American Bird Conservancy announces a children's poster competition to promote the second "National Keep Your Cat Indoors Day". Cats Indoors Day will take place on May 13, 2000, and aims to educate cat owners that cats, birds and other wildlife benefit when cats are kept indoors. The competition is sponsored by Wild Bird Centers of America which is providing prizes including a bird friendly school yard for the winner's school.

Competition entries are due May 1 and prizes will be awarded to winners in the following age categories: Ages 6 - 7; 8 - 9; 10 - 12. Each poster must have the name, age, address and phone number of the entrant on the back, as well as the name, address and phone number of the school. Artwork should show a happy, safe, indoor cat. Winners will be announced by May 12 on American Bird Conservancy's Web site (www.abcbirds.org) where the winning poster will also be featured. The prizes awarded by Wild Bird Centers of America, Inc. include a $250 gift certificate which will go to the overall winner and another $250 gift certificate to the school, nature center, or other institution with which the child is associated. Wild Bird Centers will also assist the school or institution in establishing a schoolyard habitat for birds. The gift certificates can be redeemed either at www.wildbirdcenter.com or at any local Wild Bird Centers of America franchise store. Winners in the other age categories will each receive R.T. Chickadee bird feeder and nest box kits, a bird guide, and an R.T. Chickadee plush toy. The winner will also be publicized through a national press announcement.

Artwork must be on heavy white paper no larger than 18" x 24" and must be flexible. Posters should be mailed in a mailing tube and arrive no later than May 1 at: American Bird Conservancy, 1250 24th Street NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20037. Entries cannot be returned.

Each year, free-roaming domestic cats kill hundreds of millions of birds and small mammals. In addition, millions of cats are killed or injured by cars or in fights with other cats, dogs or wild animals. Free-roaming cats can contract debilitating and life-threatening diseases, or get lost, stolen, or poisoned. This poster competition will help draw attention to this problem and help to promote National Keep Your Cat Indoors Day which aims to encourage cat owners to keep their cats safe indoors and to benefit both cats and wildlife.

American Bird Conservancy's Cats Indoors! campaign is supported by thousands of individuals and conservation, animal welfare, wildlife rehabilitation, and veterinary organizations, including The Humane Society of the United States, American Humane Association, and National Audubon Society. Campaign education materials include fact sheets on cat predation on birds and other wildlife, hazards to free-roaming cats, cat ordinances, how to make an outdoor cat a happy indoor cat, and a teacher's guide. These materials are available through the American Bird Conservancy web site at http://www.abcbirds.org.

For more information call: Linda Winter, American Bird Conservancy, 202-778-9666. Additional information on the poster competition and prizes can be obtained from Kim Hope, Wild Bird Centers, 301-229-9585.