{"id":1031306,"date":"2023-03-20T15:01:18","date_gmt":"2023-03-20T15:01:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/?p=1053903"},"modified":"2023-03-20T15:01:18","modified_gmt":"2023-03-20T15:01:18","slug":"jonathan-franzen-explains-the-number-one-threat-to-american-birds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2023\/03\/20\/jonathan-franzen-explains-the-number-one-threat-to-american-birds\/","title":{"rendered":"Jonathan Franzen Explains the Number One Threat to American Birds"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"bsf_rt_marker\"><p>Jonathan Franzen is considered one of the finest contemporary American novelists\u2014<em>Crossroads<\/em> is the latest of his bestsellers\u2014so it\u2019s no surprise that his words are just as powerful in person as they are on paper. He is passionate about animals and the environment and recently sat down to talk with PETA about why he\u2019s so concerned about the effect roaming cats have on birds and the environment and how roaming can be deadly for the cats themselves. His insights are as compelling as his novels.<\/p>\n<div class=\"video-player\">\n<div class=\"widescreen-wrapper\"><iframe title=\"Jonathan Franzen and PETA Talk About Dangers of Letting Cats Outdoors\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IDXx_1cc94o?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p>It is amply demonstrated that it\u2019s actually dangerous for your cat to be outdoors.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><strong>\u2014Jonathan Franzen<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2><strong>The Outdoors Is a Huge Threat to Cats\u2019 Lives<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, the majority of reported cat deaths outdoors are caused by trauma, most commonly due to being hit by cars or attacked by roaming dogs. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/issues\/animal-companion-issues\/overpopulation\/feral-cats\/great-outdoors-cats\/\">Some cruel people<\/a> poison, shoot, burn, drown, or otherwise torture and kill cats. Being outdoors also increases the odds that a cat will freeze or starve to death, succumb to parasites, contract deadly contagious diseases, or endure countless other horrific fates. In his novel <em>Freedom<\/em>, Franzen includes the story of a neighbor\u2019s cat who was left outdoors until one day she was killed in a fight with raccoons.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Cats Left to Roam Outdoors Also Cause Trauma <\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Companion cats allowed to roam outside may occasionally bring home a dead mouse or bird, but this represents just a fraction of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/features\/keep-cats-inside\/\">the animals they maim and leave for dead<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>No matter how well-fed they are, cats are instinctively driven to hunt, and as a nonnative predator species, they don\u2019t fit into native U.S. predator-prey ecosystems. As Franzen explains in the video, roaming cats are the number one direct deadly threat to American birds. They kill an estimated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/features\/keep-cats-inside\/\">1.3 to 4 billion birds and 6.3 to 22.3 billion mammals<\/a> every year in the U.S. alone. Free-roaming cats have also contributed to the extinction of 63 species of birds, mammals, and reptiles.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>[L]etting your household cat outdoors is tantamount to throwing your garbage out your window of your car. You\u2019re harming the common natural space.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><strong>\u2014Jonathan Franzen<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3><strong>Trap-Neuter-Release<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Franzen says he finds <a href=\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/blog\/watch-video-trap-neuter-release-advocates-dont-want-see\/\">trap-neuter-release<\/a> \u201cparticularly infuriating\u201d and points out that it doesn\u2019t prevent homeless cats from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/issues\/animal-companion-issues\/overpopulation\/feral-cats\/great-outdoors-cats\/\">suffering and dying painfully<\/a>, nor does it reduce their population. It doesn\u2019t matter whether a cat enjoys human company or not\u2014all cats are domesticated and incapable of surviving on their own for long. They depend on humans for everything, including food, water, veterinary care, shelter, and protection, and they suffer badly without these necessities.<\/p>\n<p>This misguided practice also leads to <em>more<\/em> homeless cats because it makes people believe\u2014wrongly\u2014that cats can survive on the streets and that someone else will take care of those abandoned on the side of a road or behind a business.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cAlmost always when I speak to a person who\u2019s read my books, if the person mentions, \u2018I have a cat,\u2019 they immediately say, \u2018and I keep the cat indoors.\u2019 They add, \u2018I didn\u2019t used to.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><strong>\u2014Jonathan Franzen<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2><strong>Cats Don\u2019t Belong Outdoors<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The best thing you can do for your cat is to keep them safe inside with you, for their own sake and for that of the wild animals they prey upon when left outside. If your cat is eager to explore outdoors, you can give them opportunities to do so under supervision. Cats should be allowed outdoors only for walks on leashes that are attached to well-fitting harnesses designed for cats. Not every cat can get used to a harness and leash, though, so if you\u2019ve given it your best effort and they\u2019re not comfortable, stick to a window perch or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/living\/animal-companions\/if-cats-could-talk-ask-for-catio\/\">catio<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1053919\" src=\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/cute-gray-white-cat-sits-on-couch.jpg\" alt=\"A gray and white cat sits on a couch next to a yellow pillow\" width=\"1050\" height=\"1400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/cute-gray-white-cat-sits-on-couch.jpg 1050w, https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/cute-gray-white-cat-sits-on-couch-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/cute-gray-white-cat-sits-on-couch-602x803.jpg 602w, https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/cute-gray-white-cat-sits-on-couch-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/cute-gray-white-cat-sits-on-couch-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/cute-gray-white-cat-sits-on-couch-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/cute-gray-white-cat-sits-on-couch-640x853.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.peta.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/cute-gray-white-cat-sits-on-couch-150x200.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1050px) 100vw, 1050px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>To learn more about how you can provide your cat with enrichment indoors, check out PETA President Ingrid Newkirk\u2019s book <em>250 Vital Things Your Cat Wants You To Know <\/em>(aka \u201cthe cat guardian\u2019s Bible\u201d):<\/p>\n<div id=\"bsf_rt_marker\"><p><a class=\"dark-blue text-button button large\"  href=\"https:\/\/shop.peta.org\/250-vital-things-your-cat-wants-you-to-know.html\">Get Your Copy Today!<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><input class=\"fooboxshare_post_id\" type=\"hidden\" value=\"1053903\"\/>\n<\/div><p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/blog\/jonathan-franzen-cats-outdoors\/\">Jonathan Franzen Explains the Number One Threat to American Birds<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/\">PETA<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"syndicated-attribution\">This post was originally published on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/blog\/jonathan-franzen-cats-outdoors\/\">Animal Rights and Campaign News | PETA<\/a>. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Author Jonathan Franzen joined PETA to talk about the dangers of keeping cats outdoors and a real-life incident that prompted a story in his novel \u201cFreedom.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/blog\/jonathan-franzen-cats-outdoors\/\">Jonathan Franzen Explains the Number One Threat to American Birds<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peta.org\/\">PETA<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15767,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2145,3123,16397,7718],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1031306"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15767"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1031306"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1031306\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1031307,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1031306\/revisions\/1031307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1031306"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1031306"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1031306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}