you’re so right. cats and birds are like peanut butter and jelly.
the bells level the playing field and makes it a hoot to watch i’m sure.
In reality, most cats lose interest in seriously trying to catch birds by the time they’re 2-3 years old, at least if they’re well-fed. Since my cats have on average lived to their late teens (two have topped 20), there’s very little need for the bells. The youngest of my current four is now about 5 years old. She’s still got her bell (the only one of my cats that has one now), but it’s long since outlived its usefulness. She’s built like a beach ball now, and couldn’t catch a bird unless it was already dead or mortally wounded when she caught sight of it. She gets even heavier in the winter, and can barely jump up onto the counter where her beloved Fancy Feast is served — has ended up suspended from her shoulders a couple of times before falling off. It’s pretty funny. Too bad the birds aren’t inside to see it :-)