Murdering moggy now bird-free

A none-too-impressed Tom, sporting the specially designed bib. Photo / Herald on Sunday

Meet Tom, the murdering moggy whose wings have been clipped by a specially designed bib.

The lightweight accessory, made from wetsuit material, is designed to slow down cats as they prepare to pounce on defenceless birds.

Tom's owners, Sally James and Gerard Hill, said it has proved a lifesaver for the avian population of Ponsonby, in inner-city Auckland.

The 4-year-old, who has an otherwise amiable personality, was a "hunter extraordinaire" who regularly scaled trees to butcher tuis, thrushes and parrots.

"He would be in his element in a Kenyan wildlife park - he'd be the leader of the pack," said Hill.

After killing up to three birds a day, the couple considered depositing Tom at the SPCA - to face an uncertain future.

"We didn't know what he was like, otherwise we wouldn't have taken him on," said James.

But after a suggestion from friends, James and Hill ordered the CatBib, invented by a backyard bird-feeding cat lover in the United States, from an Australian website.

James and Hill say Tom has taken to it with little fuss or protest.

"He pushes it aside to groom and uses it as a pillow," said James. "He's a great wanderer and doesn't seem to mind being seen in it."

Forest and Bird North Island conservation manager Mark Bellingham said cats, both domestic and feral, were largely responsible for decimating native bird populations throughout New Zealand.

"A lot of kids grow up in urban areas where they don't get to see native bird populations and cats are denying kids the chance to do it.

"If you don't really need a cat, don't get one - give some of the wildlife a chance."