--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Cats are opportunistic predators by…" description: "\"“Cats are opportunistic predators by nature. If given a chance to kill a bird or other small animal, most cats will take it. That is just the way cats ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08c/peter-p-marra-31529_birds_cats-are-opportunistic-predators-by-natu_628704.jpg" --- # Cats are opportunistic predators by nature. If given a… ![“Cats are opportunistic predators by nature. If given a chance to kill a bird or other small animal, most cats will take it. That is just the way cats are made.” quote by Peter P. Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08c/peter-p-marra-31529_birds_cats-are-opportunistic-predators-by-natu_628704.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08c/peter-p-marra-31529_birds_cats-are-opportunistic-predators-by-natu_628704.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08c/peter-p-marra-31529_birds_cats-are-opportunistic-predators-by-natu_628704.jpg) > ““Cats are opportunistic predators by nature. If given a chance to kill a bird or other small animal, most cats will take it. That is just the way cats are made.”” [Peter P. Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-p-marra/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Cats naturally hunt small animals; it is an innate behavior. **In simple terms:** Cats are natural hunters. Key Takeaway Accept their predatory instincts. Themes nature predation animal behavior Mood concerned informative Type scientific educational When to use this quote - pet ownership - wildlife management - conservation policy Key Concepts biology ethology Questions to Reflect On - How can owners mitigate predation? - What ethical responsibilities arise? A Different Perspective Domestic cats can be managed to reduce harm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Birds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birds/) [Cats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cats/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Given a chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given-a-chance/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Predators](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/predators/) ## Related quotes > [“This cat, on the other hand, was its own animal. All cats give that impression, of course, but instead of the mindless animal self-absorption…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/this-cat-on-the-other-hand-was-its-own-animal-all-cats-give-that/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“COVID-19 is the most feared of the human predators.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/covid-19-is-the-most-feared-of-the-human-predators/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“All those postage-stamp front yards we used to have were reminders that we like clear spaces to see predators coming.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-wilson/all-those-postage-stamp-front-yards-we-used-to-have-were-reminders/) [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) > [“It is a maxim among carnivore biologists that the main reason big predators now die is because people kill them. People run them over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stolzenburg/it-is-a-maxim-among-carnivore-biologists-that-the-main-reason-big/) [William Stolzenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stolzenburg/) > [You can't imagine anything like nature as we know it without predators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-jamieson/you-can-t-imagine-anything-like-nature-as-we-know-it-without-predators/) [Dale Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-jamieson/) > [“Wolves attack the hindquarters of prey first, biting into the animal's meaty rump or ham. They stay away from the tendons near the hooves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-t-coleman/wolves-attack-the-hindquarters-of-prey-first-biting-into-the-animal-s/) Jon T. Coleman > [When you hunt predators, the best camouflage is weakness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-vachss/when-you-hunt-predators-the-best-camouflage-is-weakness/) [Andrew Vachss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-vachss/) > [“If nothing else, I was a predator - and predators could sense fear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jus-accardo/if-nothing-else-i-was-a-predator-and-predators-could-sense-fear/) [Jus Accardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jus-accardo/) > [Lawyers are predators in grey worsted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holt/lawyers-are-predators-in-grey-worsted/) [Tom Holt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holt/) > [Remove the predators, and the whole ecosystem begins to crash like a house of cards. As the sharks disappear, the predator-prey balance dramatically shifts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-skerry/remove-the-predators-and-the-whole-ecosystem-begins-to-crash-like-a/) [Brian Skerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-skerry/) > [“Deer needed predators to trim their numbers and keep them from destroying their environment, he said. To do away with predators such as wolves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-hampton/deer-needed-predators-to-trim-their-numbers-and-keep-them-from/) [Bruce Hampton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-hampton/) > [“Predators the two were equals on different fronts. Alpha, and beta; wolves fed, fucked, and bled hard, and they lived up to the name.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sai-marie-johnson/predators-the-two-were-equals-on-different-fronts-alpha-and-beta/) [Sai Marie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sai-marie-johnson/) > [Heartless though it may seem to some, among the least harmful things to eat are sustainably culled wild animals. In the absence of natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristram-stuart/heartless-though-it-may-seem-to-some-among-the-least-harmful-things/) [Tristram Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristram-stuart/) > [“Predators seem beautifully 'designed' to catch prey animals, while the prey animals seem equally beautifully 'designed' to escape them. Whose side is God on?66”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/predators-seem-beautifully-designed-to-catch-prey-animals-while-the/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [If you take away the predators in the prairies and the national parks, you suddenly have an explosion of elk, and then you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/if-you-take-away-the-predators-in-the-prairies-and-the-national-parks/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) ## More by Peter P. Marra > [“Certain bird species—herons, terns and ibises, for example—mesmerized Roosevelt. As president he insisted that killing one of these Florida exotics was a federal crime.”5”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-p-marra/certain-bird-species-herons-terns-and-ibises-for-example-mesmerized/) [Peter P. Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-p-marra/) > [“Few problems are less recognized, but more important than, the accelerating disappearance of the earth’s biological resources. In pushing other species to extinction, humanity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-p-marra/few-problems-are-less-recognized-but-more-important-than-the/) [Peter P. Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-p-marra/) > [“many leaders would rather postpone action—take a wait-and-see attitude—than proactively work toward a solution.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-p-marra/many-leaders-would-rather-postpone-action-take-a-wait-and-see/) [Peter P. Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-p-marra/) > [“By the time Lyall set foot on the shores of Stephens Island, almost a third of New Zealand’s unique species were already extinct due…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-p-marra/by-the-time-lyall-set-foot-on-the-shores-of-stephens-island-almost-a/) [Peter P. Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-p-marra/) > [“At the same time, they will also express great concern about the future that awaits us should this at once powerful and fragile web…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-p-marra/at-the-same-time-they-will-also-express-great-concern-about-the/) [Peter P. Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-p-marra/) > [“As in the United States, this makes cats the most significant source of direct anthropogenic bird mortality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-p-marra/as-in-the-united-states-this-makes-cats-the-most-significant-source/) [Peter P. Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-p-marra/) > [“The final mortality numbers showed that cats killed between 1.3 and 4 billion (median 2.4 billion) birds per year, with unowned cats causing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-p-marra/the-final-mortality-numbers-showed-that-cats-killed-between-1-3-and-4/) [Peter P. Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-p-marra/) > [“The truth is that trap-neuter-return makes people—not cats and certainly not wildlife—feel better.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-p-marra/the-truth-is-that-trap-neuter-return-makes-people-not-cats-and/) [Peter P. Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-p-marra/) > [“The man of science has learned to believe in justification, not by faith but by verification. —Thomas Huxley”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-p-marra/the-man-of-science-has-learned-to-believe-in-justification-not-by-2/) [Peter P. Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-p-marra/) > [“As with some examples we have shown earlier, these very vocal advocates seem to overlook the “genocide” of native animals perpetrated by introduced predators…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-p-marra/as-with-some-examples-we-have-shown-earlier-these-very-vocal/) [Peter P. Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-p-marra/) > [“If current trends are not reversed, it is expected that at least one of New Zealand’s five kiwi species will go extinct within the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-p-marra/if-current-trends-are-not-reversed-it-is-expected-that-at-least-one/) [Peter P. Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-p-marra/) > [“The cat, an introduced animal, is not needed here outside of buildings. It has disturbed the biological balance and has become a destructive force…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-p-marra/the-cat-an-introduced-animal-is-not-needed-here-outside-of-buildings/) [Peter P. Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-p-marra/) > [“Maybe the only explanation for people who have to ask why the Florida grasshopper sparrow matters is this: It matters not because it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-p-marra/maybe-the-only-explanation-for-people-who-have-to-ask-why-the-florida/) [Peter P. Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-p-marra/) > [“6.3 to 22.3 billion (median 12.3 billion) mammals were killed every year by outdoor cats.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-p-marra/6-3-to-22-3-billion-median-12-3-billion-mammals-were-killed-every/) [Peter P. Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-p-marra/) > [“We stopped looking for monsters under our bed when we realized that they were inside us. —Charles Darwin”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-p-marra/we-stopped-looking-for-monsters-under-our-bed-when-we-realized-that-2/) [Peter P. Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-p-marra/) [Explore all 16 Peter P. 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They know just one thing, to Sing!-RVM](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rvm/birds-fly-in-the-sky-because-they-don-t-know-how-to-cry-they-know/) RVM [Browse all 653 Birds quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birds/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Cats are opportunistic predators by nature. If given a chance to kill a bird or other small animal, most cats will take it. That is just the way cats are made.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter P. 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