Bad Kitty: German town grounds cats to save rare birds

BERLIN (AP) — What a cat-astrophe!

Authorities in the southwest German town of Walldorf have ordered some cat owners to keep their pets indoors until the end of August, to protect a rare bird during its breeding season.

The decree is designed to help save the crested lark, which makes its nest on the ground and is therefore easy prey for feline hunters. The bird’s population in Western Europe has declined sharply in recent decades.

Authorities in Walldorf wrote that “among other things the survival of the species depends on every single chick.”