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UK cats kill an estimated 275 million prey animals annually, including 55 million birds
Source: Mammal Society / Wiley (2003)
Source
Predation of wildlife by domestic cats in Great Britain (Woods et al., 2003)Mammal Society / Wiley (2003)
Methodology
Questionnaire survey April-August 1997, 986 cats, 14,370 prey items
Notes
Only accounts for prey brought home; actual kill likely 3-4x higher. Peer-reviewed study in Mammal Review.
Mammal Society / Wiley. (2003). Predation of wildlife by domestic cats in Great Britain (Woods et al., 2003). As cited in Cat Cognition. https://catcognition.com/statistics/wildlife-impact/#uk-cats-prey-annually-2003
69%
UK cat prey composition: 69% mammals, 24% birds, 4% amphibians, 1% reptiles
Mammal Society / Wiley (2003)
140.4 million
UK cats return an estimated 140.4 million prey items to their homes annually, with 83% being mammals and 16% being birds
Wiley Ecology and Evolution (2025)
27-70 million
UK cats kill an estimated 27-70 million birds annually, with sparrows, blue tits, and blackbirds being the most common prey
RSPB (2024)
60 million
Outdoor cats kill an estimated 60 million birds per year in Canada, with a range of 19-197 million
Avian Conservation and Ecology (2025)
