is it ok to have a cat outside to help with mice and rats, considering cats are bird killers (but rats are invasive too..)?

@bonifartius i guess this depends on where you live.

@Sibylle smack in the middle of nowhere.. there are some stray cats already. i think it is fine, still, it like birds very much too.

@bonifartius

Since birds (generally) fly, they have a fair advantage over cats.

Also, I had a house cat that was so "humanized" that after catching a mouse, it played with it for a while, then let the mouse and go to get some food from us humans. "Killing? Eating raw meat?? ME???"

@Sibylle

@niclas @bonifartius birds can fly -BUT...
At night, the cat is in advantage, when the birds sleep. Not sure about most birds night vision, either. Young birds in flight training often fall victim to cats, too.
And there are a lot of species that suffer from a high cat density, too. Like lizards, mantis...

Also in countries like new zealand the endemic species are not used to predators like cats, they do not escape.

@Sibylle i'm in germany ;)

fair point with the sleeping birds, young birds/eggs fall prey to rats too though.

guess there is no good solution here 🤷‍♀️
@niclas