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UK cats return an estimated 140.4 million prey items to their homes annually, with 83% being mammals and 16% being birds
Source: Wiley Ecology and Evolution (2025)
Source
What the Cat Dragged in: Quantifying Prey Return Rates of Pet Cats in the UKWiley Ecology and Evolution (2025)
Notes
Conservative median estimate is 37.25 million; only counts prey returned home, actual predation higher
Wiley Ecology and Evolution. (2025). What the Cat Dragged in: Quantifying Prey Return Rates of Pet Cats in the UK. As cited in Cat Cognition. https://catcognition.com/statistics/wildlife-impact/#uk-cats-prey-returned-2025
275 million
UK cats kill an estimated 275 million prey animals annually, including 55 million birds
Mammal Society / Wiley (2003)
69%
UK cat prey composition: 69% mammals, 24% birds, 4% amphibians, 1% reptiles
Mammal Society / Wiley (2003)
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)
