"That beloved pets should not be given the opportunity to kill wildlife for sport is the easy part of this debate." Why not start by extending that to humans as well?
Humans can be somewhat monitored and limited in their killing through licenses.
The Killer Cats Are Winning
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Re: The Killer Cats Are Winning
#22"That beloved pets should not be given the opportunity to kill wildlife for sport is the easy part of this debate." Why not start by extending that to humans as well?
In many developed countries, humans are the apex predator. Hunting is strictly regulated to positively impact wildlife and fund conservation efforts.
Re: The Killer Cats Are Winning
#23Also, your cat is trying to kill you with parasites http://www.rectofossal.com/cat-trying-kill/
If you have an indoor cat it's not. Toxo is only shed by cats for a few weeks after exposure, and the toxo lifecycle can't be completed indoors so your cat will not be reinfected. Unless you have a mouse infestation, in which case I'd be more worried about hantavirus than toxo.
Just keep your cats inside, everyone! It's better for the environment, it's better for birds, it's better for the cat, it's better for you.
Re: The Killer Cats Are Winning
#24And a counterpoint http://www.npr.org/2016/04/04/473002208/facing-a-growing-rat... That example is why cats were domesticated in the first place. Not having a healthy predator prey relationship in areas leads to public health issues.
> "They totally freak me out," says Courtney Bledsoe, as she sees a rat dart across the street while picking up her son at a Lincoln Park preschool.
And we're having rats picking up children at school, now.
Re: The Killer Cats Are Winning
#25You'd ask yourself just how diverse the wildlife in an urban environment is, where the bulk of domestic cats live. Right now I'm not convinced about the ecological impact.
There are over 250 species of bird present for at least part of the year in the city where I live, which has a population of 880000.
Rats with wings
Re: The Killer Cats Are Winning
#26Recently a coyote killed an outdoor pet cat in Berkeley and the citizens were outraged. The predator must be hunted down and shot as soon as possible! This amused me of course. Pets can be predators but actual predators are "invasive" and must be shot.
Re: The Killer Cats Are Winning
#27"That beloved pets should not be given the opportunity to kill wildlife for sport is the easy part of this debate." Why not start by extending that to humans as well?
In many developed countries, humans are the apex predator. Hunting is strictly regulated to positively impact wildlife and fund conservation efforts.
Humans are the apex predator for the entire globe. Or at least one of the very small number of apex predators. There are a few others that are preyed on by nothing else, including Hippos. As far as I know nobody hunts Hippos for their meat or other products. They're just too damn scary.
Some other predators have reciprocal predator/prey relationships with other predators. Like lions and hyenas that will eat each other if given the chance but generally prefer less dangerous meals.
Re: The Killer Cats Are Winning
#28Also, your cat is trying to kill you with parasites http://www.rectofossal.com/cat-trying-kill/
If you have an indoor cat it's not. Toxo is only shed by cats for a few weeks after exposure, and the toxo lifecycle can't be completed indoors so your cat will not be reinfected. Unless you have a mouse infestation, in which case I'd be more worried about hantavirus than toxo. Just keep your cats inside, everyone! It's better for the environment, it's better for birds, it's better for the cat, it's better for you.
Indoors is categorically not better for the cats. They're nocturnal predators. Let them hunt as is their desire and way of living. It's like keeping birds in cages and not letting them fly. Or chickens in battery farms.
There are so many unhappy cats imprisoned for the benefit of their fluffy -loving captors. If you have cats, you must let them be cats.
So here's the rub: we really have to stop keeping so many cats
Re: The Killer Cats Are Winning
#29And a counterpoint http://www.npr.org/2016/04/04/473002208/facing-a-growing-rat... That example is why cats were domesticated in the first place. Not having a healthy predator prey relationship in areas leads to public health issues.
Few years back, I moved to a place in the country where the previous owner fed birds. So there was a bit of a rodent issue. I had with a indoor/outdoor cat, not much of a hunter to look at -- big floofy Maine Coon, and not all that fast. Ran a bit like a bear, thundery, not graceful. In that first year, I found 23 small rodent bodies inside and out, I got 2 with traps. I found no bird carcasses. Pretty sure he wasn't…
I agree, not all cats hunt birds. However, there was a study (easy to google) where researchers put cameras on cats, and they found that some outdoor of cats do kill a monumental number of birds.
Overall, I think we can't conclude that any specific cat is doing this, but we can conclude that outdoor cats do greatly reduce the bird population.
Re: The Killer Cats Are Winning
#30And a counterpoint http://www.npr.org/2016/04/04/473002208/facing-a-growing-rat... That example is why cats were domesticated in the first place. Not having a healthy predator prey relationship in areas leads to public health issues.
> "They totally freak me out," says Courtney Bledsoe, as she sees a rat dart across the street while picking up her son at a Lincoln Park preschool. And we're having rats picking up children at school, now.
That certainly would freak out anybody.