The Kitty Cam Says Your OutDoor Cat Could Be A Killer

Your cute kitty cat may be contributing to the decline of songbirds in the U.S. and endangering himself in the process.

Working with the National Geographic Society, UGA researchers have analyzed data gathered from "kitty cams," small cameras attached to six free-roaming cats in Athens. The cameras allow the recording of a cat-eye view without changing the animal's behavior.

Researchers have found that 44 percent of the animals studied hunt wildlife, and that "reptiles, mammals and invertebrates" are what they mostly eat. They also engage in risky behavior, the researchers found.

The "kitty cam" work is getting attention from USA Today.

The analysis shows the cats left 49 percent of what they killed at the place of death. They brought home 23 percent and ate 28 percent. According to UGA research Kerrie Anne Loyd, previous estimates of kitty cat victims didn't include the animals that cats ate or left behind, so the esimates were likely low.

In the USA Today story, Georgia Fenwick, president of American Bird Conservancy, says "cat predation is one of the reasons why one in three American birds species are in decline," when you consider there's a U.S. house-cat population of 74 million.