Narrow majority in favor of mandatory cat bells

An estimated 250,000 cats live in the capital. Some of them are walking around outside. The municipality is making this call to protect birds in the city, among other things. The city council also wants to create more awareness among Amsterdam residents about the consequences of the hunting behavior of domestic cats.

‘Good first step’

The Huiskat Thuiskat Foundation’s mission is to no longer allow domestic cats to roam free without supervision. The foundation welcomes the municipality’s idea, but is also critical. The organization believes the appeal is a good first step, because domestic cats with a bell or collar are less successful in attacking or killing other animals. The organization does know that this will not be 100 percent effective, because some cats will hunt more carefully with a bell. In addition, with a bell, the cat will still have a chance to grab chicks or disturb nesting birds.

Still, Huiskat Thuiskat thinks the call is a good first step. “Domestic cats with a bell or collar kill fewer animals than domestic cats without a bell,” the foundation reports. “If all cat owners in Amsterdam and throughout the Netherlands would put a bell on their cat, it would make a big difference.”

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Divided reactions

Listeners of NH Radio could via The Poll let us know what they think about a mandatory cat bell for their fluffy pet. A narrow majority of North Hollanders are in favor of making cat bells mandatory. Of the almost 1,600 voters, 55 percent agree with this statement.

The reason for North Hollanders not to wear a bell or collar is because the cat has a function, for example because the owners live on a farm. The meowing fluff ball keeps the mice and rats at bay while hunting.

Another listener tells NH Radio a completely different experience. The cat did not like the bell that was purchased. “He snuck through the house to prevent the bell from making a sound.” This even went so far that the meowing housemate no longer dared to leave the basket. “I thought that was so sad. Then that bell went off again.” Yet he looks back on it with a smile. “It was quite a laugh, watching that animal sneak through the house.”

Effective?

A third resident responds that she thinks the cat bell or collar is a good idea. She says that she started ringing her cat at an early age. She does add a comment, but she has also experienced that this does not mean that the faithful four-legged friend will never take in prey again. “My cat recently brought in a jackdaw. The bird was not yet dead and Binkie didn’t really know what to do with it,” she says. “That animal made a noise, it sounded like a Hitchcock thriller. And the whole family of jackdaws came after him. I didn’t know how quickly to close the door.”

The cat has not forgotten the experience, the owner says. “Now when he sees a jackdaw he runs away. So the bird has won in the end.”