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But rounding up millions of feral cats is next to impossible, and some cat advocates insist that cats should stay outside. "Cats have lived outdoors alongside people for about 10,000 years," said Liz Holtz, Associate Director of Law and Policy with Alley Cat Allies. "Kitty litter wasn't invented until the 1940s, so there were no indoor cats." Cat owners, too, are reluctant to change: Despite reports that cats are having a major impact on wildlife, a recent survey of cat owners found that, regardless of how many animals their furry friends might kill, they would still let them out.That's why bird people say it is well past time for cats to be controlled. "They are an introduced predator," said Grant Sizemore, director of Invasive Species Programs at the American Bird Conservancy. "In 1492 there were zero domestic cats in North America, and now we have more than 100 million in the United States. And each one of them has an impact when allowed to roam outdoors."The way both sides see it, there will be blood.In the past, extreme bird advocates have called for eye-for-an-eye (or cat-for-a-bird) measures. In 2013, a now former editor of Audubon Magazine penned an editorial in the Orlando Sentinel, suggesting that people poison feral cats with Tylenol, which is fatal to felines. In June, two cats were stabbed in Portland—and the Animal Legal Defense Fund is now $5,000 reward for information about the culprit. "Cats vs. birds: who has to die?" asked one CBS report from earlier this year.On VICE News: Cats are causing one of the world's biggest extinctions crises.
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On a recent summer day, Wasserman and Beck lead the way to their back patio, which has been converted into a modern cat palace of sorts. There are wooden ramps and platforms, a tree converted into a scratching post. There's even a spiral staircase, perfectly measured for cat paws. The space is enclosed with screens, and Willow and Cordelia access it any time—day or night—from their cat door.Beck said sometimes he misses the way their old outdoor cats would follow them to the mailbox. Or the times when he'd garden and the cat would lay nearby, watching from the grass.But here on the catio, there's enough room for two lounge chairs, where Wasserman said she likes to sit, read a book, and be with her beloved pets. The cats are safe from the coyotes that roam the neighborhood, as well as from dogs, cat fights, and cars. And they're a little closer to their prey here. Close, but not too close.Follow Leah Sottile on Twitter.Related: Portland, Oregon, Is a Paradise