pet cats in the U.S.

We love 'em, we cuddle 'em,

and we Snapchat the hell out of 'em.

Unfortunately, some people also let those cats outside.

Whoo! The man finally let me out.

'Sup, Mittens?

Please.

That's my government name.

Yeah, they're wild.

They want to go outside.

Yeah, that's exactly the problem.

Yeow! I'm an outdoor cat now!

I'm wild, baby.

While they're outside, those cats breed.

Who's a feral boy? You're a feral boy.

(both moaning)

(gasps) Mr. Bitey, no!

The average cat can give birth

to as many as 12 kittens a year.

Kittens! Oh...

Uh...

Oh...

And their kittens are born feral.

Put all of that together...

(drum roll)

And there are now as many as 70 million feral cats

living in the U.S.

(Veronica) Eww!

Basically, for every pet cat living inside,

there's a feral cat living outside.

We're an epidemic of hiss-torical proportions.

These cats live tragically short lives.

They suffer from disease, they're hit by cars,

and they get attacked by animals, including other cats.

You're a pussy!

You're a pussy!

(both screeching)

It's okay when they say it.

But what's not okay is that while indoor cats

live about 15 years,

the average outdoor cat dies after just five.

(gasps) That's so sad.

I didn't realize going outside was so bad for cats.

It is, but it's even worse for birds.

Hmm.

(gasps) I love little birdies!

Yeah, so do cats.

Mr. Bitey, no!

But I just fed him... slash-her.

Cats kill birds whether or not they're hungry,

even if they've just been fed.

It's kind of just what we do.

(crunch)

(crow cawing)

A conservative estimate

is that feral cats kill 1.3 billion birds a year.

They've actually driven 20 bird species extinct.

(woman) ♪ In the paws of a kitten ♪

Birds like these pollinate plants and distribute seeds.

They're an essential part of the North American ecosystem,

but cats aren't.

They're an invasive species that's killing native ones.

(woman) ♪ Fly away ♪

♪ Oh, you're dead ♪

Oh, my God.

Bad kitty! (hissing)