The Catbib
Could It Stop Your Cat Killing Birds

Cats hunt that’s just a fact of nature, it's what they do regardless of the fact that our domestic cats no longer need to do it for survival. The trouble is this behavior is objectionable to us humans who love animals and want to preserve wildlife etc (at least I know cat lovers think this way). 

But how do you stop your cat from carrying out a natural instinct. Something they seem to love to do, the whole thrill of the stalk and then the chase. I have seen my own cats spend hour's patiently watching birds and their best moment to pounce.

Luckily for me both my cats are rubbish at catching birds and I think that in the whole five years I have had them; perhaps two birds have become their victims. 


But I know many other cats' owners have a very different experience with their cats. Some seem to be veracious hunters who manage to catch bird after bird, day after day. Posing a very real problem for the owners who not only have to deal with the gruesome aftermath but who also feel partly responsible for the loss of the wildlife. 

So what is the answer? Well apart from keeping your cat inside all the time (this is a contentious point and one I do not want to get into here) there is a limited amount we can do to protect the local bird population. You can of course place bells on the cat's collars which should alert unsuspecting birds of the cats approach, but many will testify this is not always effective.

The Catbib

I want to introduce you the Catbib. I have only recently discovered this item after being alerted to it by a visitor to the site. They are made out of a durable material which is similar to that made to make wetsuits from. It is lightweight and flexible and the makers say it does not interfere with the cat from doing everything they would normally do, such as jumping and running etc.

View the video so that you too can get a good feel for the item.

Studies have shown that:

  • The bibs had an 81% effectiveness from stopping cats catching birds, a 45% success rate for catching small mammals such as mice and 33% success rate from catching Amphibians and Reptiles.

  • 85% of cats got used to the collar within a short period of time. 10% took a day and 4% needed longer before they accepted the collar completely.

My Thoughts on the Catbib

My first response was "How ridiculous is this". It looks silly and very cumbersome and I felt sorry for the cat that had to put up with around their neck all day. I also could imagine what my neighbors would think. But then I thought perhaps this would work for people who lived out in the country more, where the cat had lots of space to wander and the bib would not be so restrictive. Just because I didn't have cats that needed this product, perhaps others would see a real benefit in it. 

Now I am not recommending this item I just want to bring it to your attention so that we can debate it and perhaps in some cases it will prove to be effective. 

I started off by viewing the company's website and reading the reviews of the item. Many seem to praise the item for working well, even for cats that previously killed a lot of birds. Other reviews on site such as Amazon seemed to be mixed. So I thought I would add this page and ask you what you thought.

What Do You Think?

Do you have a problem with your cat catching birds?

Do you think the Catbib would stop cats from catching wildlife?

Would this be something you would think of doing with your own cat?

Do you see any problems with using the bib?

Do you think your cat would get used to the Catbib?

Do you think it is cruel to make your cat wear this bib while outside?

Let me know your thoughts by using the facebook comments below.

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