You're the same age as my oldest son. ;)
6 months were spent in a small town, 5 years on 2 small rural acreages, and the rest either on a farm or surrounded by farms.
Anyway, if that's true, you have to know if it wasn't for my cat, I'd be over-run with critters. He can't keep up and we still get them indoors in the fall.
When my Felis Catus presents me with a small morsel, which is usually some rodentcreature, I praise him profusely. I've never seen him bring me a bird. But then, interloping bird species such as the starling and the house weaver finch, misnamed 'English Sparrow' do more damage to local song bird populations than my cat.
And then there's my landlord who doesn't do anything about the starlings living above the porch or the "sparrow" horde nesting in the eaves, but ripped down the robin's nest that was under the deck and wants me to take down my bird feeders...
Maybe someone will suggest that he be kept inside, and forced to wear a bib... ;-)