Animals must die all the time with minimal evidence left for humans to see. The lack of bodies is just indicates that the animal was rapidly consumed. Whenever I have seen dead birds outside they never last long.
My cats aren’t/weren’t subtle when they catch and eat prey. Neither are birds of prey or other vultures, when devouring another bird.
The cats I own and had over the past decades have gifted me hundreds of dead of half dead animals. Some of those cats were prolific killers.
I never witnessed a successful bird hunt, never received a bird as a gift. And most importantly: If there is any single animal which can easily leave traces of inedible stuff like feathers, down, beaks, claws — it’s birds. I never even have found traces of a killed bird, on the ground or in scat.
Despite this, I have no doubt cats kill a lot of birds. It’s just that a lone study with p<0.1 (rather than the classic p<0.05) is so far removed the reality I actually observe I can’t help but to have my doubts.
The cats I own and had over the past decades have gifted me hundreds of dead of half dead animals. Some of those cats were prolific killers.
I never witnessed a successful bird hunt, never received a bird as a gift. And most importantly: If there is any single animal which can easily leave traces of inedible stuff like feathers, down, beaks, claws — it’s birds. I never even have found traces of a killed bird, on the ground or in scat.
Despite this, I have no doubt cats kill a lot of birds. It’s just that a lone study with p<0.1 (rather than the classic p<0.05) is so far removed the reality I actually observe I can’t help but to have my doubts.