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Natural Born Killers: Domestic Cats Let Outdoors Spend a Third of Time Killing Small Animals

Mice, chipmunks and birds fall prey to furry felines, both domestic and feral.

All those cute cat pictures floating around the Internet — well, maybe not pictures of Grumpy Cat — could be misleading. Kitty kitty is a killer, a new study shows. 

"Everyone knew cats were natural predators, but researchers were shocked by the carnage recorded by cameras attached to 60 cats turned loose during a 2012 University of Georgia study," a post on the McCook Daily Gazette reads. 

Use the "Upload Photos and Videos" button to the right to share pictures of your cat — your upload could be chosen as a Patch Photo of the Day. But we'd prefer to not see photos of your cat killing small animals ... 

The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, found that if let outside, a house cat spends about a third of the time killing smaller animals. Don't get us started on feral cats — if you want to read about them, click here at your own risk. 

Why do researchers care about the killing nature of cats? Because about a third of the 800-some species of birds in the United States are endangered, threatened or in significant decline, according to the American Bird Conservancy. And they're turning into cat meals. 

Click here to read the full story. 

You might also be interested in checking out Sam, the cat with eyebrows

Are you a "cat person"? Do you own a cat? Are you concerned about what it's up to outdoors? Tell us about your cat in comments and post a picture of your feline friend.  

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Kristi Reed (Editor) June 18, 2013 at 06:22 pm
Thanks for posting Devera! It looks as if you have a lot of fun activities planned.
Bill Summerour June 15, 2013 at 08:49 pm
I grew up in a Winder where doors were not locked and the town was full of folks shopping! SometimesRead More a moonshiner would get caught or the parking meter would run out of time and one would get a parking ticket by one of the three cops in town! Now I keep a weapon handy because of voices and footsteps on the pavement at night! Where are these people coming from and going to after one o'clock in the morning? Why does it take so long for a policeman to show up after a call is made,if they show up at all? I've watched nice homes on my street turn into dumps. They are rented by owners who are only interested in the money and not the quality of people who are renting. Yeah, I keep a weapon and it's loaded for a thief or prowler! When seconds count a cop is only several minutes away,if at all!
Timothy Hinds June 17, 2013 at 12:51 am
Excellent comment, Bill. I, too, remember what it was like to trust those around you as much trustRead More as you gave them.