Please Don't Feed the Animals: The Unintended Consequences

We all love animals. It feels kind to leave a bowl of kibble out for a stray cat or to toss bread to the ducks. However, intentional (and unintentional) feeding is the #1 cause of human-wildlife conflict in suburban areas.

The “Cat Food” Problem

When you leave a bowl of cat food on your porch, you are ringing the dinner bell for every animal in a one-mile radius.

• Raccoons & Opossums: They will arrive first. They will fight with the cats (and each other) over the food.
• Skunks: Skunks are attracted to the smell and will den under your porch to be close to the buffet.
• Rodents: The crumbs left behind attract mice and rats.
• Coyotes: The coyotes show up not just for the food, but to hunt the rodents, cats, and raccoons that are gathered there.

You aren’t just feeding a cat; you are creating a localized ecosystem of predators right at your back door.

Habituation

When wild animals are fed by humans, they lose their natural fear.

• Aggression: A raccoon that associates humans with food may approach a child expecting a handout and bite when it doesn’t get one.
• Euthanasia: Sadly, “a fed animal is a dead animal.” Once an animal becomes aggressive or nuisance-prone due to feeding, authorities often have to euthanize it for public safety.

Bird Feeders

Bird feeders are great, but they must be managed.

• Spillover: Seeds on the ground attract rats.
• Squirrels: Feeders support artificially high squirrel populations.
• Solution: Use baffles to keep mammals off feeders, and clean up spilled seed daily.

Love wildlife from a distance. Let them forage naturally to keep them wild and safe.