CRITTER WATCH: Cat bib gives birds a chance

Catbib

With a new hatch of young birds bringing song to our yards, it’s worth pointing out, once again, that in the United States alone, cats kill a million or more wild birds EVERY DAY.

“Not my kitty!” you say.

Yeah, sure.

If you insist on letting your cat run free to slaughter birds, consider breaking out of the denial phase with a CatBib.

The light flexible neoprene bib is easily attached to the cat’s collar. A six-week study on 56 known bird-molesting cats indicated the product could stop 81 percent of the cats from catching birds.

The bib was invented by Sue Mandeville, a bird-feeding cat-lover, as a way to keep her own three hunting cats from catching birds while outdoors.

Info: CatBib, $8.95 from Cat Goods Inc., in Springfield, Ore., www.catgoods.com.