http://missoulian.com/news/local/cskt-confronts-problems-of-invasive-species-aka-cats/article_4adfec52-5a9b-55b4-98e6-d331d9f1f33d.html

CSKT confronts problems of 'invasive species' aka cats

POLSON – To a list that includes zebra mussels, lake trout, Eurasian watermilfoil, spotted knapweed and leafy spurge – invasive species all in these parts – the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Natural Resources Department this week said there’s another non-native threat out there.

It purrs, chases string, and lands on its feet.

Domestic cats, the Natural Resources Department said in a news release, can provide excellent companionship and make wonderful pets.

But when allowed to roam freely outdoors, it added, cats become killers who “have contributed to the extinction of 33 species across the world and continue to adversely impact a wide variety of species, including those that are threatened or endangered.”

“The ecological dangers are so critical that the International Union for the Conservation of Nature now lists domestic cats as one of the world’s worst non-native invasive species,” the news release said. ...

...Free-roaming domestic cats in the U.S. alone are estimated to kill between 1.4 billion and 3.7 billion birds a year, and 6.9 billion to 20.7 billion mammals, according to the CSKT release. ......