Cats Indoors! for BCA members

In 1997, American Bird Conservancy (ABC) launched Cats Indoors! The Campaign for Safer Birds and Cats to end the unnecessary suffering and death of birds and other wildlife by free-roaming cats. Cats Indoors! consists of partnerships at the national, state, and local levels to: educate cat owners, decision makers, and the general public that cats and birds benefit when cats are kept indoors; advocate policies and actions to protect birds from cat predation; and support the humane removal of free-roaming cats, beginning with important wildlife areas.

As a Bird Conservation Alliance member, you are in an ideal position to conduct Cats Indoors! Campaigns in your state or community.  To support your efforts, ABC has developed many educational materials, including a brochure, fact sheets, posters, print and radio Public Service Announcements (PSAs), an Educator's Guide for Grades K-6, and Power Point presentations.  Most materials can be downloaded from the web site: http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/cats/index.html. If your organization would like to order a Cats Indoors! kit at a reduced rate of $5 for BCA members, you may do so by e-mailing . 

Here's a small sampling of Cats Indoors! activities for BCA members: 

* View or download the Cats Indoors! PowerPoint Presentation

* Sponsor a state or local children's poster competition for National Keep Your Cat Indoors Day on May 14.  A sample announcement and press release are available on ABC's web site. 

* Distribute the brochure, "Keeping Cats Indoors Isn't Just For The Birds" to local animal shelters, nature centers, pet supply stores, bird seed stores, parks, wildlife rehabilitators, and veterinarians. 

* Distribute the new flyer, "Healthier, Safer: Indoors" to veterinarians in your community.           

* Place Campaign PSAs and articles in your organization's newsletter or in your local newspaper.  

* Ask your local radio stations to play the radio PSAs found on ABC's web site. 

* Form a coalition and work for a cat control ordinance in your community.   

For more ideas and examples of successful Cats Indoors! Campaigns, see the fact sheet Conducting a Cats Indoors! Campaign In Your Community available at www.abcbirds.org/cats.  

* Organization resolution.

* Sample articles.

* Sample letter to editor.

Please help ABC and its partners spread the word that free roaming cats pose a huge problem for America's native wildlife, and indoor cats live longer and healthier lives.