Pet Talk: Cats and birds would benefit from plan to keep cats inside, two groups say

Two Portland animal-welfare groups hope their unique partnership will ruffle fewer feathers this spring.

The Audubon Society of Portland and the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon are partnering in an ongoing educational campaign that they say protects both of their interests. Their message is simple: Keep cats indoors.

Bob Sallinger, the Audubon's conservation director, approached the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon with the idea after realizing the groups' goals might not be so different after all.

From what he could tell, the cat coalition encourages people to keep their cats indoors to prevent future generations of feral cats, since free-roaming house cats are typically the source of feral cats.