cats 8.1 million and unowned cats 18 million, according to Chu et al. (2025).

  Chu et al., Avian Conservation and Ecology (2025) · 2025 data ^[5]

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• 9.3 million

  Canada has an estimated 9.3 million pet cats, and 30% to 60% of them are given unrestricted access to the outdoors, according to Chu et al. (2025).

  Chu et al., Avian Conservation and Ecology (2025) · 2025 data ^[5]

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• 100–350 million

  The earlier 2013 Canadian estimate was that cats kill between 100 and 350 million birds a year, most of them killed by feral cats, according to Blancher in Avian Conservation and Ecology.

  Blancher, Avian Conservation and Ecology (2013) · 2013 data ^[6]

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The 2025 figure supersedes Blancher (2013). The authors say the drop reflects better cat population data, not fewer cats or less predation. Do not add Canadian and U.S. figures together; they come from different models.

How do cats compare with other human causes of bird deaths?

Cats are the largest estimated direct human-related cause of U.S. bird deaths. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service puts cats at a median 2.4 billion birds a year, against 599 million for building glass and 214.5 million for vehicles.

• 2.4 billion

  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lists cats as the largest quantified human-related cause of U.S. bird deaths, at a median of 2.4 billion birds a year (range 1.4 to 3.7 billion, the original range before the authors' 2013 correction), in its threats table current as of 2017.

  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Threats to Birds · 2017 data ^[7]

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• 924 million

  All other quantified human-related causes of U.S. bird deaths combined (glass, vehicles, power lines, towers, wind turbines, poison and oil pits) total a median of about 924 million birds a year, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, well under the 2.4 billion attributed to cats.

  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Threats to Birds · 2017 data ^[7]

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• 599 million

  Between 365 and 988 million birds (median 599 million) are killed each year by building collisions in the United States, according to a 2014 systematic review in The Condor.

  Loss, Will, Loss and Marra, The Condor (2014) · 2014 data ^[8]

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• four times

  Cats are estimated to kill roughly four times as many U.S. birds each year as building collisions, which rank second among direct human-caused sources, according to Loss, Will, Loss and Marra (2014).

  Loss, Will, Loss and Marra, The Condor (2014) · 2014 data ^[8]

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• 89–340 million

  Between 89 and 340 million birds die each year from vehicle collisions on U.S. roads, according to a 2014 review in The Journal of Wildlife Management.

  Loss, Will and Marra, Journal of Wildlife Management (2014) · 2014 data ^[9]

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• 96 million

  A 2024 study based on collisions counted by drivers estimated that vehicles kill 96 million birds a year in the continental United States (95% confidence interval 59 to 200 million), lower than but in the same range as the 2014 estimate.

  Rabie et al., Journal of Field Ornithology (2024) · 2020-2022 data ^[10]

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• 12–64 million

  Between 12 and 64 million birds are killed each year at U.S. power lines, including 8 to 57 million by collision and 0.9 to 11.6 million by electrocution, according to a 2014 PLOS ONE review.

  Loss, Will and Marra, PLOS ONE (2014) · 2014 data ^[11]

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• 234,012

  Land-based wind turbines kill a median of 234,012 birds a year in the United States (range 140,438 to 327,586), according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service threats table, citing Loss et al. (2013).

  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Threats to Birds · 2017 data ^[7]

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These are separate estimates made with different methods, so the authors advise ranking them only to orders of magnitude. Habitat loss is thought to be the greatest threat of all but cannot be counted this way. The FWS table dates from 2017 and still shows the pre-correction cat range of 1.4 to 3.7 billion.

Is the North American bird decline linked to cats?

North America has lost a net 2.9 billion breeding birds since 1970, about 29% of the 1970 total (Rosenberg et al., Science, 2019). Cats are one of several direct human-caused threats; the study points to habitat loss, agricultural intensification, coastal disturbance and direct mortality, all made worse by climate change.

• 2.9 billion

  The United States and Canada have a net loss of 2.9 billion breeding birds since 1970 (95% credible interval 2.7 to 3.1 billion), a 29% drop in total abundance, according to Rosenberg et al. in Science (2019).

  Rosenberg et al., Science (2019) · 1970-2017 data ^[12]

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• 57%

  57% of the 529 North American bird species studied (303 species) declined since 1970, according to Rosenberg et al. in Science (2019).

  Rosenberg et al., Science (2019) · 1970-2017 data ^[12]

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• 229

  About a third of U.S. bird species, 229 species, are of high or moderate conservation concern, according to the 2025 U.S. State of the Birds report.

  U.S. North American Bird Conservation Initiative, State of the Birds 2025 · 2025 data ^[13]

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• 112

  The 2025 U.S. State of the Birds report lists 112 Tipping Point species that have lost more than half of their populations in the past 50 years: 42 on red alert, 37 on orange alert and 33 on yellow alert (House of Mittens calculation of the total).

  House of Mittens calculation from U.S. North American Bird Conservation Initiative, State of the Birds 2025 · 2025 data ^[13]

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Neither the 2019 Science study nor the 2025 State of the Birds report attributes a share of the decline to cats. Do not present cat predation as the cause of the 2.9 billion loss. The loss figure covers the U.S. and Canada together.

How many species have cats made extinct?

Cats are linked to 63 modern extinctions of birds, mammals and reptiles worldwide, about 26% of all known extinctions in those groups, according to a 2016 global analysis in PNAS. Most of the damage happened on islands.

• 63 extinctions (26%)

  Cats are linked to 63 modern extinctions of birds, mammals and reptiles worldwide, 26% of all extinctions in those groups, according to a 2016 global meta-analysis by Doherty and colleagues in PNAS.

  Doherty et al., PNAS (2016) · 2016 data ^[14]

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• 40 birds, 21 mammals, 2 reptiles

  Of the 63 worldwide extinctions linked to cats, 40 were bird species, 21 were mammal species and 2 were reptile species, according to Doherty et al. in PNAS (2016).

  Doherty et al., PNAS (2016) · 2016 data ^[14]

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• 430 species

  Cats threaten or have driven extinct 430 species of birds, mammals and reptiles worldwide, more than any other invasive predator, according to Doherty et al. in PNAS (2016).

  Doherty et al., PNAS (2016) · 2016 data ^[14]

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• at least 14%

  Feral cats on islands are responsible for at least 14% of global bird, mammal and reptile extinctions, according to a 2011 global review by Medina and colleagues in Global Change Biology.

  Medina et al., Global Change Biology (2011) · 2011 data ^[15]

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• almost 8%

  Feral cats on islands are the principal threat to almost 8% of the world's critically endangered birds, mammals and reptiles, according to Medina et al. in Global Change Biology (2011).

  Medina et al., Global Change Biology (2011) · 2011 data ^[15]

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• 175 vertebrates on 120 islands

  Feral cat impacts had been reported on at least 175 vertebrate species (123 birds, 27 mammals and 25 reptiles) on at least 120 islands worldwide, according to Medina et al. in Global Change Biology (2011).

  Medina et al., Global Change Biology (2011) · 2011 data ^[15]

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• 100 worst

  The domestic cat (Felis catus) is on the IUCN Invasive Species Specialist Group's list of 100 of the World's Worst Invasive Alien Species, which cites the threat cats pose to native birds and other wildlife, especially on islands.

  IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group, Global Invasive Species Database · 2000 data ^[16]

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• more than 20 mammal species

  Feral cats have contributed to the extinction of more than 20 Australian mammal species, including the lesser bilby and broad-faced potoroo, according to the Australian Government's environment department (DCCEEW, page updated December 2024).

  Australian Government, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) · 2024 data ^[17]

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• over 200 threatened species

  Predation by cats is a recognised threat to over 200 nationally threatened species and 37 listed migratory species in Australia, according to DCCEEW (2024).

  Australian Government, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) · 2024 data ^[17]

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These studies say cats were a contributing cause, not the only cause: many extinctions involved rats, habitat loss or other predators too. Doherty et al. (2016) covers all invasive predators worldwide and is the broader, newer estimate; Medina et al. (2011) covers feral cats on islands only, so its 14% is a floor, not a competing figure.

What do cats eat? Species recorded in cat diets worldwide

Free-ranging domestic cats have been recorded eating 2,084 different species worldwide, 347 of them of conservation concern, according to the largest cat diet synthesis to date (Lepczyk et al., Nature Communications, 2023).

• 2,084 species

  Free-ranging domestic cats have been recorded eating 2,084 species worldwide, compiled from 533 diet studies by Lepczyk and colleagues in Nature Communications (2023).

  Lepczyk et al., Nature Communications (2023) · 2023 data ^[18]

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• 981 bird species (47%)

  Birds make up the largest share of species recorded in cat diets worldwide: 981 species, or 47.07% of the total, according to Lepczyk et al. (2023).

  Lepczyk et al., Nature Communications (2023) · 2023 data ^[18]

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• 463 reptiles, 431 mammals

  Cat diets worldwide include 463 reptile species (22.22% of the total) and 431 mammal species (20.68%), according to Lepczyk et al. (2023).

  Lepczyk et al., Nature Communications (2023) · 2023 data ^[18]

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• nearly 9% of known birds

  The species recorded in cat diets include nearly 9% of the world's known birds, more than 6% of known mammals and about 4% of known reptiles, according to Lepczyk et al. (2023).

  Lepczyk et al., Nature Communications (2023) · 2023 data ^[18]

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• 347 species (16.65%)

  Of the species cats are recorded eating worldwide, 347 (16.65%) are of conservation concern on the IUCN Red List (Near Threatened, Threatened or Extinct), according to Lepczyk et al. (2023).

  Lepczyk et al., Nature Communications (2023) · 2023 data ^[18]

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• 11 species

  Cats were recorded eating 11 species in Australia, Mexico, the United States and New Zealand that have since been listed as extinct or extinct in the wild, including the Hawaiian crow, according to Lepczyk et al. (2023).

  Lepczyk et al., Nature Communications (2023) · 2023 data ^[18]

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• 25.22% vs 8.62%

  On islands, 25.22% of species found in cat diets were of conservation concern, compared with 8.62% on continents; island studies recorded 797 prey species and continental studies 1,253, according to Lepczyk et al. (2023).

  Lepczyk et al., Nature Communications (2023) · 2023 data ^[18]

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This counts species recorded eaten (hunted or scavenged) in 533 diet studies, not the number of animals killed. The authors call it a conservative tally: more species turn up as more studies are done.

How many animals do cats kill in Australia?

Cats kill an estimated 377 million birds, 649 million reptiles and 1.14 billion mammals in Australia each year, according to a series of national studies published from 2017 to 2019. The government puts the feral cat toll alone at over 1.5 billion native vertebrates a year.

• 377 million birds a year

  All cats in Australia kill an estimated 377 million birds a year, just over 1 million a day: 272 million by feral cats in natural landscapes, 44 million by feral cats in highly modified landscapes and 61 million by pet cats, according to Woinarski and colleagues in Biological Conservation (2017).

  Woinarski et al., Biological Conservation (2017) · 2017 data ^[19]

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• 161 million to 757 million

  The number of birds killed by feral cats in Australia's natural landscapes swings with rainfall, from 161 million a year after dry periods to 757 million after wet periods, with a typical year at 272 million (95% CI 169 to 508 million), according to Woinarski et al. (2017).

  Woinarski et al., Biological Conservation (2017) · 2017 data ^[19]

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• about 99% native

  About 99% of the birds killed by feral cats in Australia's natural landscapes are native species, an average of 35.6 birds per square kilometre per year, according to Woinarski et al. (2017).

  Woinarski et al., Biological Conservation (2017) · 2017 data ^[19]

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• 649 million reptiles a year

  Cats kill an estimated 649 million reptiles a year in Australia: 466 million by feral cats in natural environments (95% CI 271 to 1,006 million), 130 million by feral cats in highly modified landscapes and 53 million by pet cats, according to Woinarski and colleagues in Wildlife Research (2018).

  Woinarski et al., Wildlife Research (2018) · 2018 data ^[20]

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• 258 reptile species

  Cat predation has been reported for 258 Australian reptile species, about one quarter of all described species, including 11 threatened species, according to Woinarski et al. (2018).

  Woinarski et al., Wildlife Research (2018) · 2018 data ^[20]

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• 1,144 million mammals a year

  Cats kill an estimated 1,144 million mammals a year in Australia, at least 459 million of them native species: 815 million by feral cats in natural landscapes, 149 million by unowned cats in highly modified landscapes and 180 million by pet cats, according to Murphy and colleagues in Biological Conservation (2019).

  Murphy et al., Biological Conservation (2019) · 2019 data ^[21]

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• 92 million frogs a year

  Feral cats in Australia's natural environments kill an estimated 92 million frogs a year (44 per cat), and pet cats about 1 million, according to Woinarski and colleagues in Wildlife Research (2020).

  Woinarski et al., Wildlife Research (2020) · 2020 data ^[22]

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• 1,086 million invertebrates a year

  Feral cats in Australia eat an estimated 1,086 million invertebrates a year: 769 million in largely natural environments (95% CI 422 to 1,763 million) and 317 million in modified environments, according to Woolley and colleagues in Wildlife Research (2020).

  Woolley et al., Wildlife Research (2020) · 2020 data ^[23]

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• 390 million animals a year

  Pet cats in Australia kill an estimated 390 million vertebrates a year (189 million mammals, 118 million birds and 82.9 million reptiles), 241 million of them native animals, according to Legge and colleagues in Wildlife Research (2020).

  Legge et al., Wildlife Research (2020) · 2020 data ^[24]

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• 186 vs 748 animals per cat

  A roaming, hunting pet cat in Australia kills about 186 mammals, birds and reptiles a year (115 of them native), roughly a quarter of the 748 (576 native) killed by an average feral cat in the bush, according to Legge et al. (2020).

  Legge et al., Wildlife Research (2020) · 2020 data ^[24]

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• 28 to 52 times

  Because pet cats live at high densities, they kill 28 to 52 times more animals per square kilometre in Australian residential areas than feral cats do in natural environments, according to Legge et al. (2020).

  Legge et al., Wildlife Research (2020) · 2020 data ^[24]

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• over 1.5 billion native animals a year

  Feral cats in Australia kill over 1.5 billion native mammals, birds, reptiles and frogs and 1.1 billion invertebrates each year, according to the Australian Government's environment department (DCCEEW, December 2024).

  Australian Government, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) · 2024 data ^[17]

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Keep feral and pet cats apart. Each taxon paper splits its total into feral cats in natural landscapes, unowned cats in highly modified areas (towns, dumps) and pet cats. Legge et al. (2020) later re-estimated pet cats alone at 390 million vertebrates a year with a different method, so do not add that figure to the per-taxon pet numbers. Mammal totals include introduced species such as rabbits and house mice.

How many animals do cats kill in the UK, Europe and New Zealand?

Britain's roughly 9 million pet cats brought home an estimated 92 million prey items in just five months of 1997, according to the only national British estimate (Woods, McDonald and Harris, 2003). Studies in Poland and New Zealand use different methods and are not directly comparable.

• 92 million prey items

  Britain's approximately 9 million pet cats brought home an estimated 92 million prey items (range 85 to 100 million) between 1 April and 31 August 1997, according to Woods, McDonald and Harris in Mammal Review (2003).

  Woods, McDonald and Harris, Mammal Review (2003) · 1997 data ^[25]

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• 57 million mammals, 27 million birds

  Of the prey British cats brought home from 1 April to 31 August 1997, an estimated 57 million were mammals, 27 million birds and 5 million reptiles and amphibians, according to Woods et al. (2003).

  Woods, McDonald and Harris, Mammal Review (2003) · 1997 data ^[25]

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• 91% of cats

  91% of British pet cats in a 1997 survey (634 of 696) brought home at least one prey item between April and August, with a mean of 11.3 items per cat, according to Woods et al. (2003).

  Woods, McDonald and Harris, Mammal Review (2003) · 1997 data ^[25]

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• 18.3 prey per cat per year

  Pet cats in Reading, UK, killed an estimated mean of 18.3 prey per cat per year, and only 20% returned four or more dead prey a year, according to Thomas, Fellowes and Baker in PLoS ONE (2012).

  Thomas, Fellowes and Baker, PLoS ONE (2012) · 2012 data ^[26]

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• 583.4 million mammals, 135.7 million birds

  Cats on Polish farms eat an estimated 583.4 million mammals and 135.7 million birds a year, while bringing home 48.1 million mammals and 8.9 million birds, according to Krauze-Gryz, Gryz and Żmihorski in Global Ecology and Conservation (2019).

  Krauze-Gryz, Gryz and Żmihorski, Global Ecology and Conservation (2019) · 2019 data ^[27]

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• 13.4 prey per cat per year

  Pet cats in Dunedin, New Zealand, brought home a mean of 13.4 prey items a year (median 4), and one third never brought back prey, according to van Heezik and colleagues in Biological Conservation (2010).

  van Heezik et al., Biological Conservation (2010) · 2010 data ^[28]

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The British figure counts only prey brought home between April and August 1997, so it is not an annual total and misses prey cats eat or leave elsewhere. No newer national UK estimate has been published. Per-cat figures from town studies vary widely with method (prey brought home versus prey eaten).

How often do pet cats hunt?

When 55 pet cats in Athens, Georgia wore KittyCam video cameras, 44% hunted wildlife and most of what they caught never reached the owner: only 23% of prey was brought home.

• 44%

  In a 2010 to 2011 KittyCam video study of 55 owned, free-roaming cats in Athens, Georgia, 44% of the cats hunted wildlife (Loyd et al., University of Georgia and National Geographic).

  Loyd et al., Biological Conservation (2013) · 2010-2011 data ^[29]

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• 2.4 prey per week

  Pet cats in Athens, Georgia that hunted successfully caught an average of 2.4 prey items per week of roaming footage, or 0.06 prey per hour outdoors, in KittyCam recordings from 2010 to 2011 (Loyd et al.).

  Loyd et al., Biological Conservation (2013) · 2010-2011 data ^[29]

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• 23%

  Only 23% of the prey that pet cats caught on KittyCam video in Athens, Georgia (2010 to 2011) was brought home; 49% was left where it was caught and 28% was eaten, so owner counts of prey on the doorstep miss most kills (Loyd et al.).

  Loyd et al., Biological Conservation (2013) · 2010-2011 data ^[29]

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• 36% reptiles

  Reptiles made up 36% of the 39 captures by pet cats filmed in Athens, Georgia in 2010 to 2011, followed by mammals (26%), invertebrates (21%), birds (13%) and amphibians (5%) (Loyd et al.).

  Loyd et al., Biological Conservation (2013) · 2010-2011 data ^[29]

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• 85%

  85% of wildlife captures by pet cats filmed in Athens, Georgia happened in the warm season, March to November, in the 2010 to 2011 KittyCam study (Loyd et al.).

  Loyd et al., Biological Conservation (2013) · 2010-2011 data ^[29]

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• 3.6 hectares

  GPS tracking of 925 pet cats in six countries found an average home range of just 3.6 hectares, and only three cats ranged over more than 1 square kilometer (Kays et al., Animal Conservation, 2020).

  Kays et al., Animal Conservation (2020) · 2020 data ^[30]

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• 3.5 prey a month

  Owners of 925 GPS-tracked pet cats in six countries reported their cats killed an average of 3.5 prey a month, which the researchers converted to an estimated 14.2 to 38.9 prey per hectare per year around each cat's home, similar to or higher than wild carnivores (Kays et al., 2020).

  Kays et al., Animal Conservation (2020) · 2020 data ^[30]

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• 40%

  Among 45 cat owners in the Cornish village of Mawnan Smith, surveyed after a March to June 2010 prey-recording study, 40% agreed or strongly agreed that domestic cats are harmful to wildlife, and owners' estimates of how much prey their cats brought home did not correlate with the prey the cats actually returned (House of Mittens calculation from McDonald et al., Ecology and Evolution, 2015).

  House of Mittens calculation from McDonald et al., Ecology and Evolution (2015) · 2010 data ^[31]

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• 27%

  Just over a quarter (27%) of UK cat owners told the 2026 PDSA Animal Wellbeing Report, a nationally representative YouGov survey, that their cat kills wildlife.

  PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report 2026 · 2026 data ^[32]

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Prey-return studies count what owners see, which camera work shows is under a quarter of captures. Treat owner-reported kill rates (including Kays et al.) as a floor, not a total.

How many pet cats go outdoors?

No nationally representative, published U.S. survey reports the indoor share of pet cats. The most-cited estimate, used by Loss et al. in Nature Communications, assumes 40% to 70% of owned cats have outdoor access, alongside 30 to 80 million unowned cats.

• 40% to 70%

  The Nature Communications estimate of U.S. cat predation assumed that between 40% and 70% of owned cats in the contiguous United States have outdoor access, a range drawn from eight earlier U.S. studies (Loss, Will and Marra, Nature Communications, 2013).

  Loss, Will and Marra, Nature Communications (2013), Table 1 · 2013 data ^[3]

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• 84 million

  Loss, Will and Marra's 2013 model used a mean of 84 million owned cats in the contiguous United States, based on two population studies.

  Loss, Will and Marra, Nature Communications (2013), Table 1 · 2013 data ^[3]

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• 30 to 80 million

  Researchers at the Smithsonian and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service put the number of unowned cats (strays, farm cats, colony cats and feral cats) in the contiguous United States at between 30 and 80 million in 2013, and stressed that no precise estimate exists (Loss, Will and Marra, Nature Communications).

  Loss, Will and Marra, Nature Communications (2013) · 2013 data ^[1]

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• 50% to 80%

  The same 2013 U.S. model assumed that 50% to 80% of owned cats allowed outdoors hunt wildlife, based on three U.S. studies (Loss, Will and Marra, Nature Communications).

  Loss, Will and Marra, Nature Communications (2013), Table 1 · 2013 data ^[3]

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• 29.2%

  Of 631 cat owners near Davis, California, 36.7% kept their cat indoors only, 34.1% gave supervised or controlled outdoor access and 29.2% let their cat roam freely (UC Davis convenience survey, published 2024).

  Chung, UC Davis dissertation (2026), survey published as Chung et al., Applied Animal Behaviour Science (2024) · 2024 data ^[33]

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• 53%

  53% of owners of outdoor cats near Davis, California said they were likely or somewhat likely to reduce their cat's outdoor access if they knew it was harming wildlife (UC Davis survey, published 2024).

  Chung, UC Davis dissertation (2026), survey published as Chung et al., Applied Animal Behaviour Science (2024) · 2024 data ^[33]

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• 29%

  29% of UK pet cats lived indoors only in 2026, up from 26% in 2020, while the share with both indoor and outdoor access fell from 72% to 68% (PDSA Animal Wellbeing Report 2026, YouGov survey).

  PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report 2026 · 2026 data ^[32]

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• 31%

  In the 2024 PDSA Animal Wellbeing Report, 31% of UK cats lived indoors only, up from 28% in 2022 and 15% in 2011.

  PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report 2024 · 2024 data ^[34]

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• 71.1%

  Across six Australian studies of pet cats, 71.1% roam outside, and the researchers estimated that at least 2.10 million of Australia's 3.77 million pet cats roam and hunt (Legge et al., Wildlife Research, 2020).

  Legge et al., Wildlife Research (2020) · 2020 data ^[35]

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Keep owned and unowned cats apart. Loss et al.'s figures are model inputs drawn from earlier studies, not a new census. The Davis, California figures come from a local convenience sample. The UK figures (PDSA) are nationally representative; the Australian figure pools six studies.

What reduces how many animals pet cats kill?

In a 12-week trial of 355 cats in England, a meat-rich, grain-free food cut prey brought home by 36% and 5 to 10 minutes of daily play cut it by 25%. Bright collar covers mainly protect birds.

• 36%

  Feeding a high-meat, grain-free food cut the number of animals cats caught and brought home by 36%, and 5 to 10 minutes of daily object play cut it by 25%, in a 12-week trial of 355 cats in 219 households in southwest England (Cecchetti et al., Current Biology, 2021).

  Cecchetti et al., Current Biology (2021) · 2021 data ^[36]

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• 44% fewer birds

  In the 2021 English trial, meat-rich food cut birds brought home by 44% and Birdsbesafe collar covers by 42%, while bells, play and puzzle feeders had no discernible effect on birds (Cecchetti et al., Current Biology).

  Cecchetti et al., Current Biology (2021) · 2021 data ^[36]

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• 35% fewer mammals

  For mammals, object play cut the number brought home by 35% and meat-rich food by 33%, while puzzle feeders increased it by 49% and bells and collar covers had no discernible effect (Cecchetti et al., Current Biology, 2021, England).

  Cecchetti et al., Current Biology (2021) · 2021 data ^[36]

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• 33% more

  Puzzle feeders increased the number of animals cats brought home by 33% in the 2021 English trial, and cat bells had no discernible effect on total prey (Cecchetti et al., Current Biology).

  Cecchetti et al., Current Biology (2021) · 2021 data ^[36]

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• 76%

  76% of owners in the object-play group said they planned to keep playing with their cats after the 2021 English trial, compared with 21.2% of owners given Birdsbesafe collar covers (Cecchetti et al., Current Biology).

  Cecchetti et al., Current Biology (2021) · 2021 data ^[36]

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• 41% fewer birds

  UK cats wearing a collar bell returned 41% fewer birds and 34% fewer mammals than cats with a plain collar, and an electronic sonic device cut returns by 51% for birds and 38% for mammals (Nelson, Evans and Bradbury, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 2005).

  Nelson, Evans and Bradbury, Applied Animal Behaviour Science (2005) · 2005 data ^[37]

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• 54%

  In suburban Western Australia, cats wearing a Birdsbesafe collar cover of any colour caught 54% fewer prey with good colour vision (birds, reptiles and amphibians), with no significant drop in mammals caught (Hall et al., Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 2015).

  Hall et al., Applied Animal Behaviour Science (2015) · 2015 data ^[38]

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• 2.7 times fewer birds

  Across trials of 94 cats in New York (2014 and 2019) and Florida (2019), researchers recovered 2.7 times fewer birds per cat when the cat wore a Birdsbesafe collar cover (Jensen, Willson and Powell, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management, 2022).

  Jensen, Willson and Powell, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (2022), via USGS Publications Warehouse · 2014-2019 data ^[39]

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All of these studies count prey brought home, not total kills. Bells cut prey returns in Nelson et al. (2005) but showed no discernible effect in Cecchetti et al. (2021). Keeping a cat indoors is the only measure that stops predation outright.

How are cats, wildlife and disease linked?

Cats are the only animals in which the Toxoplasma gondii parasite reproduces, and as of 2026 it has killed 16 confirmed endangered Hawaiian monk seals. Cats are also the most commonly reported rabid domestic animal in the U.S., with 243 rabid cats in 2024.

• 16 seals

  As of 2026, NOAA Fisheries had confirmed 16 cases of endangered Hawaiian monk seals dying of toxoplasmosis in Hawaiʻi, a disease spread by cat feces, out of only about 380 seals in the main Hawaiian Islands.

  NOAA Fisheries · 2026 data ^[40]

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• 3 seals in one week

  Three Hawaiian monk seals died of toxoplasmosis within one week in May 2018, and two more stranded with the disease between December 2019 and January 2020, according to NOAA Fisheries.

  NOAA Fisheries · 2018-2020 data ^[40]

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• 62%

  62% of 542 southern sea otters examined after death along the California coast from 1998 to 2012 were infected with Toxoplasma gondii, the cat-borne parasite (Miller et al., California Department of Fish and Wildlife and partners, Frontiers in Marine Science, 2020).

  Miller et al., Frontiers in Marine Science (2020) · 1998-2012 data ^[41]

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• 243

  Cats were the most commonly found rabid domestic animal in the United States in 2024, with 243 positive cases reported to the CDC-led National Rabies Surveillance System (JAVMA, 2026).

  Rabies surveillance in the United States during 2024, JAVMA (2026) · 2024 data ^[42]

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• 222

  222 cats tested positive for rabies in the United States in 2023, making cats the most frequently found rabid domestic animal that year (National Rabies Surveillance System, JAVMA, 2025).

  Rabies surveillance in the United States during 2023, JAVMA (2025) · 2023 data ^[43]

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• 222

  222 cats tested positive for rabies in the United States in 2022, up 2.8% from 216 in 2021 (National Rabies Surveillance System, JAVMA, 2024).

  Rabies surveillance in the United States during 2022, JAVMA (2024) · 2022 data ^[44]

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• 80.8%

  At the Wildlife Center of Virginia from 2000 to 2010, cat attacks were the fourth-largest cause of bird admissions (13.7%) and the second-largest cause of bird deaths, with 80.8% of cat-caught birds dying (McRuer et al., Journal of Wildlife Management, 2017).

  McRuer et al., Journal of Wildlife Management (2017) · 2000-2010 data ^[45]

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• 14.8%

  Cat attacks caused 14.8% of small-mammal admissions to the Wildlife Center of Virginia from 2000 to 2010, the second-largest cause, and 70.8% of those mammals died (McRuer et al., Journal of Wildlife Management, 2017).

  McRuer et al., Journal of Wildlife Management (2017) · 2000-2010 data ^[45]

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• 88%

  88% of cat attacks on wildlife admitted to the Wildlife Center of Virginia from 2000 to 2010 happened between April and September, across 20,921 records of small birds and mammals (McRuer et al., 2017).

  McRuer et al., Journal of Wildlife Management (2017) · 2000-2010 data ^[45]

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Sea otter infection rates include otters that did not die of toxoplasmosis. Do not cite the 9% sea otter death share from Miller et al. as toxoplasmosis alone: it combines T. gondii with Sarcocystis neurona, a parasite spread by opossums, not cats.

Methodology

Every figure on this page comes from the primary source: the peer-reviewed paper, the government agency page or the official report. We did not take numbers from news articles, advocacy summaries or other statistics pages. Each statistic was recorded with the exact source text it came from, and an independent reviewer checked every figure against that source before publication. Where we worked a number out ourselves, such as a sum or a share, the statistic says it is a House of Mittens calculation and names the sources it combines.

Most cat predation figures are model estimates, not counts. The U.S. estimate (Loss, Will and Marra, 2013) combines published ranges for cat numbers, outdoor access, hunting rates and prey per cat, and reports a range with a median. We show the low, median and high values and use the December 2013 corrected range (1.3 to 4.0 billion birds). Some sources, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service threats table, still print the original 1.4 to 3.7 billion range. The medians did not change.

We keep differing measures apart. Owned pet cats and unowned cats are reported separately because they hunt at different rates. Prey brought home is not the same as prey killed: camera studies show most kills never reach the owner. Estimates for different countries come from different models and should not be added together. In Australia, the per-taxon studies and the 2020 pet cat study use different methods, so their pet cat figures are shown side by side, not summed.

Extinction figures describe cats as a contributing cause. Doherty et al. (2016) covers all cats worldwide; Medina et al. (2011) covers feral cats on islands only, so its 14% is a floor rather than a competing figure. The North American bird decline (2.9 billion birds since 1970) has several causes, and neither the 2019 Science study nor the 2025 State of the Birds report attributes a share of it to cats.

This page is updated when a major new estimate is published, such as a new national predation model, the yearly U.S. rabies surveillance report or a new State of the Birds report. The full dataset, with every source and link, is free to download as a CSV.

Spot an error or a newer figure? Tell us and we will correct the page and note the change.

Cite this page

Free to quote, chart or link in articles, reports and coursework. Please credit the original source for each figure and link to this page as the compilation.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. Loss, Will and Marra, Nature Communications (2013) nature.com
2. Loss, Will and Marra, Nature Communications (2013) nature.com
3. Loss, Will and Marra, Nature Communications (2013) nature.com
4. Loss, Will and Marra, Nature Communications corrigendum (2013) nature.com
5. Chu et al., Avian Conservation and Ecology (2025) ace-eco.org
6. Blancher, Avian Conservation and Ecology (2013) ace-eco.org
7. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Threats to Birds fws.gov
8. Loss, Will, Loss and Marra, The Condor (2014) academic.oup.com
9. Loss, Will and Marra, Journal of Wildlife Management (2014) wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
10. Rabie et al., Journal of Field Ornithology (2024) journal.afonet.org
11. Loss, Will and Marra, PLOS ONE (2014) journals.plos.org
12. Rosenberg et al., Science (2019) science.org
13. U.S. North American Bird Conservation Initiative, State of the Birds 2025 stateofthebirds.org
14. Doherty et al., PNAS (2016) pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
15. Medina et al., Global Change Biology (2011) onlinelibrary.wiley.com
16. IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group, Global Invasive Species Database iucngisd.org
17. Australian Government, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) dcceew.gov.au
18. Lepczyk et al., Nature Communications (2023) nature.com
19. Woinarski et al., Biological Conservation (2017) sciencedirect.com
20. Woinarski et al., Wildlife Research (2018) doi.org
21. Murphy et al., Biological Conservation (2019) sciencedirect.com
22. Woinarski et al., Wildlife Research (2020) doi.org
23. Woolley et al., Wildlife Research (2020) doi.org
24. Legge et al., Wildlife Research (2020) connectsci.au
25. Woods, McDonald and Harris, Mammal Review (2003) onlinelibrary.wiley.com
26. Thomas, Fellowes and Baker, PLoS ONE (2012) journals.plos.org
27. Krauze-Gryz, Gryz and Żmihorski, Global Ecology and Conservation (2019) sciencedirect.com
28. van Heezik et al., Biological Conservation (2010) sciencedirect.com
29. Loyd et al., Biological Conservation (2013) digitalcommons.unl.edu
30. Kays et al., Animal Conservation (2020) zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
31. House of Mittens calculation from McDonald et al., Ecology and Evolution (2015) onlinelibrary.wiley.com
32. PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report 2026 pdsa.org.uk
33. Chung, UC Davis dissertation (2026), survey published as Chung et al., Applied Animal Behaviour Science (2024) escholarship.org
34. PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report 2024 pdsa.org.uk
35. Legge et al., Wildlife Research (2020) researchportal.murdoch.edu.au
36. Cecchetti et al., Current Biology (2021) cell.com
37. Nelson, Evans and Bradbury, Applied Animal Behaviour Science (2005) sciencedirect.com
38. Hall et al., Applied Animal Behaviour Science (2015) researchportal.murdoch.edu.au
39. Jensen, Willson and Powell, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (2022), via USGS Publications Warehouse usgs.gov
40. NOAA Fisheries fisheries.noaa.gov
41. Miller et al., Frontiers in Marine Science (2020) frontiersin.org
42. Rabies surveillance in the United States during 2024, JAVMA (2026) pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
43. Rabies surveillance in the United States during 2023, JAVMA (2025) pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
44. Rabies surveillance in the United States during 2022, JAVMA (2024) avmajournals.avma.org
45. McRuer et al., Journal of Wildlife Management (2017) wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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